Who are we?

The Domenico Zipoli Institute (DZI), was founded in San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina, in 1994, as a part of the Institute of the Incarnate Word (IVE) dedicated to culture and music.

Where we are?

§ Argentina.

§ Italy.

§ United States of America.

What we do?

Present musical performances, conferences and lectures. In the United States of America our goal is to promote the Hispanic Baroque music.

What have we done before?

We have done over one hundred and fifty events ranging from:

Ø Orchestral concerts.

Ø Choral concerts.

Ø Chamber concerts.

Ø Piano recitals.

Ø Lieder recitals.

Ø Operas.

Ø Conferences and lectures.

What is our goal?

+ The evangelization of culture.

+ Enriching the community life by opening their eyes and ears to the world of music.

+ Through the music to discover the beauty that comes from God.

+ Bring people close together, especially young people, through the use of good music, a legacy of the human culture.

Who is our patron saint?

Saint Cecilia, virgin and martyr, Universal Patron of Music.

Who was Domenico Zipoli?

Domenico Zipoli was born on October 17, 1688, in Prato, near Florence. Supported by Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany, in 1707 he studied in Florence and after he moved to Naples in 1709 for lessons with Alessandro Scarlatti. In the same year he went to study in Bologna under  Lavinio Vannucci and from Bologna to Rome for lessons with Bernardo Pasquini. Staying in Rome after Pasquini's death in 1710, he composed two oratorios of which only the libretti survive. In 1715 he was appointed organist of the Jesuit church in Rome and the following year published the keyboard collection Sonate d'intavolatura.

During his stay in Rome, Zipoli joined the Society of Jesus on July 1, 1716, and soon after went to Seville to await passage to the Jesuit Paraguay province in South America.

With 53 other prospective Jesuit missionaries he sailed from Cadiz on April 5, 1717. He disembarked in July in Buenos Aires, and after 15 days set out for Córdoba. In 1724 he completed his philosophical and theological studies at the Jesuit Colegio Máximo and university in Córdoba. He was ready to receive priest's orders, but died of tuberculosis on January 2, 1626, without receiving them for lack of a bishop in Córdoba to ordain him.

During his life and after his death, Zipoli's music was much in demand. Jesuit documents note his continuing reputation up to at least 1774  in the Guarany Indian villages from which Europeans were excluded. In the 1970s some 23 works by Zipoli (including copies of known keyboard pieces) were discovered among a large collection of manuscripts at the missions in eastern Bolivia. He was the most renowned  Italian composer to go to the New World in colonial times and a genuine example of enculturation. His slogan was “Give me an orchestra and I will convert the whole of South America”. The Jesuits were said to have conquered a continent with an orchestra.

What is our project in the USA?

In the United States of America our goal is to promote the Hispanic Baroque music.

What can you do?

We need your support in order to achieve our objective and continue this very important aspect of our apostolate.

How can you help us?

Sponsoring the DZI performances and/or making a gift to support them. You may direct your gift to support the upcoming season sending your contributions to Domenico Zipoli Institute, 113 E 117 St, N. Y. New York.