Be swept away to the south of Italy for an exclusive evening of food, wine and music featuring Italian-born opera singer, actress and celebrity chef Silvia Colloca.
Friday 14 March 2025, 6.30–10pm
Start the evening with an aperitivo while you listen to Silvia’s soaring voice as she performs live, accompanied by harpist Georgia Lowe, in the Museum’s Gandel Atrium. Then take your seat to savour a three-course Italian long-table feast with a menu designed by Silvia and inspired by southern Italian cuisine.
Over dinner, delight in a lively conversation as Silvia is joined on stage by HerCanberra’s Emma Macdonald. Later, step inside Pompeii for an exclusive viewing of the Museum’s multi-sensory immersive experience with exhibition curator Dr Lily Withycombe.
Silvia’s menu will be prepared by award-winning BroadBean Catering and Events and each course will be served with locally grown Italian varietal wines from Collector Wines.
$249 per person
$239 group discount for booking of 6+
Ticket price is all inclusive
Silvia Colloca
Italian-born Silvia Colloca is a woman of many talents – opera singer, actress, celebrity chef and mother. With five cookbooks, three TV shows and a chart-topping classical album to her name, Silvia continues to garner a global following of passionate food and music lovers.
But it’s in the kitchen where Silvia is most at home. Warm and funny, Silvia has a passion for sharing recipes that have been passed down through her family for generations. Her food is traditional and embedded in the legacy of the hands of her mother and grandmothers. With her unfussy and friendly style, she uses simple ingredients to create easy but delicious dishes that the whole family will enjoy.
Emma Macdonald – MC and facilitator
Emma Macdonald is an award-winning journalist and maternal health campaigner who was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for services to journalism and to women in 2022.
Emma worked at the Australian Financial Review before moving to the Canberra Times, rising to become Bureau Chief. After 23 years as a newspaper journalist, she moved to online platform HerCanberra in 2016. Emma has won numerous awards, including two Walkleys and the British Prize for Journalism. She became convener of Women in Media ACT in 2015. Emma co-founded the maternal health charity Send Hope Not Flowers and won an ACT Telstra Businesswoman of the Year Award for Send Hope’s work in 2016.
Georgia Lowe – Harpist
Georgia Lowe is a harp soloist and a chamber and orchestral musician. Georgia has performed with the Sydney Symphony Fellows, the North Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the Temple Church Choir, London. She has also performed as Guest Principal Harpist with the Sydney Symphony, Queensland Symphony, Canberra Symphony and Opera Australia orchestras and the Omega Ensemble.
In 2022 Georgia arranged and performed on Silvia Colloca’s chart-topping classical album Sing Like an Italian, which ranked no.1 on the ARIA Classical Charts for 14 weeks. Her playing has been described as magical, elegant and easy.
Lily Withycombe – Curator
Dr Lily Withycombe is a curator at the National Museum of Australia. With a background in Roman archaeology, she has worked on major international exhibitions such as Rome: City and Empire, Ancient Greeks: Athletes, Warriors and Heroes, Discovering Ancient Egypt and Pompeii.
Lily is interested in making such exhibitions relevant for Australian audiences and exploring how ancient pasts can illuminate the present.
