Every year in Venice on the first Sunday of September the magnificent Historical Regatta takes place. There are different races, but the most splendid moment of the day is the procession on the Grand Canal of the magnificently decorated “bissoni,” boats with eight oars with people in costume dressed as historical figures. At the end of the procession is the Doge in a tunic and red and gold mantel with the ducal Crown on his head. Four oriental ambassadors and eight ladies-in-waiting escort Catherine Cornaro, Queen of Cyprus. This procession recalls the triumphal welcome in tribute to Catherine Cornaro when she returned to Venice and offered her kingdom as a gift to the city. Catherine belonged to an important family which had commercial connections with Cyprus. As a young girl she married the King of Cyprus, but a year after she arrived the king died, and her infant son, the heir, died soon after his birth. The Venetians helped her govern her kingdom for fifteen years, when suddenly Spain threatened to conquer the island. Catherine returned to Venice, granted the kingdom to the Doge, and spent the rest of her life in Asolo, where famous poets and musicians came to visit her court. However, at the end of her life she died in her palace of San Cassiano in Venice, where she had fled when the Emperor Maximilian threatened the Republic. In honor of this event, Associazione Culturale Musica Venezia will present a special concert of beautiful sacred music at San Salvador Church where Caterina Cornaro is buried. In homage to Caterina, Ensemble Musica Venezia will perform two lovely versions of “Salve Regina” by D. Scarlatti and G.B. Pergolesi performed by Giovanna Bragadin, contralto accompanied by Maria Luise Barbon and Pervinca Rista, (violins), Gioele Gusberti (cello), Marta Traversi (viola), and Marija Jovanovic (harpsochord). There will also be two instrumental pieces, Concerto in C major for cello by the Venetian composer Antonio Vivaldi, with Gioele Gusberti as soloist, and the rarely performed Sonata no 1 per two violins violini and basso continuo by Domenico Gallo, which Stravinsky used as a source for his ballet “Pulcinella”. For many years this work was attributed to Pergolesi, but scholars discovered it was actually one of 12 sonatas written by Domenico Gallo. The concert will be introduced by a narration of the fascinating story of Catherine Cornaro written by Roberta Reeder.