Taci

That's the dream of impresario Leopoldo Mucci, who in 1995 founded Caffe Taci on West 110th Street and Broadway.

In Midtown, an Opera House Party Will Friedwald 2011

These days, Caffe Taci survives in name only, and in its enduring Taci Opera Nights, which are a fixture every Saturday at the Papillon Bistro on East 54th Street.

In Midtown, an Opera House Party Will Friedwald 2011

Jonathan Welter The crowd joins in at a recent edition of Taci Opera Nights.

In Midtown, an Opera House Party Will Friedwald 2011

Baritone Charles Coleman is the only Taci regular who is not a full-time singer.

In Midtown, an Opera House Party Will Friedwald 2011

"Taci" means "quiet" in Italian, and it is appropriate each Saturday at Papillon both in the relative serenity compared with a full-fledged production at the Met, and in how the audience, however small, is encouraged to keep quiet during the performance.

In Midtown, an Opera House Party Will Friedwald 2011

So this guy walks into Caffe Taci, near the end of opera night, sits at the piano and plays and sings my favorite Russian song, "Moscow Nights," in perfect Russian.

Belated Valentine's Songs Will Friedwald 2012

How is Taci different from singing in a more traditional, formal opera setting?

In Midtown, an Opera House Party Will Friedwald 2011

On this evening, Taci veteran Marc Heller, who made his Met Opera debut in 2007 opposite Plácido Domingo, stopped in to duet with Ms. Rodriguez on "Traviata."

In Midtown, an Opera House Party Will Friedwald 2011

Taci, a close associate of the government of Sali Berisha, runs an oil company privatized last year.

John Feffer: Albania: Europe's Wild East 2009

Caffe Taci homestyle rustic Italian food with live opera

Sweetnicks- Food & Life - It's All at Sweetnicks 2005