Executives from Mapei, the main sponsor of the Symphonica Toscanini orchestra’s 2007 concert tour of the United States, South America, Japan and Israel, were among the luminaries at a recent luncheon at New York’s Le Parker Meridien Hotel to officially kick off the year-long event.

“Mapei and Symphonica Toscanini share the same vision,’’ commented  operational marketing and communication director Dr. Adriana Spazzoli explaining why the adhesives maker was partnering with  the orchestra. “We are considered to be the leader in our industry and we have gotten there by working very hard. We see the same thing in the  Symphonica Toscanini.’’

Mapei’s sponsorship of the 200-member orchestra that is led by world-renowned music director and conductor Maestro Lorin Maazel  is the latest effort in the company’s ongoing support of the arts. For more than 20 years Mapei has partnered with Teatro alla Scala in its home base of Milan and recently helped fund the renovation and restoration of the organization’s theater.

Symphonica Toscanini, which is based in Rome and consists of mostly Italian musicians, was formed in the spring of 2005 to honor the memory of Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini, who died in 1957. The orchestra’s tour starts January 11 in Washington, D.C. and includes 14 domestic dates before moving overseas for concerts in South America, Japan, Israel and Europe.