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Tuesday September 20. Feinstein's/54 Below - 254 West 54th St. Cellar, Manhattan, NY. Tickets & Info: 646- 476-3551 or click here. Showtime: 7:00pm (Doors open at 5:00pm for dinner). Back by popular demand, award-winning Italian singer/PBS-TV host for Andrea Bocelli, Il Volo, and Michael Buble, Cristina Fontanelli carries the Italian “torch” back t...

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Domenico Modugno's 1958 classic song "Volare" is among 66 songs Bob Dylan comments on in his new book coming out in November, "The Philosophy of Modern Song". The evergreen standard, whose actual title is "Nel blu dipinto di blu" and which song of year at the 1959 Grammies, appears in the list of songs including classics by Jimmy Reed, Ray Charles,...

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Musica Sotto le Stelle. The final one of the season! Antonio Guarna & Francesca Cavaliere perform Italian-American favorites! Register here for Musica dinner at Casa Belvedere, 79 Howard Avenue, Staten Island, NY. Tuesday, Sept. 13 • 6:30 to 9:30 pm; doors open at 6 pm. $125 members, $135 non-members. Four-course dinner includes wine, Flagship Brew...

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He was the “King of Cool,” an Italian American star whose casual magnetism and incomparable voice defined the Rat Pack style that influenced generations of American popular culture.  Now, Dean Martin’s hometown is seeking to honor him for all time with a larger-than-life statue at the heart of this once-bustling community.  In this week’s episode,...

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Nurturing young people’s talent. Luciano Pavarotti is not only considered the most famous Italian tenor but one of the ten greatest of all time. He had it all: bright, clear high notes, impeccable phrasing, clean timbre, and unmatched expressivity. His merits are undeniable, because he brought opera to a global audience, making millions of people p...

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The music world is mourning the unexpected passing of Joey DeFrancesco, who died Aug. 25 from a massive heart attack, according to a statement released by Hammond Organ World. The noted organist and multi-instrumentalist was 51. A generational talent, DeFrancesco was born in Springfield, Pennsylvania on April 10, 1971, to “Papa” John, a railroad el...

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There are still plenty of us around from the Silent (1928-1945) and Boomer (1946-1964) generations.  Growing up with old movies and multi-generational TV variety shows were part of our cultural foundation.  We easily remember personalities from decades before our birth.  I can safely say that we had more respect for what came before us than today’s...

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The 2022 MTV Video Music Awards took place at New Jersey’s famed Prudential Center today, and Eurovision 2021 winners Måneskin have taken home their first ever 'Moon Person' award! The were awarded the "Best Alternative" video for 'I Wanna Be Your Slave'. Overall Måneskin were nominated in three categories on the night: Best New Artist; Best Altern...

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On September 10, Concordia Chamber Players will present an evening of Italian Baroque music featuring the works of female composers of the 17th century for ChamberFest 2022. Some of the lesser-known composers featured on the program are Catarina Assandra, Barbara Strozzi, Isabella Leonardo, and Francesca Caccini. The group returns to the barn at ru...

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Lorenzo Da Ponte, a librettist, first met in Vienna in 1783. They shied away from the staid Greco-Roman mythologies, used frequently in opera until then, choosing to collaborate on human interest stories. Musicologists rightly praise Mozart’s ability to "draw" a character in very few bars. In 1786 "The Marriage of Figaro...

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