Hey Gang, Got a nice email from Christine today. She said I could share it with all of you. Thanks Chris.
Christine Pegnato Today at 9:49 AM
Hi Marie.
There is a photo on a site called “Virtual Tour Bus”, it shows Ignazio on a plane to Boston and he is wearing the base ball cap I gave him (among other things as Christmas presents) at the Detroit Meet and Greet! I wrote a little note to him that said to wear it with his blue sunglasses, and in the photo, he’s got the blue sunglasses on and the cap, isn’t that a hoot!
Oh Marie, the show was to die for! PBS said this was the first event of this type such as an exclusive meet and greet and it seemed to be a resounding success. IL VOLO has strong ties with PBS, so maybe they will do something like this in another city next year, and if close enough we will go! I’d have to hock rings of mine to get the $1000 of course!
Doors didn’t open til 4:30 and we were there at about ten after four and there is a huge window to the restaurant and the fans were saying, “there’s Ignazio”, “there’s Piero”, they could be seen from the window. I just about died! Jo, who I was with, and Loves Ignazio as much as you do, if that is possible, was peering into the window with her nose on the glass, I wouldn’t have the nerve! Then since they knew the fans were coming in and the doors were opening, they disappeared in the back.
We waited til about 5 pm when they came back out to sing. I held my breath for that 1/2 hr til I turned blue. I am kidding! It was so wonderful! This was a four or possibly five star restaurant and the food “looked” so sumptuous but I was so nervous, I couldn’t eat. This lady across form me was from Alberta Canada, she was a Piero fan, in her early 70’s and she was so nervous at seeing them she couldn’t eat either! I got to ask Gianluca to sign my calendar (I made a big one for myself, with pics which are about 10″ x 12″). You can never have too big of pictures of IL VOLO)! I got to talk to him (GG) for maybe 10 seconds, they rushed them through each table.
I talked to Barb Vitali, She was real sweet. I asked her where she was from, she said Bologna, who else do we know from Bolognia, let me see….. She has an accent. I asked her about the future and she said that they had to get together and plan their upcoming projects and they need new songs before they tour again. Hopefully they will miss us so much, they will insist on touring soon!!
When they got done singing (only sang 2 songs in the beginning and O Sole Mio right before they left) Ignazio says, “okay, when are we gonna eat?” How cute! They did NOT eat, but hopefully the restaruant fixed plates for them to take with them. They were only in our midst for 1 hour from 5 to 6, then they had to go do a live broadcast on Detroit PBS which some friends and I went back to our hotel and watched.
Ignazio was so funny on that show! He kept pinching Pieros face and Piero finally had enough and tried to hold down Ignazio’s hands on the table (this was live TV). Then Ignazio kept messing up Gianluca’s hair and Gian didn’t even get mad, he kept straightening it back, but Ignazio would mess it up again! The interviewer from PBS asked them who their musical influences are and of course Ignazio said “Stevie Wonder”, and when it was Gianluca’s turn he jumps up out of his chair and yells “THE VOICE Frank Sinatra!” He was so wired during that show, we laughed so hard, b/c he was making these faces too, you’d have to see it. They are also doing PBS shows in Boston and Wash D.C.
I can’t describe how exciting it was! They may do something like this again. Keep putting pennies or nickels in a jar to save up!!! Marie, it was a night I will NEVER forget.
Christine
Christine, wonderful, wonderful story! I can only imagine how fun and magical it was for you. These guys just keep getting better by the day…and I don’t just mean the singing, but the way they interact with everyone is amazing. They are so comfortable with WHO THEY ARE …there is no false pretense or put on with them…what you see is what you get! I will be saving my pennies for when they return!! Thank you again!!
How special, Christine! I Love the recognition by Ignazio with your cap gift and his sun glasses. Clever and sweet!
All these details are treasures! Thank you so much, Christine, for sharing, and Marie for posting!
On another subject (I don’t know where else to post this), I received the bonus CD from ilvolomusic.com … LIVE SOLOS and ITALIAN CAROLS. Yay! It was much as I thought…
the solos were those The Boys recorded in Seattle, Oct, 2012 in the Paramount Theatre (my first concert!) with the VIP group after the concert: Ignazio ~ Memory, Piero ~ Where Do I Begin, Gianluca ~ Maria (; >) !
And the other 2 were recorded in a studio in Miami: Italian versions of Silent Night and White Christmas.
Thought you all might want the heads up. I’m thoroughly enjoying all 5. The one thing I would say is that the orchestration in the IL VOLO version of Maria seems to support The Boys’ voices more now than the musical support in this year-old recording of Gianluca singing Maria.
Love, joy, and gratitude,
~ Jeanine DuBois, Compassion’s Doorway
What a great account of a wonderful time with IL VOLO! Oh you are a lucky lucky person! Sounds like it was just awesome. Now you have me thinking I need to make a IL VOLO Calendar. Too bad management hasn’t put one out, it would be a sure fire hit with all the fans. I sure hope we all get to see that PBS taping with Ignazio being all crazed, obviously he is feeling so much better now! My mind is boggled that anyone gets to mess with Gianlucca’s hair! Nice information from Barbara Vitali too. Thanks for sharing!
thanks Marie for showing this
Christine thank you for sharing with us that wonderful ex[perience.. I think Ignazio is a hoot & so entertaining. I was wonderful that you got to spend what little time they had with them.
Loretta, Ignazio is surely the life of the party! “Piratesorka, get my email from Marie, if you don’t have hers, its avail under contact us (the adminstrators) on the site. I can get your address and help you out. I’m thinking you are a Piero fan, but I forget!
Christine I am a total dorkola noobie, I’m going to try the “Contact us” once more. I am indeed a Piero fan! In my very active imagination Ignazio tried to lure me to his side and Gianlucca beckoned but Piero won me completely,
I need help!
Jealous…jealous…jealous….
Glad you had such a great time. 🙂
Piratesorka, you are one of legions of Piero fans! He is so cute so I do get what you guys see in him, and talented beyond belief with that voice! I’ll look for your emai.
I am glad you had a great time. Perhaps there was more fun in the social aspects than just two songs plus (kind of small number for $1000.) I am surprised that PBS didn’t want more . They are always fun on the social side.
Hi Myron, if you see this, it was only 3 songs. They did 2 Christmas and ended with O Sole Mio I was so glad they did that song at the end, it’s so exciting to see and hear them do it! We were saying in the car on the way over we hoped they didn’t just do Christmas, and our prayers were answered! As for the $1000, there really isn’t a way to put a price on being able to see them so close and talk to them, that is what is known as “priceless”.
Another off topic…
If you haven’t seen
Il Volo – LA Arts Interview – Great promo shoot
(on YouTube), it is fantastic! So candid and just uploaded an hour ago by IL VOLO Mundial Due.
Plenty of reassurance here that Our Boys will be together for decades!
Sweet!
~ Jeanine DuBois, Compassion’s Doorway
Thank you, Jeanine for the info on the WONDERFUL interview ! Just looked at it. They look like a million bucks (as always). I love it when they sing O Sole Mio as if they were aged. I take care of the elderly for a living and DO HOPE they can still sing at that age! What a joy they would be to have in an assisted living facility! 🙂
That is the BEST interview ever. Almost as good as having them sitting right across from you….ALMOST as good. I like hearing them affirm that they want to stay together….for 80 years? What a blessed day when someone had the inspiration to put them together–must have been Divine inspiration, and glad that they give the credit to God for their talent so openly. Love, love, love them!
Love it, too, Mary Jane and Mary B.! Everything about this interview.
Speaking of singing until they are aged….
A friend just today sent me a link to this video about Alice Herz, the oldest (109-year-old) Holocaust survivor and oldest living pianist.
http://www.upworthy.com/she-was-40-when-the-nazis-took-her-now-shes-outlived-them-and-has-something-incredible-to-say?g=3&c=ufb1
Alice understands the magnificence of music as deeply as Our Boys. The Light in her eyes! The smile on her face!
She expresses many words of wisdom. Here is just one:
“When you are knowing that you will be playing the evening the concert, and people … terribly ill came to this concert, people came to this concert and became YOUNG. It is a mystery that when the first tone of music starts, it goes straight away in our soul.”
Our Boys understand this! I just emailed Barbara Vitali about this, hoping she will share it with Gianluca, Ignazio, and Piero. I can see Our Boys having tea with Alice and singing to her. Wouldn’t that be something?! And she would give them a Beethoven concert right back! (; >)
I wish this Light and Love and Music in Our Boys when they are 109 !!
~ Jeanine DuBois, Compassion’s Doorway
Credits to video owner: utube channell of mariana miyakawa
“MLLA” if you are the one that posted, that was heartwarming. I love the Spanish version of We are Love (mas que amour) just beautiful! They are so great with the kids!
video is on channel under the little girl name, she or her family posted it on u tube, she looks so amazed !
Magnificent, mlla!
Love. Simple humble present LOVE. Mas Que Amor.
Ahhh… the SYNERGY of Love. (; >)
Thank you ever so much for this beautiful sharing.
~ Jeanine DuBois, Compassion’s Doorway
Hi Christine, You must be the Christine that we me in front of the Fox theater??? When you and Marie went behind the theater and were so lucky to see the boys back there? I have been kicking myself for staying in front of the theater and missing out on that, but I was still flying so high from being with Piero in the cab that I thought life couldn’t get any better. Sounds like a great time at the Rattlesnake, so glad you got to have that experience. Just whets your appetite for more, doesn’t it? Here’ s to many more close encounters!
No Mary, that may have been another fan “Kristine” Kelly at the Fox Theatre probably, not me. she was also at the Rattlesnake. I saw them only in Pittsburgh.
Thanks Jeanine I just saw the interview of the guys & they are so handsome, especially Ignazio of course. Got 2 more pictures. It sounds as if they are for sure going to be together for a long, long time & that’s good. Piero still can be in an opera if he wants to be but if they stay basically together that would make his career fuller. I would like to hear him in an opera his voice is perfect for opera.
Love your expansive view, Loretta. Yes! All is possible!
~ Jeanine D.
I am so envious. I live in Detroit area, and when PB S first advertised this Wine and Dine I thought it would be wonderful but I knew I couldn’t afford it. Altho PBS didn’t advertise they would have the boys on live later that evening I thought they might, so I turned on PBS and sure nuf’, there they were.
My dear husband has been so patient with me. Altho he thinks the boys are fabulous, he doesn’t have the adoration that I do. I rave about Piero as if he were my son.
Christine, sounds like you had an amazing time!! I’m jealous too,but so glad you had such a wonderful experience!
Thanks Linda, check with Marie and you will know why in due time.
Christine, you have been holding out on me. Didn’t realize you were going to see the guys. Heard it was the most fabulous experience. Congratulations and thanks for sharing!