All posts by Jana

Administrative Assistant to the Chief
Il Volo, Personally Speaking, Piero, POETRY

To: Piero, re: Red Glasses ~ by Mary Bohling

21 Comments

TO: PIERO

RE:  RED GLASSES

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When I first saw you in Milwaukee,

All bushy haired and kind of gawky,

I fell in love.  Yes, I’ll admit it.

T’was your youthful exuberance that did it.

And something else got my attention.

They gave your face a sweet dimension…

Glasses of red!! A bit disarming,

But on your face completely charming.

They neatly framed your gorgeous eyes,

And so it came as no surprise

That you captured me in just a second.

Red glasses reached out to me and beckoned,

“Take another look and you will find

He’s not the ordinary kind.

His future bright still lies before him,

Thousands of fans will soon adore him.”

Red glasses, you were right it seems.

You were there when he followed his dreams.

Glasses of red became his trademark,

Giving him that special bright spark.

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Now that he’s maturing, will we find

That red glasses will be left behind?

Giving place to current fashion,

Forgetting that red was once his passion?

Piero, remember how the masses

Adored you in your brave red glasses?

Oh, yes, we’ll love you in any color,

You’re just as handsome in any other.

But the red ones have a special place

That time and styles cannot erase.

Please keep them close and once in a while

Wear them again, ignoring style.

Reminding us of the beginning

When hearts of fans you first were winning.

You’re famous now, but as time passes

Don’t forget your old friend—THE RED GLASSES!

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Il Volo, Personally Speaking, Piero

Fulfillment ~ by Mary Bohling

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Many pictures have been printed of Piero–of his beautiful face, his remarkably toned torso, and of his athletic prowess, but none of them tell the story like the one shown below.

This is IT—this magic moment—the sweet reward—a moment of triumph and gratitude for all that has come before–the years of study, the arduous tours, the lack of sleep, the endless meetings with fans, time away from home and family, the devotion to his craft all coming together in the culmination of his dream.

This photo captures the very essence of Piero, showing his joy in the fulfillment of his quest to be one with the audience–to give them the experience of being one with the music.  They show their appreciation with applause and standing ovations–he is showing his by the expression of pure joy and gratitude on his face–opening his arms to receive them in love and thanks for their overwhelming acceptance of his offering.  He is radiant with the joy of having brought the audience to this level of appreciation.

 Congratulazoni per te, Piero!

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Gianluca, Ignazio, Il Volo, Our Stories, Piero

Yes, Ilvolovers, there is a Santa Claus! By Jana

23 Comments

As I sit here and watch another new Christmas movie on the Hallmark Channel, I am again, thrust into thinking about the guys… I am not sure what it is, but almost every Hallmark movie has me thinking about the guys.  Perhaps it is because they seem to epitomize the same message that the Hallmark movies try to convey at this time of the year.  This particular movie was about this lady in marketing that was often giving ideas to her boss and he took them as his own.  Finally, she got brave enough and told the president that they were really her ideas.  This last particular idea of hers was called “Christmas 365” – a marketing campaign for this particular client to spread the “holiday cheer” throughout  the year and not just during the Christmas/holiday season.

So, as I sat watching this movie and feeling the warm tears spill over my cheeks at the end, as usual; I got to thinking that isn’t this what our Flight Crew site kind of does – come inside and “Share the Love?”  All through the year, we post things about the guys doing things of charity.  We post things that will cheer up someone that is not feeling well.  Each day, we boost each others’ spirits with various pictures or by the comments we make from the posts. 

Il Volo is just a beautiful example of spreading the warmth, joy, and happiness we all feel at Christmas and the whole year through. Do they realize they keep us going day to day and month to month?  Every few days there is always something from them… a new story, a new project, hints of a new song or album, tour dates, or a new picture on their Twitter and Instagram accounts?

The classic editorial article of “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus,” also reminds me of them.  This editorial was written by Francis P. Church, way back in 1897.  I believe most are familiar with this answer, but I don’t believe I had ever really read it before now.  He states some very beautiful things in his answer, that reminds me of the guys.  There is one particular paragraph, and I quote, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence.”  As I read this I thought, could we not replace Santa Claus with Il Volo?  How many of us would have such a dreary life, no awesome poetry written by the poetesses on this site, and no romance, whether real or imagined? 

Il Volo are our Santa Claus, that is for sure! Do they not give of themselves to us each and every day of the year in some small way?  And like Santa Claus, even if we have never had the chance to see them or touch them, we know they exist in our hearts, souls, minds, and dreams.  And to us, we know they are real! 

As Ilvolovers, we also spread their joy to others in promoting their music and having parties with all of our new friends we never knew 7 years ago! 

In quoting his final paragraph to Virginia, “No Santa Claus! Thank God! He lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.”  We can only hope that Il Volo will also carry on this enigma that is “3 Voices, 1 Soul” a thousand years from now and beyond, gladdening the hearts and souls of children from 1 to 102 – to quote another song….

So, yes, to all the Virginias out there, and everyone else as well –

there is a Santa Claus and ours is called Il Volo!

Buon Natale!

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 p.s.  this passage is dedicated to my dear, friend, Virginia!  🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

General news, Gianluca, Ignazio, Il Volo, Our Stories, Piero, Site News

And the winning bid goes to….?

18 Comments

 

 

It was August 24th, the PBS night of magic.  We had just finished seeing the guys, and we were waiting to imagego into the taping area.  Mary had just received her present of the Il Volo welcome sign.  A few moments later, Michelle wheeled out this beautifully framed picture signed by Gianluca, Piero, and Ignazio!  She said they would be auctioning it off on ebay next week.  Wow, I thought, so cool!  I wonder who will bid on it?  I wonder how much it will go for?  The auction was up for 10 days – wow, that seemed like a long time?  Guess they wanted everyone to have ample time to bid – and save up for it!  Finally, the 10th day came – it was Monday, September 12th! 

 

Lorna was seated at her computer.  Anxiously waiting… She got an email with the latest bid; it was $615!  Twenty-one minutes to go.  I’m not sure if I’m the highest bidder, she thought.  I better add a little more to it, just in case!  Ok, I’m the highest bidder now!  She waited and waited…finally, she 3-guys-pbswatched the seconds count down.  Three, two, one, zero!  Ok, did she get it?  She dared not look again.  Ding!  Her email just went off.  YES!  She WON!  It was hers for $620!

I am sitting here now with Lorna, the excited winner of the signed picture of Il Volo from the Una Notte
Magica in Firenze.

Me:  So, Lorna, tell me, when you saw Michelle wheel out the signed picture, what did you think?

Lorna:  OMG that’s too gorgeous. I would really love to have that to look at day after day in my own home! But I was leery about the price.

 

Me:  So, what changed your mind?

Lorna:  I had just come into a small pile of money and thought, why not? When will I ever have a second chance?

 

Me:  That’s a true Ilvolover!   When you finally got the link to the picture on ebay, what did you think of the initial bid suggestion?

Lorna:  It did seem a little high, but it was one-of-a-kind, so…. I started thinking of ways I could afford it. Just like I afforded my trip to Italy!

 

Me:  Bidding on items on ebay can be nail-biting, what were you feeling during the bidding process?

    Lorna:  I checked every day, sometimes several times a day. There were very few bids. Didn’t ever think I’d really get it, though.

  I checked back several times and my bid was remaining the high bid. The last time I looked there were 21 minutes left so I kicked it up a bit and won!

 

Me:  Did you set a price limit for yourself, saying you won’t go higher than a certain amount?

Lorna:  Yeah, well, my Il Volove got the best of me.

 

Me:   When you got the notification that you won, what did you think?

Lorna: I was just beyond thrilled that I had actually won the auction.  Sure, it will put some other bills on the back burner, but we must consider what is MOST important in life!

 

Me:  After you knew you won, did you know how long it would be before you got it?

Lorna:  I’m driving out there on Monday, September 19th to pick it up!

 

Me:  Well, Lorna, where are you going to put this new prized possession?

Lorna:  I have the perfect spot for it on a large wall in my living room. Now I can say buongiorno, buonasera, and buonanotte, to the guys everyday!

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Look at that Il Volo Smile! (night of Una Notte Magica in Firenze!)

 

And, there you have it folks – Il Volo,

possibly worth more than life, itself!