All posts by Kelly

7 Things You Might Not Know About Me: 1.) I never said patience wasn't a virtue. I said it wasn't one that I possess . ;) 2.) So that rude person tailgating your car with their headlights blinding you this morning? That was me. Sorry.... :( 3.) In some ways, it seems like I was born/built to be a nurse, but I think it surprised some people that I made it at all. 4.) There was a time in my life when my only dream was to go to conservatory and be a professional cellist. Sometimes, I still wonder what would have happened to me if that had worked out. 5.) But, you know that saying about finding yourself in a place you never planned yet it being exactly where you were meant to be? Sums up my life. 6.) I dabble in creative writing, and would like to try my hand at something good enough to be published someday. 7.) I am a die-hard, "I will fight you to the death" Rafa Nadal fan. He is my tennis version of Il Volo. :) I feel so blessed that I found Il Volo and that they have opened up and changed my life in so many ways. I'm so busy trying to get through life sometimes, I forget to enjoy it. Il Volo reminds me to do that. :)
Site News

Under Construction…

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Hi Everyone!  website-under-construction-clip-art-571

Just wanted to ask you to bear with us as we continue to be “Under Construction.”

When we started, I used a very basic template just to get going, but now that we are up and running and gaining new viewers every day, we are working with some new options to really make this our own  stylish home in every way.  So if the look of something changes from one minute to the next, don’t panic; it’s probably just us.  🙂

Feel free to comment if you see something you really like or really don’t.   We are always considering new ideas and suggestions.  Just use the contact form on the “About” page to let us know.  🙂

Kelly

Il Volo

Response to Vancouver Sun Review

8 Comments

So, it’s Twenty-four hours later.  How do things look in the light of a new day?

I know we were all very upset, and as Myron put it to me yesterday, “A lot of us agree that the writer went to a baseball park to watch a football game.”  He also pointed out that only the fans matter, and they loved the show.  Several people have made comments here along the same lines.

Everyone should respond or not respond as is their choice, so maybe a full on blitz is not the way to go.  It is my personal opinion that the author of the piece should know that she was mistaken about what to expect at the show at the least, but I also wanted to be professional and non-confrontational, which is why I wanted to wait a day to gather my thoughts.  If you would like to comment as well, here is the contact information:

Ms. Thorkelson: ethorkelson@gmail.com

Harold Munro, Editor in Chief:  hmunro@vancouversun.com

Kelly

Gianluca, Ignazio, Myron's Music Notes, Piero

Music Notes ~~ by Meheaton….Their Voices

20 Comments

Here is the next installment in Music Notes!  Enjoy!

 

 I have had some requests for a little discussion about our boys’ voices.  (Just remember that there is always a lot of back and forth amongst music directors.  The old tale goes like this:  “ The only thing two choral directors agree upon is how terrible the third one is.” )  Well, given that here goes:

 
Ignazio:  In North America he would usually be referred to as a lyric tenor.  Sometimes in Europe that kind of voice would be called “Spinto tenor”  from the italian – “ lirico spinto”  – a voice that can float high above all the other sounds but can, when needed, become powerful to dominate.  From my personal standpoint as a voice teacher/coach, I admire his ability to give enough solid breath support to create gorgeous high notes that are not “forced” but fluid or “ lirico”   – lyric.   This guy will always be a great tenor.
 
 Piero:  in America he might be called tenor to tenor-baritone.  In Europe he would be called “Heldentenor”  in german – Heroic tenor .  This type of voice was made famous by the composer Richard Wagner in his operas.  A robust voice with a clarion texture or timbre with unusual endurance.  A voice that can stand out over the chorus if needed.   At his age it is possible that his voice will keep dropping in range and he ends up being a tenor-baritone going forward.  A lot depends on how he and his voice coach handle the sound which can, if not handled right, become tight and closed in.  Piero is a very fine musician and they all have a great voice coach (love to meet him one day).
Gianluca:     In America he would be called a “Romantic Baritone”  and used as a tenor-baritone in a lot of musical or opera roles.  In terms of pure vocal size, his voice is the largest with very rich chest resonance which you can hear even when he talks.  Of the three, he has the greatest vowel control with nearly perfect vowel shape and purity.  He has also been working on supporting his “head tone”, what some people call “falsetto”, which he has used in some songs in this season.  His range is huge and dropping even now in the last three weeks from what I have heard.  This is time for the voice coach to be with him every day just so he does not over work it.
 
I know this is repeated a bit but I will say it again:  The human voice is the last organ to mature.   Usually it takes up to between 32 years and 35 years of age.   In the meantime, these three wonderful natural instruments will expand in range and increase in size (not the same as volume) and build in richness.  God help us what they are going to sound like by 25 or 28  !!!
 
 
 
Il Volo, Site News

Il Volo Flight Crew Feels the Love on Concert Day!

79 Comments

Wow.

That is the only word I have to describe the past 2 weeks here in our little home.   It’s been a whirlwind; it’s been overwhelming—in a good way; it’s been a new challenge for all of us on the board, and I think I can speak for everyone when I say that it has been a complete  labor of love.  Love for our friends and fellow followers as well as for Il Volo.

Thank you for all of your support and kind comments on our efforts to make this a great blog.  It means the world to us, and it keeps us motivated to keep coming up with new things to make it even better.  And now that it’s time to kick off the tour, we thought this was the best time to kick off a new feature!

But first, let us take a moment to celebrate…

IT’S FINALLY HERE!!!!!!!!   “We Are Love” starts tonight in Vancouver!!!

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Now we know there are going to be so many stories and memories people want to share, and as Marie said, we want to know every detail!!!  With that in mind, we would like to invite you to share your experience in a more formal layout than among the comments as we usually do, so we are opening up a new section: “My Il Volo Experience.”

To do that, please go to our “About Page” (under the “Around the Blog” section on the left), and use the contact form there to submit a request.  If your story is short enough, you might be able to simply write it in the space provided.  When you’re finished, hit send, and your request will come to the board members for posting.  If your story does not fit in the space provided, simply submit a request saying that you have a post to share and wait to hear from us by email with further instructions.

We started this with concert stories in mind, but we suspect that there are many people who won’t be going to a concert this year, but have a story about what Il Volo means to them or a way that their music has touched them.  We want to hear those stories also, so they will be included in this section as well.   The only real “rules” we have is that the stories have to pertain to you, and that if you have already submitted one, please wait until at least the end of this concert season before submitting another to allow everyone an opportunity to share.

Are you excited?  I hope so!  We are hoping for some good stories out of these first couple of stops!  I, for one, know that I am beside myself with excitement, and I still have over a week to wait!  In an effort to curb my enthusiasm (since I have to make it through a work week with some semblance of sanity), I’ve been watching Il Volo videos on YouTube for the last hour, which has made me all weepy and sentimental…

Gianluca, Piero and Ignazio,

I hope that if you ever find yourselves here, perhaps lurking around these posts, peeking through comments… roaming the halls …that you can see and feel how much you are truly loved in this place.   It might not be as electrifying as the crowds of screaming young people who filled your Latin American tour, I know, but the feeling runs just as deep and true.

If there were any doubt, I would show you our “Stats” page: over 16,000 views and nearly 1,200 comments between 21 different countries.  In only 15 days!!

I would show you the results of, “What is Your Favorite Il Volo Song?”  Yes, we were able to separate a few, but I believe the overwhelming response was, “How can I choose just one?”  On one hand, I said to myself (with a good-natured grin 😉 ), “Oh, come on.  That’s a cop-out!”  But on the other, I know it is all too true.

We fell in love with you as boys, your voices amazing us even then, each song rising to meet the one before it.  We wondered how you could possibly get any better?  Now, you are young men, and we find each song, each performance, each interview more impressive, more charming than the last.

And how can we not?  When we are at our worst, you remind us to “Smile” because it’s a “Beautiful Day,” and if we still feel like we can’t take another step, “We are Love.”  We’ll get through it together, and “the world” will keep turning.

If one listens closely enough, they will learn that it’s OK to “Surrender” to love because it’s the “Little Things” that make them perfect and perfectly loveable.  And in “Questo Amor”, we see that time is fleeting; if we love someone, we should tell them.  We feel that in all things, we need to be in the moment–take it all in–so we “don’t miss a thing.”

And lastly, I would point you to the most obvious place: the 1,200 comments posted here.  For in those words, you would find laughter, tears of joy and the moments of peace you bring to our otherwise chaotic  lives.  You would find how “Painfully Beautiful” we find your music, and how much we appreciate your kind, humble and generous spirits.

Good Luck out there.  Stay safe, don’t ever change, and we are so excited to see you!

The Flight Crew