Those of you who follow my stories follow the people who I follow. Those of you who are new to Il Volo or new to my stories, let me introduce you to Giada Luppi and let me tell you about The Three!
Giada Luppi is a world champion roller skater and she is also a phenomenal singer.
Let me start by telling you a little bit about Giada the skater.
Giada has a story that is very similar to Il Volo’s story because like Il Volo, from a very young age she has dedicated her life to her career ~ in her case, skating.
In October 2021, I wrote an article about Giada after she won the Junior World Figure Skating Championships. So, you might ask yourself, why am I, a writer who writes about Il Volo, writing a story about a World Championships Figure Skater? Read my story and you will know the answer.
Giada Luppi is from Crespellano-Valsamoggia, in the province of Bologna. She has been skating since she was five years old. She has won two European Championships and five Italian championships, and she has won the Junior World Figure Skating Championships. This translates to two European golds, in 2019 and in Riccione, two world championship silvers and five titles at the Italian championships. Her win was in the junior world champion in the free single program at the World Figure Skating Championship. An amazing career for the young Emilian skater. Her artistic skills, strength and gracefulness is a perfect mix that has allowed her in recent years to establish herself nationally and internationally. Always to the rhythm of music, which never fails in her workouts, Giada prefers to work out to a lot of soul music, including Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys, but also Giorgia, Mia Martini, Mina, Alex Britti.
Over the last week, we couldn’t help but notice Giada’s great achievements! She won the 2023 Italian Figure Skating Championships and she released a new song! Principe!
Giada has a beautiful voice that I could listen to all day! She has a soulful voice that is very expressive, and her passionate delivery is always impeccable! It’s amazing that such feelings come from so young a singer. She has feelings and emotions that usually come along with age. She’s deep!
Whether skating or singing, Giada always gives her best. She delivers on the rink and she delivers on the stage. I see a beautiful future for Giada!
After winning her medal, Giada posted…
I’ve been skating for 15 years now, yet every single time I enter the track it’s like it’s the first, it’s an unmanageable, terrifying and wonderful emotion…Indescribable…
I am proud to have been able to compete in the first place, despite my bone edema that I have been carrying with me since October and above all I am happy to have been able to choreograph both programs this year … I really hope that my emotions can be bounced from my heart to the track and to all the people who have followed me.
This Italian championship has been a tornado of emotions… Maybe the best of my entire career, maybe my biggest revenge… in short, a huge satisfaction.
I want to thank all the people who believed in me, sometimes even more than I believed in myself.
Giada thanked he coaches and her team for all their support and for being a second family to her.
Giada went on to thank, “my wonderful friends for always being close to me, and finally my Wonderful Angel ~ thank you for all the work we have done together, for training me with your patience and your love, for being there as a friend, for always being there at all times without ever leaving me … My beautiful butterfly this is our dream, we realized it together and it’s all ours… I miss you to💔 death.”
Who is this Angel Giada referring to?
Perhaps this interview will explain it!
Interviewer: Giada Luppi for the first time Italian Senior Champion even a little surprisingly, Ponte di Legno gold medal. How did it go?
Giada: I am very happy because I have returned from a bad injury which is always one of the wounds always that of last year’s world championships which I carry with me very sadly, but at the same time I am very happy for having brought home another medal and above all in the maximum missed category which was really an unexpected result for me and for all my team but I’m satisfied all the sacrifices were found screaming, second, second place.
Interviewer: What made the difference even with so much competition?
Giada: Yes, lots and lots of competition. And what made the difference I believe it is always mental work, ultimately mental and yes, be mentally ready, be ready to attack the track, despite the level being very high, always focus on yourself and try to give your best by thinking do not frustrate the work done at home.
Interviewer: What about these past very difficult months, I know there is a special dedication for this victory too.
Giada: Yes, I dedicated my medal to Michele Sica. He is a friend of mine and former coach who, however, has now flown to heaven (died). It was very exciting to skate for him because I believe he was there with me in sight always and I have to say I feel him. I just feel the presence of his person. He was always with me, and this gives me so much strength.
The relationship we had was both a friend of mine because we aged together for so many years and he also was my coach and my idol. When I was little he was already Segna in the top category, and he really always won. He was so much to me! It was truly an honor for me to recognize him, it is a great pain.
As you can see Giada is a phenomenal skater but what does this have to do with Ignazio and Michele. Giada, the singer, is produced and managed by Ignazio and Michele.
Giada has a very clear idea about her future. “I will compete a few more years because I think I have already dedicated so much of my life to skating and then I would like to devote myself completely to music.”
Certainly, Giada is not ready to hang up her skates. Giada’s proves skating and singing are not incompatible activities. She would like to carry on these two passions, on the model of the R&B star Usher.
Giada says, “Skating is part of my life, while singing started as an outlet and then became a necessity, something I can’t do without.”
So, what does Giada say about what skating does for her? “It brings out my personality!” And what a personality she has.
Let me say one final word about Giada, the skater. Skating is her whole life, and Giada credits her mother for always being there for her. She has a mother who supports her and leads her by inspiration.
Giada said of her mother: “You and I always lift each other up. You are my light!”
In Giada I see a lot of the qualities of Ignazio.
So now let’s turn to Ignazio…
Enter Ignazio!
He is the voice that never ends! The voice that intrigues! The voice that takes your breath away! The voice that leads you to ecstasy!
During the pandemic, Ignazio proved to us that being in quarantine doesn’t quarantine your mind. No, it opens your mind to different ways of producing! This video showed just how brilliant this man is. He wouldn’t be held back by his circumstances. He felt a need to produce and even though the moment didn’t allow it, he found a way to overcome his confinement and sing out! An absolutely phenomenal performance by Ignazio! And let’s not forget the amazing men who accompanied him. Giampiero Grani, Alessandro Quarta, Bruno Farinelli, Gino de Vita, Pierluigi Mingotti and Andrea Morelli.
Ignazio’s experience and love of the production has led him to take a giant step into his future!
It seems our, sexy, romantic, Italian tenor/producer knows how to move and shake in the music industry!
If there’s one thing I can say about Ignazio, he is a dreamer and he always has his eyes open for young talent. Ignazio’s dream is to help other young people have the opportunity he had along with Piero and Gianluca.
From when he was on the competition circuit, Ignazio always wanted healthy competition and fair opportunities for everyone. His failure to see this in the competitions led him to almost give up his dreams. He never wants to see that happen to another young person. What better way to help these young people than to give them the opportunity to record with a small label run by a very famous person who is the epitome of music!
I predict that someday that small label will become a leader in the music industry!
Let’s talk about that label!
In January 2020 Ignazio, at age 25 started his own production company ~ Floki Productions. Does that surprise you? It doesn’t surprise me. It makes a lot of sense to me.
Floki Productions I’m sure is Ignazio’s dream.
And how did Ignazio come up with the name Floki for his production company? He says….
I took the name of my label from the Viking shipbuilder Hrafna-Floki Vilgerðarson. As a fan of the TV series Vikings, Floki seemed like the right reference for the desire to get involved in this new adventure, because if you want to reach the continent from an island you can jump into the sea at the risk of drowning or invent something.
Working through a small label gives you the opportunity to follow means, believing in people even before the project and following them step by step in their path, discarding logic on the side.
Ignazio signed Giada Luppi to a contract with Floki in 2021!
I mention that Giada has some of Ignazio’s qualities. For one, she is very determined, she is also sweet, and kind and she loves sharing her life and her career with her fans.
Giada like Ignazio is a song writer. She has written over 60 songs! So, I have to ask the same question that I’ve asked Ignazio. When do you sleep? She must be taking lessons from Ignazio!
And who might her manger be?
Enter Michele Torpedine….
With her debut single, in collaboration with Ignazio and manager Michele Torpedine, she entered what she hoped would become her career in the entertainment world. But in the meantime, Giada says, “I dream of singing and skating together, why not? I will compete for a few more years, then my life will be music.”
Giada continues, “In the future I would like to continue to walk the road of music, but without hanging up my skates. I will compete a few more years because I think I have already dedicated so much of my life to skating and I would like to devote myself completely to music.”
It seems Michele and Ignazio are happy to walk that road with Giada.
In his book, Michele talks about the guys and how when he met them, he met the right people. Michele said….
I have many enemies, which will increase after this book but, I met the right people: Gianluca Ginoble, Ignazio Boschetto and Piero Barone.
Yes, as you can tell from the title of the book, when I met them and put them together as a trio, they were so young… to think that ten years have already passed! With them and with their families, good people, a relationship was born that goes far beyond the professional one.
Together we joke and laugh, then we get serious, enjoying worldwide successes: but the human side, their being real and clean, for me is an added value, which is priceless. And, especially in this environment, is a rare commodity.
It’s so hard to be told ‘thank you.’ For this reason, the boys, Gianluca, Piero and Ignazio are different: grateful, so much so that I had to tell them to stop making my name and thanking me during interviews or at the end of the concerts, everything seems prepared.
Michele has always been thankful for being able to get back into the game with such honest young men. Recently Michele talked about this at an event which he attended with Giada. No doubt Michele decided to take Giada on because he saw in her a nice respectable young lady who has values like the guys and who will allow him to continue on this wonderful path of honesty and integrity.
So, this is also the story of how Michele found a new life first in Il Volo and now in Giada. The best way to explain this is probably to say Michele realized after Il Volo that honesty and truth can be found in the young.
Recently, Michele joined Giada at the Eurocommunication Awards. It was an award ceremony dedicated to women where Giada won the award for her dedication to sports and fair play in the sport!
To reward Giada’s already consolidated sporting career was Ruggero Alcanterini, National President of the Italian Fair Play Committee, who gave the young champion an official CONI badge.
Below the video is some of what was said by Michele and Giada.
Michele is a record producer, television personality, drummer and Italian music manager of high-level artists.
Interviewer: We are with Michele Torpedine producer to the stars.
Michele talks about some people who he managed before Il Volo then he talked about Il Volo.
Michele: Let’s begin with the afternoon of the three. I had many disappointments, despite all that I had.
At a certain point, the director of Ti Lascio una Canzone had an idea to put the three together for a song.
I signed them immediately.
As to Giada, Michele said, “We rely on her, and we know that she will be participating in a new era of music. I certainly hope it is condensed very well.
Interviewer: Giada is a world champion of figure skating who has also launched herself into the world of entertainment most recently with the beautiful song “Principe.”
Interviewer (to Giada): Thank you very much. We are already ready for the artistic roller-skating champion who is starting a new adventure.
Giada: Actively I’m trying to throw myself into my musical bed. Because in addition to my recent passion for figure skating and being led to win a championship this year, I have a totally different matter which is singing music and so I’m trying to bring myself to this stage where I would like to transform my life. I would like to transform the music and my position level of my work.
Interviewer: And so how much of your sporting life are you putting to help you.
Giada:In my musical world in any case, I want to bring music and sport together and as much as possible I am always part of music and the music I feel as part of the sport. So, I’m trying to integrate everything and bring it together myself. That is, that the will always wins so much more.
What I will say about Michele is something I always say about Ignazio. He is, they are, brilliant!
The genius of Michele will live on in Ignazio!
In my interview, I asked Giada the question that everyone is thinking about right now. “How did you meet Michele and Ignazio?”
Giada said:I was at a competition in 2018 and I met Michele. Not long after that he contacted me, and we started a collaboration. After that he introduced me to Ignazio. Most of the work with Michele right now is to combine the music with the skating.
My final question to Giada was, “What would you like people to know about you.”
Giada: I dedicate myself a lot to songwriting. I write my songs on piano.
It seems Giada is also an accomplished pianist who writes her own songs.
I told you I see a lot of Ignazio in Giada. A very ambitious young lady who takes her career in skating and singing into her own hands and makes a beautiful presentation whether singing or skating! She is a composer, singer and skater who choreographs her own programs for competition! Again I have to ask the question! Do you ever sleep?
So now you have heard the story of The Three no, not Il Volo but Ignazio, Giada and Michele. I can see that Giada has had a phenomenal career in skating and I have no doubt she will have a phenomenal career as a singer!
For your listening pleasure I give you the REAL THREE!
Il Volo full concert in Taormina June 1, 2017 NotteMagica Tour
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure!
If you would like to share a story with me, please email: susan.flightcrew@yahoo.com
To read more Il Volo stories visit us at www.ilvoloflightcrw.com
At the Verona concert, I met some friends of Flight Crew, not many this time, because most of them went to the concert in Taormina, how lucky !!
To friends who came to Verona, I asked them to tell me their impressions of the concert, as I did with Kirsten who did a long review that everyone liked.
The others weren’t that lengthy in their comments, so I’ve grouped them all here.
LAURA and UGO = They are Italians, from Trieste, but I met them through the Flight Crew blog that they always read.
I don’t have a photo with them, but here’s their comment:
“They were amazing, beautiful, elegant and talented. You know that we love classical pieces very much and it was very nice to hear LA DONNA È MOBILE and several pieces taken from operas. The voices were top!”
SUSAN and her brother = They had the tickets for June 4th and I for June 3. We couldn’t meet by a whisker, but it’s like I saw them and hugged them.
Here is Susan’s comment:
Hi dear! What a wonderful concert !! I LOVE the song “Hallelujah”.
The concert was truly fantastic. The orchestra was smaller and the guys seemed different…still as wonderful as ever but more mature….more settled in their skin. They seemed more comfortable with themselves.
The difference in them, after two years without live concerts, was unmistakable.
They are professional men at the top of their game! It was wonderful to hear new tweaks on familiar songs and I especially enjoyed the “montages” they did on several songs with a part of a song leading into another. The duet Gianluca did with Ignazio “Hallelujah” was really good. I never cared much for that song but the way the guys sang that song makes me hope they will include it on an album.
The audience was really involved in the concert..singing along to their favorite songs. There were also quite a few people who attended both nights, the guys asked.
A beautiful evening!
Here is a picture I took.
This year, together with my husband and me, my son’s mother-in-law Mariella also came to the concert.
It was the first time he had come to an Il Volo concert and that he entered the Arena. Here she is with me.
And here is her comment.
Hello dear Daniela. Thank you for inviting me to the wonder of the evening at the Verona Arena with the wonderful trio Il Volo, I have never experienced an evening like this !!! In addition to the skill, which I already knew, I discovered their sympathy, which I never would have thought !! I lived almost three hours, and if I remember correctly 27 thrilling songs. For me, it was the first time of their concert, but now I think it is the first of a long series …. Thanks to Il Volo and their organization ….❤❤❤
Here is my video of the concert finale!
Now I want to tell you some gossip about things that happened during the concert.
First of all Torpedine, it was just a few rows in front of me, I managed to take this photo of him.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t at the beginning of the line, so if I wanted to get up and say hello to someone, it meant getting several people up, and I did it once, but I knocked over the bottles of water of the people who were next to me, so, then I never got up to avoid making more disasters.
The concert was starting, the orchestra was already on stage, and 4 people were advancing in front of me and I recognized them immediately.
I took a picture, it’s not very clear so I’ll explain it to you.
Behind the man with the blue shirt, there is Ernesto, Gianluca’s brother, so Rachele, his girlfriend, can be clearly seen, behind her, you can only see the raised arm of Eleonora, Gianluca’s girlfriend, and after her, Eleonora, Gianluca’s mother.
Without being too conspicuous, they sat two rows in front of me, and never moved from their position.
While Gianluca was singing and descending into the audience, he passed behind them and bent down to give a light kiss to his brother, his girlfriend and his mother.
Everything was done very delicately and without giving too much emphasis. When the concert ended, immediately after the confetti was thrown into the air, I realized that the four of them had already gone out, without being noticed, they were gone, they took advantage of the final moment of distraction to go out.
The same scene was repeated the following evening, but perhaps Gianluca and Eleonora took more courage and Gianluca exposed his love for Eleonora more to the audience.❤❤
I find them adorable !! 😘❤😘
Another nice thing that made me laugh a lot was another thing that happened at the second concert.
During one of the dialogues between the boys, Ignazio teases Gianluca, imitating the expression on the face that Gianluca makes while singing. Laugh watching this video, while Gianluca sings Il Mondo and Ignazio moves his face and mouth.
Some of you have asked for Maestro Grani, he is a good pianist, but also a good conductor, usually abroad he directs the orchestras, but above all he is a great friend of Ignazio, Gianluca and Piero. He always helps them and keeps their voices trained throughout the tour.
I got to know him in Florence during Notte Magica. I was wearing the Il Volo shirt, which he immediately noticed, he said words of great esteem for the boys. We took a picture together.
These are the words and the photo he posted immediately after the concert in Verona, on his Facebook:
È iniziata alla grande !! It got off to a great start !!
Bruno Farinelli, the drummer, is also part of the band. I interviewed him (search for the post named INTERVIEW WITH THE DRUMMER OF IL VOLO) and he had very nice words of esteem for Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca.
Here is his comment and his photo posted on Facebook after the concert.
The two concerts at the Verona Arena with IL VOLO were, as always, a unique emotion !!
A special thanks goes to all the staff, the orchestra, the band and the artists who have been and are simply magnificent !! ❤️
However, I believe that the biggest thanks goes to the 20,000 wonderful fans of IL VOLO, who filled the Arena with love for two days !!! ❤️❤️
Now I want to tell you about a fortunate situation.
After the concert in Verona, on my way home, I read the various comments on the concert on Facebook and I saw the comment of a person who is my friend and who lives near my town, Donatella.
I immediately got in touch with her and asked her if she was at the concert and she replied that she was there with her husband, Maurizio whom I know very well.
She told me that their children had given them concert tickets for Christmas and it was the first time they had come to hear Il Volo in concert and they were thrilled.
What few people know is that after the second concert in Verona, therefore on Sunday 5th, Gianluca and Piero went to Gardaland.
Gardaland is Italian Disneyland, it is the most beautiful amusement park in Italy, and is located near Verona and also in Brescia.
Also Donatella and Maurizio, on Sunday decided to go to Gardaland and you guess with great surprise who they found ????
Gianluca, Piero and Barbara!
I saw the photos posted on Facebook and the comment below says so:
“When you decide to go to Gardaland, and meet Il Volo, a welcome meeting.”
I immediately called Donatella and asked her to tell me about her experience, here are her words:
It was a stroke of luck, because we usually enter Gardaland from the main entrance, but this time we parked where the buses are and entered from the side. We saw them right away and I said to my husband: “Look, Maurizio, are those the guys from Il Volo?”
The guys heard her question and answered, “Yes, it’s us!”
I asked them if we could take a picture and they immediately said yes.
Look Daniela, I didn’t think they were like that. I was really surprised, it seemed to be talking to our children, they were very kind.
Piero told Gianluca: “See he (Maurizio) will ride a roller coaster and she will follow him out of love, I’m sure it is.”
They told us that Gianluca had already been to Gardaland years ago, but he was very young, while Piero had never been there.
They asked Maurizio: “But if you go on a roller coaster, do you go in front or behind?” And he replied “I’m going in front.”
I was stunned, I didn’t think they were so humble, you know, the notoriety, I thought they pulled a little, instead nothing. We were really delighted to have met them.
Wow, what luck Donatella !!!
I’m so happy for you !!
I hope you liked these last things about the Verona concert, now the tour has continued and therefore we will soon talk about Taormina !!!
Plus, coming soon, there are two short translations in TV shows where IL VOLO has participated in !!
As a rule, I never write a story about the same person two weeks in a row but, I have to make an exception this week. Ignazio do you ever sleep?
In my story last week, I mentioned that there are times that so much is going on with Ignazio that I need to continue to write about him week after week. Last week we took a look at where Nico is in his career and this week Ignazio introduced us to a singer named Giada Luppi! I’m sure the first thing you’re going to say is I know that name. That is correct because she just won the World Figure Skating Championships in Asuncion, Paraguay.
So, what does she have to do with Ignazio? Ignazio just signed her to Floki! Yes, she is not only a Championship skater, but also a singer!
So, let’s start by meeting the skater!
The eighteen-year-old, Giada Luppi is from Crespellano-Valsamoggia, in the province of Bologna. She has been skating since she was five years old. She has won two European Championships and five Italian championships and now she has won the World Figure Skating Championships. This translates to two European golds, in 2019 and last month at home, in Riccione, two world championship silvers and five titles at the Italian championships. Her win on October 3rd, was in the junior world champion in the free single program at the World Figure Skating Championship. An amazing career for the young Emilian skater. Her artistic skills, strength and gracefulness is a perfect mix that has allowed her in recent years to establish herself nationally and internationally. Always to the rhythm of music, which never fails in her workouts, Giada prefers to work out to a lot of soul music, including Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys, but also Giorgia, Mia Martini, Mina, Alex Britti.
Needless to say, she is a phenomenal skater.
Among her role models is Paola Fraschini, the skater who at Sanremo 2021 sang “Musica Leggerissima,” by Colapesce and Dimartino. “Seeing a sports icon like her on the stage of the Ariston was a source of great pride for all of us,” admits Giada, “Paola came out of the world of skating, full of world titles, to devote herself to a career as a performer in Cirque du Soleil, so here in Italy we lost sight of her because she was always around the world. Finding her again at the Festival, was a surprise.”
Giada has a very clear idea about her future. “I will compete a few more years because I think I have already dedicated so much of my life to skating and then I would like to devote myself completely to music.” Certainly, Giada is not ready to hang up her skates. In the video of her first single, La Rotta (The Route), Giada proves skating and singing are not incompatible activities. She would like to carry on these two passions, on the model of the R&B star Usher.
Giada says, “Skating is part of my life, while singing started as an outlet and then became a necessity, something I can’t do without.”
Enter Ignazio!
While we slept, Ignazio has signed Giada Luppi to a contract with Floki! And then there were two! Ignazio, your family is growing!
It seems our, sexy, Italian tenor/producer knows how to move and shake in the music industry! First there was Nico and now the fantastic, Giada Luppi!
If there’s one thing I can say about Ignazio, he is a dreamer and he always has his eyes open for young talent. Ignazio’s dream is to help other young people have the opportunity he had along with Piero and Gianluca.
From when he was on the competition circuit, Ignazio always wanted healthy competition and fair opportunities for everyone. His failure to see this in the competitions led him to almost give up his dreams. He never wants to see that happen to another young person. What better way to help these young people than to give them the opportunity to record with a small label run by a very famous person who is the epitome of music!
I predict that someday that small label will become a leader in the music industry!
While Giada was competing in Paraguary, back home in Italy, her first single, La Rotta (The Route), was released. The song was a collaboration with Ignazio. Giada says, “This is an unpublished work written by me born from the collaboration with Ignazio Boschetto of “Il Volo.”
Yes, they wrote the song together! “This song is a cheerful invitation to regain possession of one’s life after a difficult period,” explains Giada, “it can help relieve the stress of the times.” Giada says she has written over 60 songs! When does she have the time? She must be taking lessons from Ignazio!
And who might her manger be? Yes, it is, Michele Torpedine. The song was produced by Ignazio and Michele together with Bruno Farinelli, Ignazio’s drummer for Il Volo.
Giada said, “In the future I would like to continue to walk the road of music, but without hanging up my skates.”
With her debut single, Giada enters what she hopes will become her career in the entertainment world. Giada explains, “I dream of singing and skating together, why not? I will compete for a few more years, then my life will be music”
In an article by Andrea Spinelli, Giada said, “My future is in music.”
Here are some excerpts from the interview.
Andrea: Why did you choose to debut with La Rotta?
Giada: It’s a very cheerful piece that can help relieve the stress of the times.”
Andrea: Who would you like to share a song with?
Giada: My idol is Mina and, the biggest dream would be to do it with her, but also with two male artists that I respect very much like Mengoni and Ramazzotti”.
Andrea: Do you know Paola Fraschini, the skater who choreographed in Sanremo with her evolutions “Musica leggerissima” by Colapesce and Dimartino?
Giada: Seeing a sports icon like her on the Ariston stage was a source of great pride for all of us. Paola left the world of skating, full of world titles, to devote herself to a career as a performer in Cirque du Soleil, so here in Italy we lost a bit of sight of her because she was always around the world. Finding her again at the Festival was a surprise.”
Andrea: Isn’t it a bit of a force to perform with the skater in Sanremo?
Giada: If Achille Lauro on that stage was not a force, why should a skater be?”
Andrea: Are skating and song distinct activities?
Giada: Well, in my video I sing and skate. Even an R&B star like Usher sometimes sings on skates with a lot of choreography. I’d like to do it too. There are people like Elodie dancing and singing, I would love to sing and skate.
Andrea: In 2019 you participated in Sanremo Young.
Giada: I auditioned and arrived in front of the commission and Antonella Clerici, but I didn’t go through the last phase.
Andrea: How do you see the future?
Giada: I will compete a few more years because I think I have already dedicated so much of my life to skating and I would like to devote myself completely to music.”
With her debut single, in collaboration with Ignazio and manager Michele Torpedine, she entered what she hoped would become her career in the entertainment world. But in the meantime, the 18-year-old is crowned world champion on roller skates. “I dream of singing and skating together, why not? I will compete for a few more years, then my life will be music.”
So, Ignazio you did it again!And we get the honor of watching The Route of Giada. We were fortunate to have the opportunity of watching Floki take off with the signing of Nico! We will continue to watch Floki grow with each new entertainer. We are enjoying the journey!
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure!
Where do we find Ignazio on an ordinary evening?? InPiacenza,in front ofPalazzo Farnese,there is a concert byAndrea Mingardi,a good Italian singer-songwriter.
The concert was scheduled for the end of August, but due to Covid it was canceled and resumed on 9 September, with all the Covid rules of distancing in the square and the obligation for those who attend the concert to wear a mask.
Andrea Mingardi turned 80 on 1 August and already deserves applause for this.
With him is a band of 11 musicians, among which we recognize Bruno Farinelli, the nice and good drummer who currently works with Il Volo.
Who knows if it is thanks to Bruno that Ignazio is on that stage, but we see the performance in this video.
Andrea Mingardi, presents to the audience: Bruno and Ignazio!!
Ignazio, what a treasure you are, to duet with an artist like Mingardi, too bad it’s short.
But from another angle we can see more of this short video.
I translate their speech to you:
AM = Talent and youth, and then he also plays football well !!
I = I must say that, I am young and I have attended only few concerts, this is one of the few that I have seen, and it is beautiful. It was nice for a boy to hear a little history of music, because in any case you are part of Italian music, to hear it told by you is to hear about all the Italian blues.
AM = When there were still galena (crystal) radios (type of radio without batteries or electricity they pick up radio waves only with a long antenna).
I = Yes, you and all your girlfriends from Piacenza (beautiful city in Emilia Romagna, not far from Bologna).
AM = It’s easy for you, because you are a talent, you are a nice guy, you are nice, witty, you introduce yourself to the girls …. you are Ignazio from Il Volo …. do this (snaps his fingers) …. how do all the girls arrive??? On the fly!! (laughs)
Instead for us, it was much more difficult, the girls of our generation, they were witches, they kept you away with their elbows, so much so that those who are over 40 still have bruises here (on the belly), and then it was much more difficult for us.
But I feel that you have an incredible voice …. all three (Ignazio, Piero and Gianluca) are good ….
I = (pretends to play violin and executes Love Story) Thank you, thank you. Let’s do two screams together??
AM = Sure, let’s do EVERYBODY NEEDS SOMEBODY TO LOVE, I start and you answer me.
I = But I can do (mentions short refrain of the song)
AM = Let’s go, so listen !! Because it is a celebration.
I = Otherwise I’m going to play the drums!
AM = No …. are you there?? (they start singing)
(Part of the speech, in closer video.)
This is a photo posted by Bruno Farinelli, with this comment: “Last night in Piacenza was a truly wonderful evening! Full of REAL friends, surprises, unscheduled and full of desire to have fun and make music together!!!”
Thanks to all the guys in Andrea’s band and a special thanks to Andrea, Ignazio and Corrado!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
What can I say, our Ignazio is fantastic, and this is a rhythm that he really likes.
That’s determination!!
And Andrea Mingardi is also good, it is clear that he was happy to have Ignazio on stage, because our boys know how to make everyone love them !!
As Bruno said, a nice evening with friends ….. and with Ignazio, fun is guaranteed.
Daniela
Saturday a new television engagement of Il Volo was announced.
Today September 14, is the day of the start of schools here in Italy, Il Volo will be a guest in a program on RAI 1 at 4:35pm Italian time.
The program is dedicated to the opening of the school year and our President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, will be present.
On YouTube, this video was published which I found very interesting.
It is an interview, but also a report, made with Il Volo drummer, Bruno Farinelli.
The interview actually deals with highlighting the job of a drummer on a tour and therefore I will skip overly technical notions. At some point the interview also extends to the master Gianpiero Grani.
I found the video very nice, also to find out a bit about the background of an Il Volo concert.
Enjoy the reading!
At the beginning of the video, the interviewer says he would have liked to have a long interview with Bruno Farinelli, the drummer who played for Il Volo during the World Tour, but since the virus intervened, he had to change his plans and asked Bruno to do reports from where they were playing.
The first question he asked Bruno was to tell about this experience of a great world tour with Il Volo around the world.
Bruno replies that it is a fantastic tour that started, speaking of the Italian part, from Matera, with the PBS Special, which was followed by the Latin American part of the tour, starting from Mexico and they had to take 42 planes in two months.
The interviewer asks Bruno if the set (for the sound) has brought him with him or if each time he has to play on a different one, and if he has had surprises, or if everything went well.
Bruno says I’m in San Diego, with six concerts left at the end of this wonderful American tour.
He says the set (of drums) is extremely simple and they found it there in America. He details all the drums and cymbals, and then says that the cymbals were brought directly from Italy. He says that the real news for him, on this tour, was the introduction of the iPad for reading the songs.
Off-camera we hear the voice of Alessio Guerrieri, stage manager, who in turn explains the connections with the drums and the details requested by Farinelli.
The interviewer asks if they are traveling in America on a tour bus and asks to show if they are really comfortable as told.
Bruno shows the inside of the bus, he says it is like a huge camper, but much more beautiful. He says that the beds are very comfortable and that they have Wi-Fi and all possible and imaginable comforts on board and says, “This is our wonderful traveling home.”
The interviewer says that they have been in wonderful places, famous stages and asks to show some photos of those stages and says that he is very envious of this.
Bruno shows the Microsoft Theater, Bruno says it’s a wonderful view and in the evening there will be 4,500 full seats, and it’s a really nice theater.
Guitarist Andrea Morelli is asked what he and Gianluca were talking about and he replies that they were talking about a CD by John Mayer who shot the video in that theater.
Bruno shows other panoramas of two other stages: Indio and Laval.
Then, he shows a rehearsal with the orchestra made by the master Grani.
He says it is a very important moment, because moving from state to state, they always meet new orchestras to which Giampero must give all the directives before the concert. The master has about a couple of hours to try all the songs. Clearly the orchestra has already received all the songs before, however the rehearsals are a decisive and important moment (Bruno speaks softly so as not to disturb the rehearsals).
The interviewer asks Bruno that, although they are a band, they must also play with the orchestras of the various cities and asks to explain how the whole ensemble works.
The answer is given by the master Grani.
His role is not easy, because he is the pianist and the musical director of the tour, so he has a lot of work and responsibility.
Grani says that the work starts long before the concert, because he has to send all the songs to be played to the orchestra.
He has the entire archive of Il Volo songs and has also the archive of both the band and the orchestra. He says they have to be very organized, because in America they have very tight times for soundcheck, he only has one hour for rehearsals and they absolutely must be done at that time, because otherwise there are fines.
The parts of the orchestra are sent much earlier and delivered to a contact person. This year they also noted the performance variations directly on the parts, and at the end of the concert the sheets of the parts (sheet music) are recovered to be used for the next concert.
During the day of the concert, in addition to taking care of the parts, the band and connecting with the artists, he comes first to organize the work with the orchestras and see the repertoire which is vast because there are 26 songs. So he arrives and has an hour of time to tell the orchestra the basics, and try the more complicated pieces.
Grani says that he arrives before the others to try the more difficult songs – NESSUN DORMA, GRANADA, NO PUEDE SER, MARIA, MATTINATA, CORE N’GRATO – then communicates with the camera men the concert schedule and names the songs of the most classic repertoire which are also the most difficult to perform and film.
During the concert Grani does more things, plays the piano, follows all parts of the orchestra, he with the microphone, communicates with the artists (Piero, Ignazio and Gian), with the band, with the orchestra and with the stage manager, Alessio Guerrieri.
As soon as he rehearses with the orchestra, he arrives on stage, makes the soundcheck with the band, then the orchestra arrives and then they make the soundcheck all together, band, orchestra and artists.
The soundcheck is very fast, because there is little time, but everything is very well organized.
Maestro Grani shows that he uses the iPad, and says it is an indispensable thing, because on his iPad he has all the versions of the songs, those for the band, those for the orchestra, those for him and those for the director. He also has the parts of other Il Volo songs that the boys could change at the last minute, for example he says that Gianluca asked to replace a song that day and this also happens when the concert changes and they prefer to perform certain songs rather than others. Therefore if all these parts of songs were still in sheet music form there would be hundreds of sheets to carry.
The interviewer asks Maestro Grani what characteristics the drummer of the band must have.
Grani replies that playing for Il Volo means having many different styles, we go from pop to classic, so the first thing is versatility and then the ability to adapt to things that are often sudden and all this along always guaranteeing a very high level.
The skill of the drummer, who is very important in pop songs, is in knowing how to follow the other songs with elegance.
Now bass player Pier Mingotti is asked, what he expects from a drummer who plays with you on a tour like this.
He replies that he expects a great musicality, not only the technique.
The guitarist Andrea Morelli says that he is interested in a drummer who loves playing with him, he does not care for an individualist.
The bassist says that the Il Volo concerts are more difficult than others, because each verse is different and therefore the songs must be memorized well.
Even the drummer agrees and says that for them at the beginning it was a challenge, but they are satisfied because they are already at 54 concerts, but it was not easy and together they remember the first “SMILE” saying it was hard !!
In fact, even the guitarist says that it is very difficult for him to follow the part, at a certain point, he doesn’t even look at the iPad anymore, but looks at his companions and plays following the music and the hands of the master.
Then he tells about the difficulty he has with the guitars, which are his, when they encounter very different climates, therefore he has to make some very important adjustments, but everything is part of the game.
The interviewer, asks our drummer a wonderful question, asks what this tour was like on a human level, since he has already worked at high levels, but Italian artists who travel all over the world are very few.
Farinelli replied that it was a fantastic experience, there were no inconveniences, he said that unlike an Italian tour, you have to have great physical-food attention for yourself, try to sleep as much as possible and eat healthy, because it is a physical need, having to travel across time zones.
Then he shows a hotel gym, saying they start their days there.
Last thing, Farinelli wants to explain the diversity between his cymbals …………. but Ignazio intervenes – he, seeing that they are interviewing Farinelli, says that nothing he is saying is true !! (he jokes)
Farinelli, amused, says to him, “Ignazio there are two cases, either you sign me the release or you ruined this 16 minutes of my interview”.
Ignazio puts his hands in his hair and immediately says: “I’ll sign you the release.”
Farinelli laughs and says that this is the best summary of the climate they have during this tour …. Ignazio still intervenes saying that he wants at least 45% and Farinelli, always laughing, says that they give him at least 50% and says that yesterday he and Ignazio played tennis, and says the atmosphere is absolutely fantastic.
He says this is the classic tour you dream about when thinking about America – touring, seeing beautiful places, together with people who you like and know very well.
Thanks and final greetings.
Personally, I found this interview very interesting, but as I am very curious, I went to Bruno Farinelli’s Facebook page and found many of his really nice little posts and I wanted to share them with you.
Sonic Ranch Studio Complex !!! EL PASO! This place on the border between the United States and Mexico is indescribable. Six connected studios equipped with all the best you could wish for in an atmosphere that is a color bath! A sensational place where anyone would like to register !! A “Travel Day” Really out of the ordinary, a unique experience !!!
SHOW # 13! FORT LAUDERDALE (MIAMI)….. a unique emotion to play for 7,000 people at the BB&T Center !! It was particularly exciting for the presence of my friend and colleague John Favicchia, but also for the presence, in the first rows, clearly visible from my position, of the very l, very great GLORIA ESTEFAN!
Show # 9! This is the FOX THEATERwith its 4,000 seats.
It is one of the most enchanting theaters in America, perhaps the most beautiful Theater I’ve ever played in!
It was exciting to think how many artists have performed from this stage !!! ….. and now we leave for Chicago !!
DETROIT!This is Motown’s Studio A!It is incredible to think how much wonderful music has been made in this room, with the microphones hanging from the ceiling (mostly in 4 tracks) and the hole in the ceiling for the reverberation (impossible to photograph it, it was not allowed).
The Temptations, the Supremes, Jackson Five, Stevie Wonder ….. these are some of the artists who started here!
And tonight the Fox Theater awaits us !!
This was Radio City Music Hall !!
A fantastic night in a city that I love to die for !! In front of 6,000 wonderful people! I swear to you that from the stage it is a unique emotion !!!
Goodbye New York ❤️
A typically New York evening:
Let’s go to Greenwich Village to see some shows. How beautiful Greenwich is and my friend Mary rightly thinks of stopping a passerby to capture the moment in front of the Smalls.
Nobody passes …… here is a gentleman …Sorry would you take a picture” ….. “sorry, but do you play the guitar? “…” sorry, but you are Peter Bernstein?”(one of my heroes, an incredible guitarist)
He is surprised, we talk a little bit about Italy, about our tour, and he tells me that his son is called Bruno. …. And I tell him that my son is named Pietro.
“I hope to play 4 measures with you Peter,” I tell him when I take my leave …… “We hope to play a whole piece,” … he tells me ….. this is NEW YORK. And tonight we play at Radio City Music Hall !!! ….
I wonder how many times I will still be in a room before going to sleep to thank this wonderful thing called MUSIC!❤️
I read that Michele Torpedine had personally contacted Bruno Farinelli. I remind everyone that Torpedine is a good drummer, but I believe that after you have read this you will have noticed how important the human side also is during the tour of the boys. In fact, Farinelli himself, says in the video that the band was chosen also considering their socialization ability, so as to create together a nice group, that works a lot, but also has fun while in each other’s company.
And we like this very much.😉
Daniela
Credit to owners of all photos and video.
Come in and share the love of life, friends and Il Volo!
