It was a few years back, I was channel surfing and this voice just grabbed me. At the time I would listen to Il Divo off and on but this wasn’t Il Divo!!! No, this voice had more power. I looked up and saw this kid with spiked hair and red glasses!!!! Yes, it was our beloved Piero, then Ignazio and the smooth baritone voice of Gianluca…. they were singing Il Mundo from Detroit and I was forever hooked.
Since then to say Il Volo impacted every area of my life would be a huge understatement. I’m a registered nurse, on disability for quite a few problems. I currently do some part time work to keep my license and try to make ends meet. I work with an agency and do home visits with infants that have been born premature or born to mothers on drugs. I like to think I’ve got the best job, because of the amazing nurses I work with these babies can safely come home and still be watched carefully by us and we report any issues to the Dr, including feeding issues, weight loss or signs of narcotics withdrawal to name a few. I travel the lower half of the state of Delaware and love it because I listen to Il Volo and yes, I’m one of those crazy people that sings in their car thinking (wishing) I was with them.
I also did cat rescue for about 8 years. I loved the pregnant mommas and the orphaned bottle babies. I had one little special needs kitty, Timmy, we named him after Timmy in Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol”. He had a curved spine, one back leg shorter than the other and a bent tail. Timmy’s love was Il Volo. If you were putting it on TV or listening on your phone all you had to do is say “Timmy, I’m putting the boys on!!!” And he would come running from wherever he was and sit next to you so he could hear them. I also found that if my furbabies are agitated (yes I have 13 cats and one dog) just put Il Volo on and within 15 minutes they would be calm.
During this time my younger sister was diagnosed with breast cancer. We would have to make 3 hour trips, each way, to get to Johns Hopkins to see her surgeon. Donna couldn’t believe how calming our guys voices are. By the end of a day of visits she would be in pain. I would give her a pain pill and put Il Volo on. In no time she was comfortable and sleep the whole ride home. Donna passed away 7/19/15. She was my only sibling and when she passed away, half of me went with her. A few months later my 2 best friends, girls I’ve known for 45 years, came to see me. We had a good visit, but nothing took the pain of losing my sister away. My one friend was born in Palermo, Sicily and when she was in my car and heard the guys she started to tear up. When they were singing it reminded her of her mother working in the house and singing these same songs.
Story would be great if it ended there, but there is more. I jokingly texted Rita and said I was looking at the concert in Exton, PA but no good seats :(. Well she texted me a while later and said we had tickets to the Hershey, PA concert. Whaaaaattt!!!! She said that she hadn’t seen me smile like that since Donna died and she would pay anything to see it again. It was another awesome concert. We even road the hotel shuttle and we all had been to the AC concert and now this one!! That is the magic of Il Volo. In the audience were people of all ages and we were all singing along with them, nothing like the rock concerts of my youth.
As I learned more about Il Volo it sparked the desire in me to reconnect with my family in Abruzzi. My great grandparents were from there, my dad says we are descendants of Prince Colonna (I will attach a picture of our Coat of Arms). I have been messaging a fellow Il Volo fan that lives in Abruzzi and she is going to try to help me locate them. So as you can see, Il Volo has given me so much joy, happiness and yes, peace since I first heard Piero’s voice. Sad to say I will not make it to see Il Volo this year. Financially it is not possible plus I’m caring for my mom (70 and fellow Il Volo fan) and my grandmother (92). Plus I can’t leave my furbabies. 2 of my cats are on steroids for asthma and the other for inflammatory bowel. And my dog is on quite a few meds for arthritis. Mom barely made it with me being gone one night last year to go to the concerts. Since Donna passed away it’s just the 3 of us and we are there for each other. Reading daily emails from the Flight Crew and watching you tube and DVDs will get me through another year and I’m going to save every penny I can to be able to go to the concert AND do the M&G. I’m so grateful to all of my Il Volo family, you are truly mia famiglia. Buona Notte!!
Denise Spinelli-Mattern
