Tag Archives: Myron Heaton

Editorials, Site News

Important Information for “The Las Vegas Fan Faire” From Myron and Jeannette

7 Comments

Las Vegas Fan Faire

IMPORTANT UPDATES TODAY 

ALL UPDATES CAN BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE
https://ilvololasvegas.wordpress.com/

Sept 3, 2015 …

1…
The Fan Faire Convention is now picking up momentum… We have contracted our Banquet room at the Palms Hotel and Casino… We have a beautiful room with a view of Las Vegas … I know all who come will enjoy meeting their Il Volo Family, enjoy great Italian food and some special things we plan to make this a thrilling experience along with the Il Volo Concert at 8:00 PM at the Pearl theater …

We have tried to think of ways to make your experience at the first Il Volo Fan faire Convention a special one and make it easy to register … I have set up an “Email Address” that is exclusively related to this Fan Faire Convention…

We need to have your name, home address, email address and how many people in your party will be attending the Fan Fair Convention. We have to have a list to go by so we know how many people will be attending this event… Your name, address and email address will be confidential and only seen by Myron and Jeannette…

We will set up a paypal account for easy payment and also accept checks if you choose that method of payment… More detailed information will be given as soon as we can determine how many fans are attending this event… So please take the time to email us your name, home address, email address and how many people in your party as soon as possible… We thank you for your patience as we are working on the details daily..

Email Address: IlVolo2LV@outlook.com

2...
The codes are now working for discounts on rooms booked at the Palms Hotel and Casino… We can only get the rooms in block of eight … So if you call and they say they do not have any more discounts available for the Il Volo Banquet event, please email us so that we can get another block … The Palms will continue to issue us more discounts but we have to use each block of eight before we can request another block … Thank you for your patience in this matter…

Codes: “ Il Volo Fan Dinner ” or CYILV16

Email us at IlVolo2LV@outlook.com

3….
We are looking for suggestion on things that you would enjoy doing at the convention… We want our fans to enjoy themselves and want to have some fun things happening… So please if you have an idea or two just email us at our email address below…

All suggestions are welcome

IlVolo2LV@outlook.com

~Myron and Jeannette

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Note from Marie:

Not all of the Flight Crew is attending the Las Vegas Fan Faire.  For that reason and because there are, and will continue to be, so many “pieces-parts” to our Faire, we will not be running constant updates.   I urge you to check the https://ilvololasvegas.wordpress.com/ site often if you are Vegas bound.  Of course, all major announcements and notices will continue to be posted here.  As always, we invite discussion.  I can’t wait for March to come!
~M

Editorials, General news, Il Volo, Site News

Notes From Myron plus Pre Sale Tips From Jana

55 Comments

Here is a ticket code for the concert that will get great seats.  Note the Password.
palms 6palms 7palms 3palms 4

And

Hi everyone,
Please pass this word around to any one planning on coming to Las Vegas for the March Il Volo concert.

I just got word from my person at the Palms that the Palms hotel is sold out for March 24 and 25 – Il Volo weekend.
Those of you that got your rooms already make sure that you have our group discount figured in.  If you don’t then please let me know so that I make sure that is taken into account on your bill.

Hotels to try:

Right across the street from the Palms is the 
Gold Coast Hotel Casino  702-367-7111 
and   the Rio Hotel Casino   866-746-7671

others fairly close are:  Flamingo;  Bellagio,  Bally’s;  Caesar’s Palace;  Mirage;  Venetian;  Paris;  MGM; etc.

Let’s face it !   Once Il Volo Management opened the starting gates  ” THE HORSES WERE OFF ”   Things have been moving very fast on our end but the management of Il Volo and Management of the Palms have moved at their own speed.

~Myron

 

Note: See presale dates on “Who’s Going Where” – on the right under “topics”  or scroll down.

~~~

Jana found these tips.  We hope they help.

WHAT’S IN A PRESALE TICKET? 10 WAYS YOU CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE

8_PreSale_Tips

Ah, the age-old mystery of the presale ticket. Before an event goes on sale, ticket wizards pull Houdini-like stunts and grab tickets out of thin air before anyone else can blink—right? Well, not exactly. There’s more to a presale than that and it doesn’t require any magic to take advantage—you only need to know where to look…

Ticket Presales Defined

The presale ticket period is when certain event tickets go on sale to a specified group of fans, usually as a reward for their membership or customer loyalty. In advance or during the presale timeframe*, these select fans are given a code which allows them to search for tickets to buy. Fans aren’t guaranteed a ticket during the presale, but they’re given the opportunity to browse ahead of other fans who don’t have the code.

How to get a Presale Code

The trick to getting presale codes is knowing where to find them. To make your presale hunt a little easier, we’ve put together the following list so you can determine the best ways to get tickets to the artist, team or event you can’t wait to see.**

10 Ticketmaster Presale’s to Help you get Tickets ASAP

  • Ticketmaster Presale
    Are you signed up to receive special offers from Ticketmaster via email? If not, don’t worry, we’ll tell you how. Log into My Account and select:My Account > Select Alerts or Offers. It’s that easy! After you sign up, make sure to “favorite” all the artists, performers, teams and venues that you love so we can deliver information about upcoming onsales to you in the future.
  • Ticketmaster Social Presale
    If you follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Google+, then keep your eyes peeled for the unique presales we share with our social communities. Followers will get the most recent presale codes the day they go live.
  • VIP Presale
    Buying the best seats in the house has its perks! When you’re searching for tickets, be sure to look for any VIP packages that may be available for the event. These exclusive packages may go on sale prior to the general ticket inventory and will provide you with secure tickets and the chance to experience the event like a star.
  • Venue Presale
    The venues in your hood also host presales so sign up for their email list to find out when, where and how. You’ll also want to visit any and all of your favorite venues’ websites to subscribe to their newsletters.
  • Credit Card Presale
    Credit card companies—like Amex and Citibank —may offer their cardholders special presale access as a perk for being a loyal customer. Check with your credit card company to find out if they offer any benefits or assistance when purchasing live entertainment events.
  • Fan Club Presale
    Are you an avid follower of {insert-your-favorite-band-here}? If the answer’s yes, then you should look into becoming a member of their official fan club or community. Typically, fan club members are rewarded for their loyalty and given presale access to their fav artists’ shows as a perk. FYI—there may be a cost associated with joining an artists’ fan club or community so read all the details before signing up!
  • Album Pre-order Presale
    Sometimes tours offer a presale code to the fans who pre-order the artist’s new album. This is a great way to get early access to tickets and the music you love from your favorite artist. You can find out about these types of opportunities by signing up to receive email notifications from your favorite artist and/or Ticketmaster.
  • Fan Club Bundle
    Still not a member of your favorite artist’s official fan club? Not to worry, some artists give non-fan club members early access to tickets when they purchase a special “Fan Club Bundle.” Purchasing this bundle allows you to buy tickets during the specified presale period along with the purchase of an official fan club membership. You kill two birds with one stone here—you’re given the chance to buy tickets early and you become an official fan club member with even more insider info from your favorite band. Keep in mind that in most cases, there’s an additional cost associated with purchasing the fan club membership.
  • Team Presale
    Sports teams traditionally try to give their loyal following early access to tickets. Simply visit your desired sports team’s website for more information on how to join their email list.
  • Radio presale
    Stations partner with different tours, events and sports teams to offer their loyal listeners early access to buy tickets. Listen closely on air or visit the station’s website for details on signing up and securing passwords.

There you have it, the presale mystery has been solved. And they say a real magician never gives away their tricks.

General news, Il Volo, Site News
68 Comments

Good Saturday Morning Everyone!

Myron, Jeannette and their Las Vegas group are working hard to secure some special events for all of us during the Il Volo Las Vegas Concert on March 25, 2016.  They will continue to update their site.  Please read below, “vote”, and be sure to check back often with the site link below.

~Marie

Today’s Update

              WE HAVE BOOKED A BANQUET ROOM FOR OUR FAN FAIRE BANQUET.
             WE NEED TO KNOW THE NUMBER OF FANS WHO PLAN ON ATTENDING

The Myron Heaton Il Volo Committee is in the process sealing the deal for our faire banquet for all who come to see Il Volo in LV.. I have updated the website to the latest information available… If you are planning to attend the Il Volo Concert in Las Vegas we would like you to visit the site and vote…

We need to get a count of how many fans will be attending before we can the secure the Banquet Room for our guests and then post the price for the Fan Faire Banquet… Barbara has the link to this site and we want to show her there is a serious showing of fans from all over the USA coming to LV for the concert… This may help us have Il Volo do the meet and greet at our party… You never know… Numbers talk.. So please help me get to word out for folks to vote for the informal Fan Faire Banquet and post comments too… It will all help our efforts to have Il Volo at least stop in to say hello or if we are truly lucky, do a meet and greet with us … Il Volo will have three back to backs, Az, LV, and LA… That is why there is no promises about the guys being at our Fan Faire but with enough people showing support just maybe we will get a drop in by them… I am saying a prayer that we can get permission to have the meet and greet as part of our event…One can dream you know…

https://ilvololasvegas.wordpress.com/2015/…/18/grande-amore/

Concert Photos/Reviews, Editorials, Gianluca, Ignazio, Il Volo, Myron's Music Notes, Piero

Myron’s Music Notes ~ Pompeii

84 Comments

il volo pompeii

Il Volo – Live from Pompeii

Filmed on June 10, 2015 from Pompeii, Italy

This review is based upon August 7, Vegas-PBS presentation.

Looking back a few months ago I originally thought I would pass on writing a review of the Taormina concert. Then I changed my mind after watching it again and again. So I wrote the review posted here earlier this year. I do remember thinking that concert should have been the planned PBS special. I knew they were planning one last fall and aiming for Rome but the San Remo / Eurovision competition changed that schedule. They had always planned to do Pompeii but at that point it was raised to a greater level of importance. Tonight I am very glad they did the PBS Special in Pompeii. Taormina may be just a touch more romantic location but Pompeii more than makes up for that by its iconic historical position and representation of all of Italy. If you are going to take an Italian trio and put on a concert in Italy present to American audiences then Pompeii is the place.

I would like to make some comments along the way and then a summary at the end.

Grande Amore

First note is that I like the guys being staged in the middle of the orchestra several times in the beginning of the program and later. Grande Amore has always been a great song for them – works well for their voices and was arranged well just for them. Probably their new signature song. Very nice staging and great lighting. Much better planned than two years ago or the road tour concerts. This is an “Il Volo Song” for sure.

Io che non Vivo (You Don’t have to say you love me)

I prefer the version where first singer starts without orchestra – a capella (as they did in Taormina) and then orchestra comes in the fourth bar. Otherwise this is a great song for them. Orch./piano is a bit too strong on this. I love the new approach to the spoken “patter” that they use between songs. It is much more mature and at ease. It has a more natural feel or should I say they are more at home with it. Feels good and is enjoyable.

Beautiful That Way (La Vita e bella)

The beginning of this was a bit off in rhythm orchestra was not with Ginaluca. Small item which was corrected quickly. This was a lovely song and they enjoyed it as they got going. I wish they would not stage one person on the floor – Piero- while others are standing (reminds me of Christmas special – bad staging). Once again, I like the guys in the middle of the orchestra for a change of pace staging. Nice. This song grows on you. Watch how Ignazio does the transition to the next song off of this song.

New tonight for these concerts and shows: the guys introduce themselves for their solos and it is so much more relaxed and personal this way. I love this : Piero talks about this dream to sing grand opera and how he worked hard for this and how he hopes “he won’t disappoint us” – You gotta love this kid and his humble nature. That phrase really got me.

Piero – E Lucevan le Stelle – (from the opera “Tosca” by Puccini )

In the past we have watched as at first, they stayed away from opera, then two years later Piero and Gianluca did two songs from short operas and now Piero takes on a true aria from a full-scale opera and not just any opera – a great masterpiece by the great Puccini – the magnificent Tosca. We know Piero has wanted to do this for some time. And WOW ! ! did he do it ! Piero’s vowels and, therefore, sound is more wide open and larger now. This guy has really been working and how. As a voice teacher/coach I was absolutely thrilled over this performance. Bravo! to Piero !!!

Delilah

Very nice smooth transition on the staging for this. The guys have a ball singing and “acting “ this song out. The “fight” breaks out and we love it. Who gets the girl ? Ha!

Gianluca lets loose with some wild, powerful singing and he does it well (of course !). Watch that hair fly around. Ignazio and his “Tom Jones” styling. Piero singing his heart out. Funny song and fun to watch.

Caruso

This has always been one of my favorite songs of theirs. This time around the arrangement is different and the orchestration is very different. Sometimes the featured guitars are too loud and later the whole orchestra is too heavy but it still comes off very dramatic. Gianluca really digs into the soul of this wonderful piece. He is so focused in his energy delivery. All, in all, the guys are more focused in this whole concert than in the past. They are serious about the craft that it takes to make the art of singing. Wonderful and passion-filled song.

Quando l’amore diventa poesia

Also a nice song for delivering passion through music.

Gianluca – Anema e core (Heart and Soul)

Once again, I like that Gianluca introduces himself and his song and how he found it. So much more personal. I loved this song the first time I heard him sing it in Taormina with an accordian doing the solo work. This time they are using a soprano sax and he is very good at it. But I still feel the style of the song needs the accordian. Also, drums are too strong on this as is the sax during the verse. Gianluca sings it very beautifully. He can be so romantic when he is alone on an equally romantic song.

Volare

Well you can sure tell that the audience was ready for this song. The boys jumped into the deep end with both feet and had a wonderful, fun time singing this with audience involvement. This is great audience participation. Good old work horse of a song and it still is fun after all these years.

L’immensita

This was my one disappointment of the night. This was the weakest of the last seven song – album and here the performance was a little sloppy on the rhythm. Solo guitars and rhythm section were too loud under the singing. Ignazio does enjoy this song and does it so well. I wish they would have done “Ancore” or “Romantica” .

Ignazio – Unchained Melody

Once again, Ignazio introduces himself and his song. Love it. It is personal when he talks about his mother’s gift to his papa for the anniversary – this song. Ignazio sang his heart out on this one. This is such a good type of song for his voice. He was absolutely wonderful.

Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina)

Earlier we had fun with the audience and now we have fun out in the audience. A very catchy song from the recent album that is perfect for turning up the fun level with the audience.

Eternally

In the past we have had the song “Smile” written by the great film director and star, Charlie Chaplin and now from his movie “Limelight” we have the great song: Eternally. A great song for the end of the program. Beautiful melody and the guys have some wonderful solos and great harmony. The opening has a wonderful close-up of Gianluca singing the first verse. The camera is right in his face and he sings right to your soul. He has so much inside him to move your soul. This song provided each guy with a moment to shine but also provided some great harmony sections. This may well be one of the best of the night.

La Vita

This song is a nice up-tempo number and works well to finish the concert. I think that they have had some other songs that work better for ending a concert. They could have used their theme song again: “O Sole Mio”. I have nothing against this song but it just does not come off strong for a finale number.

But that is very trivial.

Over all my thoughts are that this is a very fine concert – maybe their best of the PBS concerts – with great choices of repertoire that fits the style and the voices of these three individual souls and talent. I do wish they would have included more from the recent album. My favorite songs of the new batch: Grande Amore and Eternally.

Now let me get personal. As someone who has known these guys since they were 16, 17 and 18 and I have also met them at five different times sometimes for just a few minutes and sometimes for a nice length of time. I have gotten to know them and I have always come away thinking what wonderful and sweet and charming young guys ( boys ) they are. What nice families they come from. Well, here it comes:

NEWS FLASH !!! THE BOYS HAVE GROWN UP !!! These are young men !

We all knew that already but this show brought it home in strong fashion. Based upon the evidence of this concert, this was a show presented by grown-ups.They were smooth and very professional in their presentation and in control of their show. They sang their hearts out for us. The technical side of the singing was flawless as usual and it is getting better and better. I am so pleased to find out that they still take their voice lessons and work with a voice coach and the proof is that they always get better.

Lord ! I do love these three. And now – – the USA/Canada Tour.

This time Las Vegas is on the list.

~Myron

General news, Gianluca, Ignazio, Il Volo, Myron's Music Notes, Piero

Music Notes ~~ Myron Heaton

101 Comments

Hey Folks!  I’m leaving this up another day.  Please re-read the comment section.  Myron has given us great music lessons throughout. Thank you, Myron.
~Marie

Il Volo – January 2015

A three-way look: the last year, the Senate concert and what’s coming ahead.

A brief look at last year

Compared to previous seasons. 2014 was a different kind of year for Il Volo. The
format set in 2011, 2012, and 2013 was dropped in favor of minimal touring and more scattered concerts. It also meant a major change in the usual recording schedule (much later than previous years). A new album release date (from fall to early spring -maybe). Promotional work on network TV in the USA/Canada (none in 2014). Perhaps the best thing for their benefit was that they finally gave their home country of Italy a bigger spotlight. We fans in the USA/Canada wished they would have done more concerts than they did in the USA and spread them out a bit more but the chance to do several full-length concerts in Italy was very important for them.

One of the items that I, as a voice coach and music director, paid attention to was the vocal-health condition of the guys’ voices. Christmas of 2013 following a very long, hard and condensed tour found the voices raspy and very tired. To be honest, they probably should not have sung the Christmas program at Assisi on December 14, 2013. If you listen carefully each guy was still harboring a little bit of a tired/raspy
voice – especially Piero. Aside from that they performed beautifully and the concert
was very well produced and professionally done. In contrast, later last spring they
went to Russia to sing with Toto Cutugno. That concert was poorly presented by the
local producers and it was very sloppy in staging BUT, by this time, our boys’ voices
were back in shape again and they sang beautifully. They were back to normal (thank God) .

It is interesting that, for a second time, Il Volo comes to sing on behalf of an older,
well-established singer who has ruined his voice long-term. Two years ago they came to Miami to sing El Triste on behalf of Josè Josè (66 yrs.) who can barely talk now and this last April they went to Russia to sing the beautiful song “ L’amore e’ . . amare l’amore” (I would like to see this song on one of their albums) with Toto Cutugno (71 yrs.). Both men have a history of bad vocal usage habits and/or alcohol, drugs and smoking.

By the time they did their spring programs and the USA June tour they were solidly
back to full power and elegance. I have already written two reviews of superb
concerts one was live: L.A. June 7 at the Greek Theater and the second from a video
of the wonderful Taormina pair of concerts. This time in an actual Greek theater.
They were superb. Some of Il Volo’s best work ever. By the end of the fall I had
adjusted my list of the three best Il Volo concerts up to this date: The incredible Oslo
Nobel Peace Prize concert in December of 2012 (this orchestra was the best Il Volo
orchestra even up to now and the boys were in perfect vocal condition); The Radio
City Music Hall concert of fall of 2013 where the boys were obviously very “jazzed”
to sing in an iconic venue that they had dreamed about since they were little kids; the Taormina pair of concerts from June 20 and 21 of 2014. Right now those are my three best.

How are they doing now – end of year 2014/beginning of 2015

Let’s look at the Concerto di Natale Senato della Repubblica from December 21
Italian Anthem – Mattinata – Surrender
Silent Night (It.) – No Puede Ser – Ave Maria
White Christmas (It.) – Memory – O Holy Night
Caruso – Anema e Core – O Sole Mio –
Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Presentation

The Senate chamber is a very elegant place for our guys’ concert – no doubt, but I
wonder if that made the audience so timid in their response. Any other audience
would have been on their feet and cheering the quality of this concert. Some small
staging items include: The guys were facing few people directly in front of them. The
audience was off to either side because of the main door hallway directly in front of
them. It made for little audience relating. I wish the teleprompter were located at a
higher location so the guys were not locked into looking down. Thank goodness they
broke loose from that as the program went on.

Performance
The orchestra was really quite good even as they had to deal with cramped location.
The program had a nice variety of music although I would have changed the order of
about three songs for better program flow. Silent Night even in Italian is not a good number to use as an opener (I don’t count the Italian anthem) because it does not push the singer to use the larger vowel shapes.

The singing – THE most important part of this article

After the opening anthem and Silent Night, White Christmas really got our guys to
use better vowels and breath support. It was interesting to see that Piero and
Gianluca gave up the earphones in favor of the monitors at their feet for a more “live” singing reaction. Ignazio had the earphones but did not rely on them all the time and even pulled them out sometimes. With live orchestra, I think the monitor speaker system is a better way to go because it does not leave the singer feeling isolated so much.

Caruso, once again, inspired the boys to their best singing (and some other songs) of the night. Great technique – breath control, large vowels, great head tone, wonderful projection, and great musical phrasing. That technique was topped off by such passion and heart that I had tears – – again on this song. Piero grows more and more mature each time he sings No Puede Ser this was wonderful. (once again, what a timid audience !). Ignazio poured his soul into Memories even more than usual. Gianluca’s Anema e Core was beautifully sung and he is ever more the crooner but with an even better voice. With each of the guys I wish they could have had more connection with the audience. I would have brought the accordion player in for this – not the soprano sax.

The other songs went well but O Holy Night was (after Caruso) the vocal summit of the night ! For all three; What projection! What glorious vowels! What passion!
Everything was just right on. Better than the PBS Christmas show

What may be coming ahead ?

We have been told very little – at least that can be made public- about this year
except there is a new album ahead followed by a long tour. That all sounds good. I
would like to have seen the new album earlier (you know, the “out of sight, out of
mind” business), I hope they do another PBS special or some major television. I hope they do the rounds of American TV shows – Tonight, Today, Ellen, The Talk (where they started), Good Morning America, Kelly and Michael Live, and other nationwide network shows ( I know they did “Un Nuevos Dias” on Telemundo last spring but that is a little different market). Naturally, I hope that they do more touring in the USA Canada this year. There are still some major cities in the USA they have yet to visit or have only been to once.

The major changes that happened to their company. Moving from Live Nation to
CAA for tour promotions and going to Sony Latin for recordings have had some
benefits. I hope this new year brings about improvements in marketing and
promotion.

For four years I have had a special place in my heart for these gentlemen. They have talent that is superior to most any singer on the market today. They work very hard, present a great concert, are absolutely charming in person and especially one-on-one, and they deserve the best that their management can get to support them. They also deserve the full support of you and me – the fans – to make sure they get the kind of success they deserve through their album sales, concert ticket sales, TV shows and insisting that management do their best.

Sharon Osbourne on the tv show The Talk once discussed the difference in music
quality from Bieber, One Direction, Miley, etc. etc. and Il Volo. The former presents
trite, silly and forgettable songs or what she called “ disposable music” (what a great
term ! ). Il Volo presents well-written, beautifully melodic and very meaningful songs that last for decade after decade. It is my hope and prayer that this progress continues upward in 2015 . The boys have gotten a number of awards recently but when they were younger they said they dreamed of winning the American Grammy Award . Maybe this year !

~~Myron