Music Diva

By Angela Rocco DeCarlo "Sinatra Sings Sinatra, as I Remember It" Music and Life Story performed by his son, Frank Sinatra, Jr. Segerstrom Hall, Costa Mesa Saturday, May 2, 2015   Frank Sinatra arrived 100 years ago and for the better part of the last century he was in the limelight in films, stage performances and recorded music...How fortunate for fans we live in an age when the best of Sinatra can be conjured electronically and presented onstage, as it will be Saturday night for the show's world premiere at the Segerstrom Concert Hall, Costa Mesa, California. His son, Frank Jr, has created "Sinatra Sings Sinatra, as I remember It," to remind us what is now missing from the cultural arena. Back in Chicago when my father-in-law took our three school age sons to see Frank Sinatra, my husband and I couldn't be bothered. So the four DeCarlo men became a band of brothers seeing as many shows as possible while we continued to ignore him. That was until Frank Sinatra opened a new outdoor theater on the far South Side of Chicago and I had an assignment to cover it. Well, sitting in the sixth row, so close I marveled at his perfectly creased midnight blue tuxedo trousers, which ...

A note of thanks to Pacific Symphony and Music Director Carl St. Clair for keeping opera alive in Orange County since Opera Pacific's abrupt demise, November, 2008, leaving we docents, who doted on bringing opera education to schools throughout the area, adrift. Georges Bizet's smoldering "Carmen" is the fourth in the "Symphonic Voices" series, which began with a luminous concert production of Puccini's "La Boheme" in 2012. "Tosca" and "La Traviata" followed, bringing superb stagecraft to bereft opera audiences. "Boheme" demonstrated an audience could be transported into an opera with bare minimum set, as long as there were singers who could bring the characters to life with beautiful voices and impassioned acting. Of course, it is the music which ignites the flame which warms the soul and stirs audience empathies. "Carmen" is among the most performed operas since its Paris debut in 1875, at the Opera Comique, where it has repeated nearly 3,000 times, or an average of once every two weeks for the past 140 years. It is a simple story, set in Seville, Spain, in the early 19th century, when Spain strictly controlled the production of tobacco products. The local cigarette factory is guarded by military where Don Jose, a duty-bound ...

Traveling entices me… and being made to travel with my imagination by simply closing my eyes and listening, thrills me to the point of submission. Such was my experience this past week at Gabriele Ciampi’s minimalist style concert featuring CentOrchestra in Los Angeles. The highly anticipated event took place at the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles with its 100-seat theater filled to capacity. Some audience members were so close to the stage they could have themselves been considered part of the act. Maestro Gabriele Ciampi has a way with the baton. Musical notes danced in my head and lulled me into their melody. He masterfully moved the audience at his whim, toying with their emotions as he guided us into his realm of melodic masterpiece. It’s always gratifying when an event lives up to expectations. Words on this page can’t describe the beauty of the night’s music, so I beseech you to bring the Maestro into your homes, via his CD, and immerse yourself in his music. You will not regret it. Personally, I am looking forward to a night in with Gabriele’s Untouched Melody, In Memory of Neil Armstrong. For more info please visit http://www.gabrieleciampi.com/  

  GABRIELE CIAMPI PRODUCTION IN COOPERATION WITH ITIALIAN INSTITUTE OF CULTURE PRESENTS THE MINIMALIST EVOLUTION IN LOS ANGELES WITH CENTORCHESTRA Special Performance Features Classically Trained Maestro Celebrates New Album by Conducting Program of Meditative Pieces, Composed Arranged and Performed With CentOrchestra   18 piece Orchestra, 3 soloists from Rome from Santa Cecilia Academy of Music   ONE PERFORMANCE: Thursday, June 5, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. Italian Cultural Institute, Los Angeles   Cello Sonata n.1 in C# Min (Livia De Romanis, Cello) Piano Concerto in A Major (Stefania Argentieri, Piano) Suite for Guitars and Orchestra Sextet in Eb Minor for Piano and Winds Romanza in eb (Valentina Cellitti, Violin)   After moving performances of A Christmas Carol that culminated in standing ovations in Moscow with the Russian Ballet and Moscow Chamber Orchestra and in Rome at the prestigious auditorium Parco della Musica, Italian composer and conductor Gabriele Ciampi debuts his North American album, The Minimalist Evolution – An Ensemble Concert live on Thursday, June 5, 2014 at 7:30 pm at The Italian Institute of Culture in Los Angeles. This one-night only performance for special guests features the newest compositions using post-minimalism and classical training. Doors open at 7:00 pm, concert commences at 7:30 pm followed by a cocktail reception at 8:30 p.m.   Mr. Ciampi conducts his Rome-based CentOrchestra ...

https://soundcloud.com/aforkontheroad/sir-kenneth-branagh-musician Sir Kenneth Branagh talks about Russia and Spies, musician Dan Navarro shares his music… and insider travel tips, and Allison from WanderWe.com puts your own personal travel concierge… in the palm of your hand. That, and the top 3 most romantic restaurants in the World, and in LA, and romantic hotels to target for the upcoming fabricated holiday of Valentine’s Day.   www.DanNavarro.com

Hello all Travelers!  Traveling Diva is proud to be part of the very first and ONLY Travel & Food show on iTunes! Along with my husband, Emmy winning comedian Mark DeCarlo, each week we will embark on a great quest for food, travel and fun! We'll interview interesting and unique folks across the world who travel for a living, including musicians, chefs, and comedians. Our past guests included Brad Sherwood from Who's Line Is It Anyway?, Rick Browne, author of  A Century of Restaurants, comedian Jimmy Palumbo and Hell's Kitchen Chef Barbie Marshall. Subscribe to A FORK ON THE ROAD show on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/a-fork-on-the-road/id637933581?mt=2 STAY TUNED !!!  We'll see you at A Fork On The Road! CLICK HERE TO GO DIRECTLY TO OUR ITUNES PAGE: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/a-fork-on-the-road/id637933581?mt=2

Hello all Travelers!  Traveling Diva is proud to announce the launch of the very first and ONLY Travel & Food show on iTunes! I will be joining Emmy winning comedian Mark DeCarlo each week as he embarks on a great quest for food, travel and fun! Mark will be having interviews each week with interesting and unique folks across the world who travel for a living, including musicians, chefs, and comedians.   This month, we will be giving away Cancun discount coupons and a chance to win a HD Underwater VIVITAR 850W CAMERA to all subscribers! Here's what you have to do: 1. Subscribe to A FORK ON THE ROAD show on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/a-fork-on-the-road/id637933581?mt=2 2. Let us know you subscribed and give us your email address.  You can do this by following and tweeting @MarkDeCarlo #AForkOnTheRoad, or sending us an email to: markdecarlotv@gmail.com, or leave us amessage at 424-250-FORK. 3. We will send you the code and enter you in the contest.  Winners announced on the podcast JULY 4th, 2013. Also, Mark is here to help YOU the listener with your travel-related questions. All you have to do is call 424 - 250 - FORK, leave your name and contact information and we'll have you on the show ...

Directed by Jason Alexander Produced by Danny Gold & Billy Riback The Hollywood theater scene is all a-twitter with the opening tomorrow of “When You’re In Love The Whole World Is Jewish.”   This impatiently-awaited-for show is currently sold out for the full six week run and anyone who is anyone will be there. When You're In Love is truly a labor of love - the love of comedy and of cherished childhood memories. Based on several ground-breaking comedy albums, this material has never been seen live until now. Producers Danny Gold and Billy Riback decided to mount the show for one simple reason: “We were both weaned on classic comedy,” said Riback, “and the albums “You Don’t Have To Be Jewish,” and “When You’re In Love, The Whole World Is Jewish,” were gut-bustingly funny way back then, and because of the timeless nature of the comedy, part character study, part self-effacing lampooning, but always sweet-natured and good-hearted, they remain just as hilarious today.” With the world growing increasingly crude, rude, and mean-spirited; When You're In Love brings the best of this timeless material to life. There is nothing in this show that would offend a nun, assuming one would come, and yet somehow it's ...

Another year, another glorious Jazz Fest!  Here is the line up for this year's nojazzfest.com. See you at the fairgrounds! Billy Joel • Fleetwood Mac • Dave Matthews Band • Maroon 5 •  The Black Keys • John Mayer •Widespread Panic  • Daryl Hall and John Oates •Phoenix • B.B. King • Frank Ocean  •  Earth, Wind & Fire • Willie Nelson & Family • Little Big Town George Benson •
Jill Scott • Jimmy Cliff • Gipsy Kings Jeffrey Osborne •
Patti Smith Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite •
Band of Horses Gary Clark Jr. • Andrew Bird •
Maze featuring Frankie Beverly  • Juan Luis Guerra y 440 •
Los Lobos • The Little Willies • Kem Roy Ayers • Laura Bell Bundy •
Dianne Reeves  • Stanley Clarke / George Duke Project •
Charles Bradley  • Wayne Shorter Quartet feat. Danilo Perez, John Patitucci and Brian Blade  •  Taj Mahal & The Real Thing Tuba Band •
Calexico Eddie Palmieri Salsa Orchestra •
Vashawn Mitchell Joshua Redman Quartet with Aaron Goldberg, Joe Sanders, and Kendrick Scott Mutemath •
Ana Popovic •
The Mavericks Little Joe Y La Familia •
Campbell Brothers Brushy One String of Jamaica •
Jerry Douglas •
Daryl Coley Magary Lord of Bahia-Brazil •
Malê Debalê of Bahia-Brazil The Del ...

Had fun storming a castle lately? On the way to Temecula’s wine country, many roads lead to wine, but only one leads to The Castle Estate. Every detail there is designed to keep you in a past reality of castles, kings and, of course, Queens.  From the gigantic medieval iron locks that guard your room and the mural on the stairs depicting part of it’s own family history, to the most minute detail of a delightful butterfly garden right outside your bedroom door, this castle has proven to be a diva’s favorite. If you happen to endure LA traffic, a night arrival is breathtaking, as the castle lights glow to guide the way.  Past the helicopter pad out front, you’ll be greeted by the sounds of a huge front door knocker, and welcomed by dimly lit candelabra and a smile from the castle’s proprietors, Joanne and Dee. How does waking up at The Castle sound? “Ding, ding, ding!” A soft “Good morning!”   a bell ring in the morning light shining through the hand-painted stained glass windows onto the luxurious medieval bed linens, and the chain link armor guard standing by. Thankfully, you’ll still have time to enjoy the feeling of waking up in a ...