The echo of the success of the third season has not dissipated, yet we are ready for the fourth edition of the Festival della Canzone Italiana di New York (New York Italian Music Festival). Ten singers, Italian or of Italian descent, selected among 150 applicants, will compete against each other each performing their own song. Their names are: Maria Rosa Trapani, Aldo Bianchi, Massimo Poggioni, Recover South, Angelo Venuto, Joe Nastasi, Jessica Trevisan, Patrizio Dettori, Elodea and Sandra Di Gangi.

Each of them has his/her own story: Maria Rosa Trapani, for example, lives in Glendale. She started singing at the age of nine with the choir called "La Zagara." She loves singing songs by Lady Gaga , Giorgia and Matia Bazar. Aldo Bianchi is a tenor from Taranto. He started his singing career as lead singer in several orchestras. He specializes in opera, operetta and classical Neapolitan music. Massimo Poggioni also comes from Italy, from Bettolle near Siena to be exact. When he was only 11 years old he won the “Ragazzi in Gamba” music award, which he won for two more years in a row. This early success placed him among the best young piano players of Central Italy.

Three of the ten singers were selected in Italy and have been flown to New York to participate at the festival. Back there, the musician and songwriter Gino Borrelli, was the producer of “Una Canzone per Volare,” while Susy Dal Gesso and Flora Grassivaro coordinated “Artisti per New York.” Both were competitions held to select the three artists coming to perform at the Festival.

The chairman, Cav. Tony di Piazza and the president of the Associazione Culturale Italiana di New York, Tony Mulè, are beyond enthusiastic. Every year the festival grows both artistically and in size. It is the pride of the Italian community and the Associazione Culturale Italiana di New York [2]. "We grow better every year," Tony Piazza has said, "The Festival is a real treat for the Italian American community".

The day of the show is September 25th, the location is Christ King School [3]in Middle Village and the time is 5.30 pm. Several personalities of the Italian and Italian American communities are collaborating in order to provide a one of a kind show.

Several prestigious guests will also appear. The hostess, Benedetta Rinaldi is a pro of Italian television. She first started as a hostess for the Roman radio station Radio Meridiano 12. She then landed at Rai [4], where she worked as a correspondent and hostess for the religious show "A sua immagine", on Rai Uno and the film-related show "Off Hollywood" also programmed on Rai Uno. In 2009 -2010 she was part of the "Uno Mattina weekend" team. Since June 2009, she has been working as a hostess of the talk show "Gap, generazioni alla prova" on Rai Tre. But what made her known to all Italians abroad is her work for "Italia chiama Italia" the program featured on Rai International [5].

Another prestigious guest is the singer and Cavaliere della Repubblica Tony Dallara. Dallara rose to success in 1959 with the release of his famous song "Come prima.” He got at the top of the charts in the blink of an eye and his song stayed there for several weeks. He sold 300.000 copies (a real record back then), and it became one of the pillars of Italian music of those years. Musically speaking, Dallara’s style differed greatly form the melodic style of traditional Italian music, the music of Claudio Villa, Tajoli and Togliani, and introduced a new, more rhythmic fashion that was at the basis of the music of Modugno and Adriano Celentano. He was one of the first Italian singers to fly to New York. Because of his great talent he was invited to sing at the Carnegie Hall [6] to perform in a show alongside Perry Como. Unfortunately he could not stay as long as planned as he needed to return to Italy to attend the military service.

He released several other famous songs : "Ti dirò," " Brivido blù," " Ghiaccio Bollente," and "Julia." He even acted in two films "Agosto donne mie non vi conosco" and "I ragazzi del juke-box." In 1960, he competed in the Festival di Sanremo [7]with Renato Rascel, and won with the song "Romantica." In 1961 he participated to Sanremo again paired with Gino Paoli, with the song "Uomo vivo." Several other successes followed. Dallara sings in Japanese, Spanish, German, Greek, French and Turkish. This has helped him win several international singing competitions.

“I am happy to be at the Festival della Canzone Italiana because it encourages Italian music and new talents to fulfill their singing dreams,” Tony Dallara has said. “I brought Italian music all over the world and I hope these artists will do the same. This is the beginning of a great journey for them all.”

On the stage at Christ the King, there will also be a representative of Italian cinema and television: Riccardo Polizzy Carbonelli. A theater and film actor, Carbonelli is mostly known for the role of "Roberto Ferri" in "Un posto al sole [8]". His character is a strong man, a sly businessman, willing to do it all in order to get what he wants. Riccardo is different form his character: he is fascinating, friendly, cheerful and always has the right answer. Riccardo got his start at the acting school "La scaletta," to later debut n the theater with Salvo Randone in “Henry IV.” In addition to acting, Riccardo is passionate about red wine and soccer (he is a Roma fan).

The program also features the Sicilian comedian and the Sicilian folk group Val d'Akragas. The show will be broadcast on Rai International.

Sunday, September 25, 5:30 pm. 25. Christ the King, 68-02 Metropolitan Avenue, Middle Village, Queens. Admission is free.