A Concert for the Light of Life



Massimo La Rosa

On Tuesday, April 3, 2012 at 8:00pm, Massimo La Rosa, Principal Trombone of the prestigious Cleveland Orchestra will perform in a special benefit concert recital taking place in the Robert J. Werner Recital Hall, CCM Village, on the campus of the University of Cincinnati. The initiative is a collaboration of the Consulate of Italy in Detroit and University of Cincinnati-Conservatory of Music. All proceeds from ticket and LaRosa’s “Cantando” CD sales will benefit the A.N.F.E. organization and its Light of Life Fund, which helps families whose children with retinal disorders need urgent corrective eye surgery and treatment performed in the United States by Italian doctors. The children are born up to three months premature and early surgery can restore full or partial vision. To date, over 200 children have been helped. The Memorial Fund also pays to bring Italian doctors to Michigan to learn this surgical technique and assist the families with residency during the recovery process. The fund is operated by A.N.F.E., Associazione Nazionale Famiglie Emigrati, a non-profit organization founded in 1947 to assist and support the Italian community throughout the world. The concert in Cincinnati follows a previous one in April 2011 held at the Cleveland Museum of Art before an audience of over 300, which raised over $ 8,500 between ticket and CD sales, as well as donations. The success of the event quickly persuaded Marco Nobili, Consul of Italy in Detroit and Serena Scaiola, Vice Consul of Italy in Cleveland, to broaden the initial scope of the project, expanding it to the one in Cincinnati,  followed  by a performance at the Embassy of Italy in Washington D.C., and a grand finale at the “Teatro Olimpico” in Vicenza (Cleveland Sister City). “The response from the Cleveland community was simply too extraordinary to limit it to one concert only”, both Nobili and Scaiola point out. “Thanks to Massimo’s selfless commitment as well as the collaboration given us by the Conservatory, we are able to bring this marvelous event here in Cincinnati. This is important not only for the funds that will be donated as a result of the recital, but also to raise awareness regarding this affliction and its possible cure”, they concluded. “Massimo is very young and yet, has already established himself as a world class musician”, says Vice Consul Scaiola. “As Italians in Ohio, we all must be so proud of his engagement with the prestigious Cleveland Orchestra. I wish to thank him for lending us his superb talent for such a worthwhile cause, and invite everybody to join in our efforts to give a child the gift of eyesight”. The worthiness of the cause is obvious to LaRosa himself: “The idea to bring music to people to help others in need is very close to my heart and it feeds a desire to lend my talent to support our Italian community both locally and overseas. Knowing that the life of a child and their family will be changed for the better as a result of our efforts, is the greatest reward we can think of.”     



La Rosa in Cleveland (April 2011)

 Massimo La Rosa joined The Cleveland Orchestra as principal trombone in September 2007. He previously served as principal trombone of La Fenice Opera House in Venice from 1996 to 2007. He has performed as guest principal trombone with La Scala Opera House in Milan, the Santa Cecilia Symphonic Orchestra in Rome and the Teatro Comunale in Florence. Recently named “New Artist of the Month” by Musical America, he has released a solo album titled Cantando. Born in Palermo, Sicily in 1974, Mr. La Rosa grew up in a small town outside Palermo and began playing the trombone in the community band when he was nine years old. La Rosa is on the trombone faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and has also presented master classes and recitals at several American universities and conservatories including the Manhattan School of Music, the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Indiana University, De Paul University and the Juilliard School. He will be accompanied by Elizabeth DeMio, well-known as a collaborative pianist, recitalist and soloist in the Cleveland area.

This concert is co-sponsored by the Italian School Amici in Cincinnati. We invite everybody to consider participation to this special event: please purchase your tickets and spread the word in order to help a good cause. Grazie!

Event & Tickets information:

Tuesday, April 3, 2012, 8:00pm

Robert J. Werner Recital Hall

CCM Village, University of Cincinnati

290 CCM Blvd.Cincinnati, OH 45221-0003

Tickets: Adults: $ 15; children (under age 12): $ 10. 

To purchase, please make checks payable to:

ANFE LIGHT OF LIFE

& send to the following address:

Vice Consolato d’Italia in Cleveland

Hanna Building, Suite 618

1422 Euclid Avenue

Cleveland, OH 44115