Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Backstage with Mario Frangoulis

On June 21, 2012, music history was made as Mario Frangoulis walked on stage at Boston Symphony Hall, and performed under the baton of Maestro Keith Lockhart and The Boston Pops.

Together with guests Hayley Westenra, Alkistis Protopsalti, George Perris and composer Stephan Moccio, Frangoulis delivered the performance of a lifetime which was filmed for public television and a new DVD.

As we enter 2013, and some say, the 'Age of Aquarius' -- associated with humanitarianism, democracy, idealism and perseverance -- Mario Frangoulis joins Kenneth Hieber LIVE on ONE VOICE RADIO ‘backstage’ to reflect on resolutions past, present, and future. With friends and fans, they will talk about hope, inspiration, and Beautiful Things.

During this LIVE broadcast, our studio lines will open and callers from around the world are invited to share their message of inspiration on the air. Each caller that gets through will receive a personally autographed ‘Mario Frangoulis LIVE with the Boston Pops’ DVD. So tune in to this LIVE broadcast during which time we will announce other 'Beautiful Things' that you will NOT WANT TO MISS!


CLICK HERE to listen to the show LIVE at 7:00PM EST on January 16th, 2013 or AROUND THE WORLD in your time zone.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Micheal Castaldo 'dazzles'



The house lights dim, and Bozena Castaldo steps out from behind the curtain to welcome the (enthusiastic) full house. Dressed in a beautifully tailored black cocktail dress enhanced simply with a string of pearls, she looks exquisite.

“Hello and welcome, and thank you for coming,” she says. “Twenty years ago I arrived from Poland into Chicago as a new immigrant, trying to make a life in a new country under a lot of pressure. So to release my stress, I listened to a lot of music to soothe myself when a friend gave me a (tape) and said that I had to listen to this artist. So I did, and I fell in love with the voice and the music.

A few months later I came from Chicago to New York and living a single life, I met the artist. I was instantly dazzled, by the music and the man. Fortunately for me, he was single. So the past is past, the present, and the future and let me introduce to you my terrific husband, fantastic father, brilliant musician, and Italian entrepreneur. Have a great time.”

With that, the crowd applauds generously and the curtains open to even more applause as Micheal Castaldo steps onto the stage. Behind him, magnificent moving imagery projecting images of his beloved Italy. To his right, the string quartet from the Richmond County Orchestra and center stage, four magnificent dancers. The Hyblart Dance Company is a modern Sicilian dance ensemble and have come from Ragusa Marina in Sicily for today’s concert.

Castaldo opens with ‘Il Mondo’.

Any concert that opens with such a beautiful introduction spoken so lovingly is unquestionably destined to be a performance filled with love. And that is exactly how the rest of the afternoon played out – with a generous outpouring of love.Micheal Castaldo (always with his hat) looks impeccable dressed in black, a white button down shirt, pocket kerchief and a red rose on his left lapel.

His stage presence is ‘enormous’. Warmly, he welcomes his adoring audience and introduces his string quartet and the dancers. 'Notti di Luci' follows performed in Italian and English, and you cannot help but believe that “And I love you, yes I love you”, sung with such passion, is dedicated to his beautiful wife Bozena.With much pride and a beaming smile, Castaldo announces that he will be singing on The Red Carpet at the Columbus Day Parade in New York City. The crowd goes wild.

'I te vurria vasà' comes next and Micheal interjects “You know the words to this song – join along” and the audience does. There is much joy in the auditorium – you can feel the excitement. The sound is full, the voice, impeccable, and the visual – dazzling.

Sitting in the dark watching and hearing, one feels as if you are transported on an exotic journey to Micheal’s beloved homeland – Italy. The staging is simple, sunning, and very, very ‘effective’. So simple that it is a multi dimensional spectacular feast for the eyes.

“This concert is dedicated to an incredible, incredible friend who passed away in July. I met her two years ago at Hofstra University at a festival, and even though we only met two years ago, I felt like I’d known her for a very long time. She battled breast cancer for many years – she was a survivor. Many of her family members are here this evening and I want to dedicate this next song to Lorena."He performs 'Pray’r (Io Credo)' in memory of Lorena. There is not a dry eye in the house. The song is performed from the heart of a very kind, caring, and enormously generous man – you ‘feel’ it. His facial expressions are so very heartfelt and meaningful. You can tell that this is his ‘heart’ singing.

Next up is a personal favorite of mine, the 'Va Pensiero' (composed as Castaldo jokingly puts it by Joe Green aka Giuseppe Verdi) for the majestic opera Nabucco.  Micheal brings a new height of sensation to this piece – he performs with enormous passion – a past master of his enormous talent. He weaves the glorious music with ‘stories’ of his life, his ‘passions’ and entertains with much grace. Every now and again, a (tongue in cheek) joke brings the audience to roars of laughter.

And as lovingly as the afternoon began, the momentum continues. ‘He lives in you’, ‘Senza catene’, and ‘Brucia la terra’ follow, each performance as immaculate and well presented that one (with closed eyes) might thing that you are enjoying a studio recording. The voice is strong, articulate, warm, and ‘enormous’.

Visually, the production looses no momentum at all. Castaldo has orchestrated a phenomenon on stage. At most, with the string quartet and the dancers, including Castaldo, there are at any one time only 9 performers on stage and yet, the visual with the projected imagery and fluid dance movement is simply spectacular. The stage appears to be full. You are on a virtual journey filled with the glory of the music and the camaraderie between the artist, his fellow performers and most importantly his adoring audience is connected as if everyone were a part of the production.

Micheal continues with ‘Guarda questa terra’, ‘Alleluia’, the world premier of ‘Calabrisella Mia’. 'Calabrisella Mia' is a traditional Calabrian folk song with a flamenco vibe, sung in the Calabrian dialect and will be featured in Micheal’s new CD to be released in 2013. By the time he completes his afternoon performance, he and his audience are ‘one’.

A spectacular, spectacular performer, Micheal Castaldo takes music to the highest of heights. He performs with majesty and grace. He is generous with his warmth towards those who have come to enjoy the performance. Always articulate, Micheal Castaldo is, and will always remain one of my most favored performers and I highly encourage anyone who has a love for Italian music and culture, to keep watching his website (http://www.michealcastaldo.com/) for his future live performances. See him. You will enjoy time in his presence that will not easily fade from your memory. Castaldo’s fine music is available online – get it – this is music that every Classical-Crossover genre admirer MUST own!

What touches me the most takes place at the post concert reception.A woman walks up to Micheal and with much heartfelt expression in her face, and voice, she says, “Thank you for taking me home to my beloved Italy today, and for rekindling my warmest and most heartfelt memories of my parents who formed part of those first immigrants who came to the United States.”

Any performer who can connect his audience to their heritage with such enormous intensity is with no doubt, enormously gifted and talented.

Castaldo definitely is!

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Okavango Delta & Camp Savuti – 5-days/4-nights – SAVE $250 p/p


This exclusive 2AFRIKA African safari special is unquestionably another one of those amazing safari specials that you simply cannot afford to pass up!

Combine this safari with the Victoria Falls, and Cape Town, and you will have created a memory of a lifetime that will NEVER fade!

Mapula Lodge has become synonymous with providing a true wilderness offering. It is situated in the northern area of the Okavango Delta just outside the Moremi Game Reserve, which in turn enables the lodge to offer a full spectrum of activities, all with a guide and tracker. Mapula lodge is a land camp and water camp with day and night drives (guide and tracker), bush walks, boating and mokoro excursions.

The Savuti has developed a reputation over the years as a prime area to view predators in Botswana, especially lion and spotted hyena. The Savuti lies within the Chobe National Park and boasts one of the highest concentrations of wildlife on the African continent. The Savuti Channel itself was a river and in 1982, it abruptly stopped flowing. The event was so unusual that it was extensively covered by various wildlife documentaries. Miraculously, in 2010, the Savuti starting flowing again!

This exclusive offer, only available from 2AFRIKA, includes:

4 Nights accommodation in accommodation with private bathroom facilities at Mapula Lodge and Camp Savuti

All taxes

Fully inclusive meal basis

Charter flights routed MAUN / MAPULA LODGE / CAMP SAVUTI / MAUN

Safari Activities daily

National Park entrance fees

PRICE:

$2,435.00 p/p sharing for the entire package

EXCLUSIVE ONLY TO 2AFRIKA PASSENGERS …. REDUCE THE PRICE BY $350.00 PER PERSON FOR ALL BOOKINGS MADE AND PAID FOR BY LABOR DAY 2012 FOR TRAVEL ANYTIME DURING THE VALID SEASON!

2AFRIKA PASSENGERS PAY ONLY $2,085.00 p/p for this unforgettable experience!

VALIDITY:
Daily from November 01, 2012 through March 31, 2013

Monday, August 20, 2012

7-Day Botswana Safari and Victoria Falls – only $1,699 p/p



JUST LAUNCHED – 2AFRIKA has updated its popular 7-day/6-night safari to Botswana and theVictoria Falls. Starting daily from the Victoria Falls International Airport, this safari has a start price of only $1,699 per person sharing.


All accommodation is included, 12 meals, 10 safari activities, and a full day excursion to the Victoria Falls – Zimbabwe. Click Herefor the full itinerary and Book Now to enjoy the Labor Day ‘special’ valid for travel any time through the end of 2013.


Consider combining A Season of Plenty with a 7-day/6-night stay in Cape Town starting at only $899 per person sharing and enjoy ‘The Lions Share’.


CLICK HERE for everything you need to know – and then,Contact Us so that you can take advantage of this great offer whilst it lasts.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Gloria Gaynor LIVE on One Voice Radio with Kenneth Hieber and Felipe Rose of Village People


At 8:00PM EST tonight (August 08, 2012), the incomparable Gloria Gaynor is our guest on ONE VOICE RADIO. Tune in simply by CLICKING HERE and enjoy the evening with your hosts Kenneth Hieber and Felipe Rose of Village People – as always, it is destined to be an enormous amount of fun.

This evening’s episode of ONE VOICE RADIO is brought to you by America’s trendsetting destination specialist,2AFRIKA for all your travel needs to Africa.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Village People’s Felipe Rose and Eric Anzalone head to Africa on Safari



Legendary performer Felipe Rose, the Native American of Village People, and J.E.  Anzalone, the biker in the group are heading to Africa on safari and you’re invited to join them.


Their luxurious 8-day/7-night (excl. flying time) safari visits Kenya’s bustling capital city Nairobi (1 night), Mt. Kenya(1 night), Samburu National Reserve (2 nights), and the world-famous Maasai Mara National Reserve (3 nights). The accommodations are of the finest quality that Africa has to offer. In Nairobi, guests will stay at Fairmont The Norfolk Hotel. Further afield on safari, accommodations are at Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club, originally the retreat of movie star and Club founder, William Holden. The Club's illustrious former members have included Winston Churchill and Bing Crosby.

Samburu Intrepids is the luxurious choice for the visit to Samburu National Reserve and in the south-west, accommodation has been arranged at the classically luxurious Mara Intrepids tented safari camp overlooking the Talek River, at the very confluence of the Mara’s four game-viewing areas.

All transportation, inter African flights, sumptuously prepared meals (23) and all safari game viewing activities are included in the unbeatable price of only
 $4,499 per person sharing accommodation. A single supplement of $1,299 applies to guests who wish to enjoy the privacy of their own accommodation. This exclusive safari originates in Nairobi on Saturday, January 12, 2013 and terminates in Nairobi on Saturday, January 19, 2013. An early-bird saving of $250 per person applies to all reservations received by August 31, 2012.

Space on this very exclusive departure is limited to
 only 40 guests and you’re encouraged to make your reservation as soon as possible. Further details are available on request by contacting Kenneth Hieber via kenneth@2afrikamail.com.

International flights are not included in the shown price but assistance can be provided.