When the doors to the Hudson Terrace [2] opened up on the night of October 28th, the hosts had no idea how many revved up Italians would be taking the stage and celebrating The First Young Italian Musical Festival. This was an occasion that brought together the Italian youth of New York, though many people traveled from Italy to make this event possible, including some of the performers. The venue itself set a chic tone that reflected the pop themed nature of the event.

  Young people showed up looking great with even better attitudes, intending to have a great time dancing and discovering now voices in the realm of Italian pop.
The night kicked off with pop star Max De Angelis [3]. His beautiful voice hit high noteswhen he sang the song “Nevica.” This talented singer is already popular in Italy, but now his presence in the United States is sure to become more widespread. Another notable performer that evening was New York based Eleonora Bianchini [4], a trained jazz singer whose soothing voice and vivacious personality floored us. She and her and backup drummer and keyboarder rocked the stage in a classy way. The trio infused jazz with Italian and South American melodies and their style stood up from the typical pop style that pervaded the concert’s play list.

Daniele Battaglia [5] was quite rambunctious in his performance. He sampled the Saturday Night Fever song “Staying Alive” in his own tune, which amped up the dancing and fun. Yet his claim that he did not steal the song was not so convincing.

Gaetano Fava, a self-proclaimed Italian/American who grew up in both Italy and the United States, covered a popular song by Zucchero. Fava played his guitar in a way that commanded the audience’s attention and calmed down the dancing frenzy for a couple of songs. His presence as a local performer distinguished him from the other artists. Daniele Stefani [6] performed his music with one of his videos playing in the background. He is currently at work on a project that involves music for the deaf, and his reputation as a pop sensation in Italy is already growing.

During the concert the Hudson Terrace was filled with positive energy, music and love for all things Italian and New York. One of the coordinator’s for the event, Fabiana Mazzoco, shared some thoughts on the turn out of CGNY’s latest feat: “For me, the best part of the evening was when our first artist took to the stage and performed a dance pop tune; the audience instantly started clapping and singing along. I stood back and admired how well the show was running. CG NY was determined to bring Italian Pop to NYC and by the looks of the captivated audience, I can confidently say: mission accomplished. It was a pleasure to work along side some of Italy's most talented artists, but even more rewarding was accomplishing another successful event with my colleagues.”  Graziano Casale’s hard work in organizing and hosting the event is also appreciated!

CGNY certainly succeeded in introducing pop music to an Italian/American New York base audience. What’s more is that they brought these ambitions young artists to the people, gave them exposure, and provide those living in America with a taste of the music trends in Italy today. While pop music may not suit everyone, the talent of these artists was evident. A special thanks to CGNY for their collaborative effort and great success in the concert, and a big thanks to Birra Moretti [7], whose sponsorship helped make the night possible. Check in with CGNY’s website to find out about upcoming events.

Find more photos like this on i-Italy [8]