PRESS ARTICLES

Italian singer Giada Valenti spices things up with Christmas show 

By John Katsilometes Las Vegas Review-Journal  - December 1, 2021

If the Vegas entertainment scene is a sauce, Giada Valenti is the seasoning. 

Spicy in her performances and her lively disposition, the Italian songstress has stirred things up in Las Vegas with her multilingual recordings, appearances at The Smith Center, and her Facebook Live cooking-and-singing series. She just dropped a new holiday song, “Silent Night/Noche de Paz,” sung in English and Italian. The song is the anchor of an album set for release in fall 2022. At 7 p.m. Sunday, Valenti performs her annual holiday show, “Love Under the Christmas Tree,” at Myron’s at The Smith Center. 

A native of Venice, Valenti moved to Las Vegas in 2018, a couple of years after releasing her PBS special “From Venice With Love.” Her first full show at Cabaret Jazz (now Myron’s) was in November 2017. Eleven months later, she played the first of her two shows at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. 

Valenti also performed what would be the final pre-shutdown show at Myron’s on March 12, 2020. 

Highlights of our chat with Valenti, who speaks several languages but is just learning how to pronounce “righteous,” even though she is that: 

Johnny Kats: What are we going to see out of this show Sunday? 

Giada Valenti: It is a Christmas concert, which I’ve done for many years on the East Coast and am doing for the first time here. 

That means Christmas is coming up! 

Yes! And I’m doing this on the 5th, 20 days in advance, so I will not be late. Italians are always late. 

They are? Why is that? 

When you tell an Italian an appointment is at 7, we think, “OK, at 7, we start to get ready.” And then we get there. But I’m married to a Dutch, and if you say the appointment is at 7, at 6 he is already on his way. 

The Dutch make great watches. 

Exactly. 

You’re mentioning your husband, J.J., who is also your manager, wonderful guy. 

Yes. You know, we are like Celine and Rene (Angelil) used to be. He is on time. 

I’m half Italian, and food is big in my family. Same for you? 

My Italian family and I realized, when I married J.J., we seem to talk about food all the time. I mean, at breakfast we are talking about lunch. At lunch we are talking about dinner. It has always been in my life. But when I married a person from Amsterdam, suddenly it was like, “Why is your family eating and talking about, ‘What are we gonna eat tonight?’ It’s an Italian thing. 

Why did you move to Las Vegas? 

I was born and raised in Venice. Long story short, I lived five years in Amsterdam, one year in London, 11 years in New York City, one year in Los Angeles, and now three years in Las Vegas. I had this PBS special, I filmed it in 2016, and it was broadcast nationally. And every time it was on somewhere in the country, I was going there for a concert. We sold tickets to the Las Vegas show during the special, and in the first block nobody was calling. Finally, they started calling, and in the third block, I actually answered one of the phones myself. 

You took a ticket order for your own show? 

Yes. And it was this wonderful lady named Irene, who invited me to the Italian American Club when I was in Las Vegas. 

That’s a good entry point for a person of your heritage. 

I went there and met some people in the community. I fell in love with Las Vegas. I love the people in the community. 

We were reminded during COVID that you are a very talented chef. You were singing and cooking. You really blend your music and cooking passions, right? 

Cooking is like music: Everyone can enjoy it. My grandmother used to say, “Anybody and everybody can cook, as long as you put passion in it.” I always say the secret is to buy the best ingredients possible. So, if you see a pasta that is 99 cents, and one that costs $2.99 — that’s a good pasta. Always buy fresh tomatoes, fresh basil. You might only need four ingredients, but if they are good and you put them together, you can cook. 

When was the last time you were in Venice? 

About two months ago, and I’m going back after my concert for two months. 

To perform? To see family? 

To see my family, and my Christmas album is out in the Netherlands and Italy, so we’re doing some television and radio. 

You sing in multiple languages, and you’re kind of a showoff. How many languages can you speak? 

I can speak four well. In order it’s Italian, Dutch, French and then English. Spanish is a work in progress. And during COVID I learned American Sign Language. 

Are you going to do this at the show? While you’re singing? 

It’s going to be easy for me! I am already talking with my hands!

 

5 QUESTIONS WITH GIADA VALENTI 

By LTAC Blog - January 2020

Giada Valenti will be at LTAC on Saturday, February 15 with her show An Evening with Giada Valenti: From Venice with Love. Get to know Giada a little better with these five questions before you go to the show! Tickets are available for the show here.

You’ll be here the day after Valentine’s Day, what can couples expect from the night? 

My show is a very romantic show with beautiful love songs. I love to share with my audience beautiful stories about the songs I sing and about my life. I always see couples getting closer to each other, hands touching and sometimes people sharing a little a kiss while I start to sing their favorite love song. 

It’s magical to see how to sing and talk about love makes love appear. All the time I receive messages from my audience about the experience they had at my concert. Some of them came to the concert as friends and fell in love and are now married. Some of my fans also have used my concert to pop the question when I start to sing certain songs. I feel privileged to know that my concert makes people happy and fall in love with love again. 

Do you have a favorite song to sing each night? Why do you love it? 

I sing songs that I love and that I have a personal connection with. And it happens to be that we are all human and share, most of the time, the same emotions. So, the songs I love are also loved by most people. If I had to pick one, that for sure is “La Vie En Rose.” I learned it when I was a little girl in Venice and it’s the song that made me dream to become a singer. I have learned French, one of the 5 languages I speak because I wanted to understand the meaning of the song. I’m singing “When he embraces me and he speaks to me softly words of love, my life is beautiful. I’m his and he is mine. That’s the reason why heart beats.” I think this song is simple and powerful just like love itself. And this song has become one of the favorite songs of my audience. I cannot leave any stage without singing it. I just did Carnegie Hall – a special concert dedicated to Italian and Hispanic music. I closed the show with “La Vie En Rose” and my audience gave me a standing ovation, happy I was singing this song, even in French. It’s surely a special song for me and my audience. It’s a magical song. 

What was it like filming a special for PBS? How did that opportunity come about and what did it mean to you? 

It was a dream coming true. I produced it myself with my manager and husband JJ. We worked very hard for several years. As an independent artist, I needed to find the money to produce it. We went to several lectures in NYC to learn how independent producers were able to find funding for Broadway and off-Broadway shows. We educated ourselves in every aspect. Music is magical and all my life as an artist, but it’s most of all a business. We put all our hearts and soul and we were able to make it happen. Then I was lucky and blessed that the show was embraced by so many PBS stations around the US. I love the United States. So many people love the arts and love dreamers like me. Their help and their monetary support made it all possible for me. It was an amazing experience; we are ready to do it again. Nothing worth having comes easy and so was filming the PBS special. But it was for sure worth the hard work. 

You’re also a blogger! How did you get started blogging and what do you enjoy the most about it? 

I love to share all the beautiful things I experience and see. I like to blog about my travels, about my passion for food. And I love to share tips for traveling to Italy. I was born and raised in Venice, Italy, and I love to share tips, legends and more about Venice. Where to eat and what to do. I want people to enjoy Italy like an Italian. I too often see tourists getting lost in maps and getting tired following tourist guides around Venice or all of Italy as a matter of fact. They miss the beauty all around them. I love my country – one of the reasons that I also organize once a year a trip to Italy with fans and friends. They get to experience Italy like an Italian. With an Italian. The trip includes wine tastings, cooking classes, exclusive visits to special places they can get to see only with me and of course also two concerts in some special venues. I love to share all of this with them. Those trips are unforgettable. Next year I will be organizing the trip with Perillo Tours. I love to work with them so my guests can be helped to stay longer in Italy if they want and be helped with any change they want to do after the 10 days trip with me. And, of course, I love to blog also about this. 

It seems like you’re an artist who has always known exactly what you want – how did you persevere through the challenges that come with being an artist, as well as challenges that life has thrown your way? 

I always knew that I wanted to be a singer. And that’s because one of the things I always pursued in my life was “happiness.” Nothing like music and singing makes me happy. Being an artist is not an easy thing. You are putting yourself out there to be judged. Being an artist is a lot of hard work. Not so fancy on the day to day basis. But no matter how hard it is, the passion and the love for music makes us artists overcome any kind of difficulty. My idol, Edith Piaf, used to say “Singing is a way of escaping. It’s another world. I’m no longer on earth.” This feeling is the force for any artist to go on no matter what the world puts on us. Love for music and singing is one of the most powerful and empowering things for me.

Giada Valenti Returns to New York, Love Under The Christmas Tree 

By Grace A. Capobianco - December 6, 2019 - Downtown

Christmas music brings back sweet memories and adds a feeling of nostalgia to the season. 

This year Downtown had a chance to sit with Giada Valenti, an award-winning singer and songwriter, born and raised in Venice, Italy. She is best known for her stunning television special “From Venice With Love” on PBS, which, since its debut in December 2015, has aired close to 2,000 times all around the United States. Giada, who sings and speaks in five languages, always takes her audience on a romantic journey, performing her interpretations of hits from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and today.

Record Label Sony BMG signed Giada when she was a young singer in Europe. Her hits climb directly to the top of the charts. She has received awards such as the prestigious San Remo Giovanni Talenti Nel Mondo and Festival di Castrocaro. For the past thirteen years, Giada, currently a resident of Las Vegas, has released her CDs “And I Love You So,” “Italian Signorina,” and “My Lullaby,” garnering rave reviews. She has been featured on morning shows like ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC, where she does cooking demos, often making her famous tiramisu while talking about her new CD and PBS special. 

The people of Italy continue their love affair with Giada–particularly the press, who continuously follow her career and cover her on Italian media and television. In 2017 she made her debut in Las Vegas with a concert at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts. In 2018 she made her debut at Carnegie Hall in New York City. 

Giada, a former downtown resident, is coming back to New York on December 15th, performing at The Loreto Theater at 3:00 PM. At the time of this interview, there were still tickets available.

Downtown Magazine: What do you love about performing in New York City? 

Giada Valenti: Well, there is no place like NYC at Christmas time, and as a matter of fact, there is no place like NYC at any time of the year. NYC is like my second home. For a year, I lived in Las Vegas, but I lived in downtown Manhattan for 11 years. I have so many fans and friends that are like family to me. NYC has a special place in my heart, next to Venice, where I was born. I travel a lot and perform all over the USA and Europe, but to perform in NYC for me is special, it’s like performing at home. 

DT: What can our readers expect from this holiday special concert? 

GV: If I have to describe the show with a few words, I can use the words that my audience express often after the Concerts. They say that it’s like being on another planet for two hours, a planet filled with love, peace, and joy. They thank me for rekindling in each of them the hope that true love exists and for reminding them what Christmas is all about. The show is entitled “LOVE Under the Christmas Tree.” I gave the show this title because I think that the true meaning of Christmas is love. I will sing some of the most beloved Christmas songs, and all those songs are linked to stories of love, love for each other, and love for life. And there is a lot of joy and fun. I think that to laugh makes us more beautiful. Love and laughs will be surely one the air.

DT: We hear that you use to live in the downtown area shortly after 9/11. So much has changed in our beautiful area, have you been back since, and if you would tell us a few of your favorite places downtown? 

GV: Yes, I moved to NYC from London in 2005, and I lived at One West Street, across from The Battery. I travel back to NYC a few times a year. I was just there in October for one of my concerts at Carnegie Hall. I always find the time to make a trip downtown. A lot has changed but a few things have stayed the same and always will for me. There’s the feeling of Europe downtown. I really love NYC, but downtown is my favorite part of the city. It still feels home. 

The historic district and old building’s around Wall Street. I love to stroll on Stone Street, stop into one of the little places for coffee and a bite. I have a love for Battery Park, it’s New York City’s best-kept secret. Many of my Italian friends are unaware of this area. They all love it when I send them down to Battery Park City to take in the Boardwalk. It has some of the most incredible views of the Statue of Liberty, New Jersey, oh and the beautiful trees that you can see down there. You get the feeling like your not in Manhattan at all. No sounds of cars, only of children, playing and running around. 

I’m a history lover, and downtown is where New York got its start. Rich in history down with both the Italian and Dutch. I’m married to a Dutchman, and I lived in Amsterdam for five years. We love that there is a strong Dutch connection to downtown Manhattan. 

There is also a Venetian connection to downtown. I know a glassmaker in my hometown Venice, that still has one of the beautiful colorful “glass coins” it’s believed that the Dutch used to give these to the Indians in exchange for Manhattan land. I believe there is an antic drawing of this exchange. 

One of the architects of the UN Studio who built the New Amsterdam Plein and Pavilion is the husband of my sister in law in Amsterdam. My husband and I both feel so connected to Manhattan and more so to the downtown area. 

One day I would like to have “a pied-à-Terre” in NYC, and it surely will be down here.

Hurry to get your tickets, or give the gift of romance and nostalgia this year before the holidays. The perfect holiday gift, tickets to see Giada Valenti perform ” Love Under The Christmas Tree” live in New York. 
Sunday, December 15, 2019 Tickets: $35/$45/$55

An Evening with Giada Valenti at Carnegie Hall Celebrates Italian & Hispanic Culture, Thursday October 11th 

Following her PBS Special, “From Venice With Love,” Italian singer Giada Valenti, an award winning singer and songwriter, will make her debut at Carnegie Hall in New York City on Thursday, October 11, 2018 at 8 pm. The singer will take her audience on a romantic journey with songs written by Italian, Italian-American and Hispanic songwriters, or made famous by Italian, Italian-American and Hispanic artists. Valenti will also share anecdotes and personal tales from her own life. 

Valenti, who sings and speaks in five languages, pays tribute to singers and songwriters like Dean Martin, Gloria Estefan, Domenico Modugno, Selena, Ennio Morricone, Armando Manzanero, Harry Warren (born Salvatore Guaragna, and also Luis Miguel, Edith Piaf (half Italian), Mercedes Sosa, Jim Croce, Violetta Parra, Christina Perri and more. Born and raised in Venice, the singer has always been influenced by her hometown, bringing its tradition to her musical style. 

Valenti’s career started in Europe where she was signed as a young singer with record label Sony BMG. She has received awards such as the San Remo Giovanni Talenti Nel Mondo and Festival di Castrocaro. For the past eleven years she’s resided in Los Angeles, and has been featured on morning shows of ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC television where she often did cooking demos. Valenti’s CDs include And I Love You So, Italian Signorina, My Lullaby and From Venice With Love. In November 2017 she made her debut in Las Vegas with a concert at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts. 

An Evening with Giada Valenti, Thursday, October 11 at 8:00pm, For tickets and info: 212-247-7800  or  www.carnegiehall.org 

Weil Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, 57th Street and Seventh Avenue, New York, NY

NiteLifeexchange

Italian Singer Giada Valenti Celebrates Tiramisu Day, March 21, With Giving Away Her New Single And 5 Different Tiramisu Recipes.  

T4C - Top40-Charts.com - March 2018

 "5 Tiramisu Recipes you have to try" March 21st is Tiramisu Day. 

To celebrate Tiramisu Day Italian singer Giada Valenti gives away her new single Gracias A La Vida and a mini cookbook with 5 recipes for delicious Tiramisu. 

Fans can get the song and the recipe booklet by signing up on a special page: www.giadavalenti.com/tiramisuday. 

The campaign will run for week, from March 18 till March 25, 2018. 

Traditional Italian Tiramisu Tiramisu with Green Tea (very popular in several Asian countries) Limoncello Tiramisu (wonderful dessert for a warm summer day) Tres Leches Tiramisu (inspired on the Latin American tres leches cake) Hazelnut Cacao Tiramisu (for lovers of the popular Italian chocolate/hazelnut spread) 

There are a few different versions about the origins of Tiramisu. It is often disputed among Italian regions such as Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia. Tiramisu, that translates in English to "Pick Me Up", is said to trace back to the Renaissance, when Venetian women gave the desserts to their men because they believed it improved love-making. 

Other believed that the cake originated in 1960s in the region of Veneto, Italy, at the restaurant "Le Beccherie" in Treviso, Italy. Specifically, the dish is claimed to have first been created by a confectioner named Roberto Linguanotto, owner of "Le Beccherie" and his apprentice, Francesca Valori, whose maiden name was Tiramisu. 

Another story is that a man while visiting a bordello, a brothel, in Treviso asked the madam for something that would pick him up. The madam made a a mixture of mascarpone, sugar, eggs, espresso, and amaretti biscotti. This picked the man up, and made him a satisfied customer of the bordello. Later the amaretti were replaced with the more readily available savoiardi biscotti (ladyfingers) we see today. 

Tiramisu is Giada Valenti's favorite dessert. When she is on tour she always tries to find out which restaurant has the best Tiramisu and goes there for dinner with her band. She has been featured on several morning television shows all around the country doing cooking demos, making Tiramisu. The Italian singer got inspired to record Gracias A La Vida (Thanks to Life), after staying a month in the hospital where she was treated for a life threatening condition. When the Tiramisu Day campaign closes people can find the song in iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Pandora and many other download and streaming services. All profits from this single will be donated to the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. 

ABOUT GIADA VALENTI 

Giada Valenti is most known for her music special on PBS entitled From Venice With Love. In this stunning looking special the Italian performs her own interpretations of pop-hits from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. It has aired over a 1,000 times on 90 PBS stations. 

Born and raised in Venice, Italy Giada Valenti started to sing and play piano at the age of seven and began touring professionally with a band by age twelve. She studied piano and music theory at the Santa Cecilia music school in Venice and received her music degree at the G. Tartini in Trieste. She also studied jazz with American singer Dawn Mitchell. 

In Italy she has won several important music awards including the prestigious La Grande Occasione and Festival di Castrocaro. While she was studying psychology at the University of Padova, she met the love of her life and moved to The Netherlands. She participated in the song contest San Remo New Talents in the World, held annually for Italians living abroad and won with her pop ballad "Solo Con Te" ("Only With You"). This led her to a record contract with BMG Ariola in Europe and several hits on the charts, as well as the use of her music in radio and television commercials. 

In 2005 she moved to the U.S. and her self-released CD "Italian Signorina" was launched to great reviews. It featured the song "Caruso" that she performed on the red carpet at the New York City Columbus Day Parade in 2005, 2006, and 2007; she has been featured in the parade every year since. 

Producer Sonny Grosso and musical director Phil Ramone selected Giada for a role in the Broadway musical Be My Love, based on the life story of tenor Mario Lanza. In 2008 iTunes selected her version of the song "Caruso" as one of the 50 best songs in the Italian language. In 2005 and 2006, she performed her own original shows "La Dolce Vita Swings" and "Moonlight and Romance" in sold-out theaters in New York. In June 2007 she made her debut at Feinstein's at the Regency Hotel in New York City. With her show "Tribute To The European Divas," featuring the music of such great female singers as Edith Piaf, Dusty Springfield, Shirley Bassey, Mina and Ornella Vanoni, she became a regular performer at this prestigious venue until its closing in 2012. In 2016 and 2017 she did a national tour with concerts in performing arts centers around the country. In November 2017 she made her debut in as headliner in Las Vegas. 

She has received many awards in the U.S. from organizations including the Organization of Italian Charities In America, which named her Woman of the Year (2008), the Commission for Social Justice of the Order Sons of Italy in America for being a good Italian role model (2010), the Merit of Honor by the Borough President of Queens, NY for her outstanding cultural contribution to the Italian community in the USA (2011), the Saint Brigid Parish for her Distinguished Service in Promulgating the Beauty and Value of Italian Culture and Heritage (2012), and the Italian American Labor Council for her Work, Achievements and Life Dedication to Music (2012). Giada is also a nine-time recipient of a grant from the NIAF Sergio Franchi Music Foundation. 

Like many Italians, Giada is passionate about food. She loves to experiment in the kitchen herself, but loves it even more to enjoy a good meal with friends in a nice restaurant. She is member of the Accademia Italiana della Cucina, a by the Italian Government recognized cultural organization that checks out Italian restaurants in the World. Giada found a creative way to promote her music by doing cooking demos on morning television shows. She makes Italian desserts, like Tiramisu, while talking about her music activities. 

Giada expresses the love for hometown Venice and for things Italian by writing almost daily fun facts and special stories on social media. Several of her stories have been shared by the Huffington Post and other popular websites about Italy and luxury lifestyle. 

ABOUT GALBANI CHEESE 

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Giada Valenti, “GRACIAS A LA VIDA” (2018): One Track Mind 

PRESTON FRAZIER - somethingelsereviews.com - February 2018

Italian singer Giada Valenti walks a delicate line with her forthcoming take on “Gracias a La Vida.” Sung in Spanish, the track has a rich and storied history, but Valenti and producer/engineer Jorge Velasco don’t attempt to copy what has gone before, making “Gracias a La Vida” uniquely her own. 

Giada Valenti was inspired to re-interpret this classic composition from the pioneering Nueva Cancion legendVioleta Parra of Chile by personal battles with pancreatic tumors. During her hospital stay, Valenti thought of the wonderful things she had in her life and how she should continue to express gratitude for her life’s journey. “Gracias a La Vida” was the perfect choice. Boasting a title that translates as “thanks to life” in English, the song touches on family, friends and those little things which make everything worthwhile. 

After major surgeries and a return to health, Valenti and Velasco worked with a core group of musicians who were able to convey her optimism, gratitude and joy through muted acoustic guitars, piano, Hammond Organ, percussion and drums. Perhaps this is an example of what pure joy and gratitude should sound like. Giada Valenti’s “Gracias a La Vida,” due on February 23, 2018, is indeed a worthy tribute to life. 

Lower Burrell's Colin Aikins Special Guest at "GIADA VALENTI : FROM VENICE WITH LOVE" Performance. 

TRIB'LIVE - September 2017

What better place to be noticed by a professional Italian singer than through a video of you singing at a restaurant in Italy? 

That's how Lower Burrell's Colin Aikins was discovered by Italian singer Giada Valenti, a Venice native, who saw and heard him performing through a friend's post on Facebook. 
The young tenor's voice inspired Valenti so much she invited him to be her special guest at her "Giada Valenti: From Venice With Love" performance on Sept. 30 at the Hillman Center for Performing Arts in Fox Chapel. 

Accompanied by her own band, Valenti is known for taking her audiences on a romantic and magical journey as she performs her own interpretations of hits from the '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s, as well as recent songs. 

She sings and speaks in five languages and pays tribute to iconic singers like Karen Carpenter, Edith Piaf, Linda Ronstadt, Etta James, Roberta Flack, Dusty Springfield, Shirley Bassey, Gloria Estefan and Selena Quintanilla. 

Valenti contacted Aikins' mother, Maria Aikins, and invited her son to sing with Valenti. 
"I am so thankful she asked me," says Colin Aikins, 17, a senior at Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School in Oakland. "I have been so excited ever since she asked me to sing with her. I love Italian music, and she is such a famous Italian singer who is known all over the world. This is such a cool thing and a dream come true. I can't believe I am really doing this." 

Aikins and his classmates and teacher were at Zi Caterina in Pompeii, Italy, this summer as members of the Pittsburgh Central Catholic Baginski Scholars. His teacher asked the guitar player if Aikins could sing along, videotaped the performance and posted it on Facebook. 

"He is from a Catholic school, and I am very religious and I like to visit schools and meet young people when I visit a city, so he was a perfect young man to invite to sing with me," says Valenti, who also will visit Central Catholic to meet and sing with the students on Sept. 29. "When I talked with him, he is such a sweet, young guy, and I am so happy to share the stage with him. His voice has such a warm tone. His voice reminds me of Placido Domingo. His body language speaks to me. He is polite and educated and very humble. I had been given these types of opportunities when I was just starting out, and I am grateful for those opportunities and I want to be able to give back." 

The song the two will sing is a surprise, but it will most likely be an Italian classic, says Valenti, who lives in Los Angeles, but has also resided in New York, London and Amsterdam. 
"I have loved living in many places," Valenti says. "That has enriched my life in so many ways. I tell people to follow your dreams and don't be afraid. You will miss the friends you had in one place, but you will meet new friends." 

Valenti speaks Italian, Dutch, English, Spanish, French and some German. This will be her fifth concert in Pittsburgh. 

"I love Pittsburgh. This is going to be special. It is nice to be able to give (Colin) this chance. … I hope the experience will stay with him forever," says Valenti, who has a PBS special, which is part of the programming of WQED. 

"He is so excited to sing with someone from Italy," Maria Aikins says. "We can't wait for their performance." 

Colin Aikins continues to be noticed for his talent and commitment to singing. He started singing in eighth grade, practicing in his house when he was home alone, and hopes to attend Julliard School in Manhattan or the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. He works with a voice teacher, Maria Spacagna, an associate professor of voice at Carnegie Mellon University in Oakland. He recently sang the national anthem at a Pittsburgh Pirates game. 
He won first place in the high school division of the 2017 Classical Singer Vocal Competition, which is a national event where 400 regional semifinalists qualified to attend. The prize included a scholarship to attend the Salzburg Festival in Austria. 

Colin finished second in the American Protégé International Voice Competition and will perform at Carnegie Hall in New York on Dec. 17, where he will be accompanied by fellow Central Catholic student, Tyler Zeik 
Next summer, Colin will take voice lessons from Domingo. 
"Your body is your instrument and you can lose a lot of money if you can't sing," says Colin Aikins, who also is also an athlete. "So I don't scream, and I take care of my voice and my body." 

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a Tribune-Review staff writer.

Giada Valenti will be part of Italy's Tiramisu Festival. 

L'idea Magazine - March 2017

Sunday, March 19 singer Giada Valenti will be part of Eataly’s Tiramisu festival. On the last day of this two week culinary event, celebrating the beloved dessert the Italian songstress will do several cooking demos at the Foodiversita, the “food university” at Eataly NYC Downtown. Together with Italian pastry company Matilde Vicenzi she will share tips and tricks making a delicious tiramisu. 

Giada Valenti is currently featured on PBS all over the country with her concert special From Venice With Love. She found a creative way to promote her music, by making appearances on many morning television shows around the country doing cooking demos. The Italian songstress is very passionate about good food. On the morning shows she shares with viewers how to make a great tiramisu, while also talking about her upcoming concerts. For clips of TV appearances of Giada making tiramisu: 
www.giadavalenti.com/tv-appearance 
“I always tell people that for making a great tiramisu you need the best ingredients. One of the main ingredients of tiramisu are the Ladyfingers. My favorites are the Ladyfingers of Matilde Vicenzi. These Italian cookies are found almost everywhere in the United States.” 
​ 

About Giada Valenti 

Giada Valenti is an award winning singer and songwriter, born and raised in Venice, Italy. She is known for her stunning television special “From Venice With Love” on PBS, which since its debut in December 2015 has been aired close to 600 times all around the United States. Giada, who sings and speaks in five languages, takes her audience in this television special on her romantic journey performing her own interpretations of hits from the 60s, 70s and 80s. But her career started in Europe where she was signed as as a young singer with record label Sony BMG and had hits climb directly to the top of the charts. She has received critically acclaimed awards such as the prestigious San Remo Giovanni Talenti Nel Mondo and Festival di Castrocaro. For the past eleven years Giada, currently resident of Los Angeles, has released her CDs “And I Love You So, “Italian Signorina” and “My Lullaby” garnering rave reviews. She has been featured on ABC, CBS, PBS Television and NBC during the special broadcast performing on the Red Carpet of the Columbus Day Parade in New York City. The people of Italy continue their love with Giada, particularly the press who continuously following her career and cover on Italian media and television. In 2010, Giada was honored by the Commission for Social Justice of the Order Sons of Italy in America, and in 2011, has been awarded the Merit of Honor by the Borough President of Queens, NY for Her Outstanding Cultural Contributions To The Italian Community In the United States. In September 2016 she kicked of a 40 city tour around the United States. 
www.giadavalenti.com 

About Matilde Vicenzi 

In 1905, Matilde Vicenzi opened her first pastry shop on the outskirts of Verona (Italy), where she carefully made her cookies and pastries with passion. The small artisan pastry shop grew over the years into a 100+ million company. Today we sacredly preserve Matilde’s recipe book, applying her creations as a current source of inspiration for our sweet foundation. Over 110 years, innovation and tradition have remained the fundamental ingredients of our success. And today, as in the past, the “Pasticceria Matilde Vicenzi” brand brings a feminine touch to the patisserie tradition and keeps being the symbol of Italian Fine Pastry all over the world. 
www.matildevicenzi.com 

About Eataly 
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Eataly is the largest Italian marketplace in the world, comprising a variety of restaurants, food and beverage counters, bakery, retail items, and a cooking school. Eataly was founded by Oscar Farinetti, an entrepreneur, formerly involved in the consumer electronics business, and collaborates with Slow Food. In the United States it has stores in New York City, Boston, Chicago and soon in Los Angeles 
www.eataly.com​

Italian songstress live in the studio of PBS39. 

​​​The Valley Ledger - March 2017

Monday, March 13 at 7pm Italian singer Giada Valenti will be live in the studio of PBS39 in Bethlehem, PA. She will do live interviews in the pledge breaks of the broadcast of her concert special entitled From Venice With Love. The Italian songstress is celebrating the 500th airing of her concert special with this broadcast on PBS39. In her show she takes viewers of PBS38 again on a romantic and magical journey as she performs her own interpretations of American and Italian hits from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Born and raised in Venice, Giada has always been influenced by her hometown, bringing its magic and passion to her musical style. 

GIADA VALENTI: FROM VENICE WITH LOVE is airing again Monday, March 13 at 7:00pm at PBS39, with re-airings on that same week on PBS39 as well as PBS WHYY. 
Giada Valenti’s music special is part of the special programming of PBS39 and PBS WHYY. This PBS special also promotes a concert Giada Valenti will do Saturday, June 17 at Sellersville Theater in Sellersville, PA. 

Ten years ago Giada came to the United States with the dream bring the romance of her Venice with music to the United States. But this dream got terrible disrupted when she got sick which even almost cost her life. Then in 2012 doctors finally found out why she was fainting on almost a daily basis. She had major surgery where three tumors were removed from her pancreas. She fought back and got completely healthy again. She is working hard at the moment to get her career back on track. She did more then 20 showcases in small room above a restaurant in NYC that she could use for free from a friend, and invited people that might be able to help her. Her hard work is rewarded with this stunning PBS Special. 

​Giada, who sings and speaks in five languages, performs love songs originally made famous by The Carpenters, Rosemary Clooney, The Beatles, The Doors, Christina Perri, The BeeGees, Linda Ronstadt, Dusty Springfield, Roberta Flack, Bread, Domenico Modugno and many more. 

Giada’s voice and spirit touches the heart of her audience as she performs songs from multiple genres, from the haunting ballad “La Vie En Rose” to the rock classic “Light My Fire.” A natural storyteller, Giada shares anecdotes and personal tales from her past, creating a genuine connection with her audience. 

​​​Accompanied by a 26-piece orchestra, Giada is costumed in stunning dresses that were specially made for her in Venice. The extraordinary set design, staging and décor feature elements that are typical of Venice. The chandelier, a focal point, is made of 2,000 pieces of Venetian crystal and took nearly 16 hours to assemble. 
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FROM VENICE WITH LOVE features top-notch production credits including arranger Chris Walden (Andrea Bocelli, Michael Buble, Barbra Streisand, Rihanna), arranger Larry Gold (Pink, John Legend, Aretha Franklin), multi-Grammy Award-winning music producer Gregg Field (Monica Mancini, Gloria Estefan, Arturo Sandoval, Barbra Streisand), television director Alex Coletti (PBS specials for Josh Groban and Celtic Woman, “Christmas Tree Lighting at the White House”) and lighting designer Chris Landy (“Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” and a GREAT PERFORMANCES Annie Lennox special for PBS). 
Born and raised in Venice, Italy Giada Valenti started to sing and play piano at the age of seven and began touring professionally with a band by age twelve. 
​She studied piano and music theory at the Santa Cecilia music school in Venice and received her music degree at the G. Tartini in Trieste. She also studied jazz with American singer Dawn Mitchell. 

​In Italy she has won several important music awards including the prestigious La Grande Occasione and Festival di Castrocaro. While she was studying psychology at the University of Padova, she met the love of her life and moved to The Netherlands. She participated in the song contest San Remo New Talents in the World, held annually for Italians living abroad and won with her pop ballad “Solo Con Te” (“Only With You”). This led her to a record contract with BMG Ariola in Europe and several hits on the charts, as well as the use of her music in radio and television commercials. 

​In 2004 she moved to the U.S. and her self-released CD “Italian Signorina” was launched to great reviews in December 2005. It featured the song “Caruso” that she performed on the red carpet at the New York City Columbus Day Parade in 2005, 2006, and 2007;  she has been featured in the parade every year since. 
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Producer Sonny Grosso and musical director Phil Ramone selected Giada for a role in the Broadway musical Be My Love, based on the life story of tenor Mario Lanza. In 2008 iTunes selected her version of the song “Caruso” as one of the 50 best songs in the Italian language. In 2005 and 2006, she performed her own original shows “La Dolce Vita Swings” and “Moonlight and Romance” in sold-out theaters in New York. In June 2007 she made her debut at Feinstein’s at the Regency Hotel in New York City. With her show “Tribute To The European Divas,” featuring the music of such great female singers as Edith Piaf, Dusty Springfield, Shirley Bassey, Mina and Ornella Vanoni, she became a regular performer at this prestigious venue until its closing in 2012. In 2009 she made her debut in Atlantic City at the Hilton Casino Hotel. 

She has received many awards in the U.S. from organizations including the Organization of Italian Charities In America, which named her Woman of the Year (2008), the Commission for Social Justice of the Order Sons of Italy in America for being a good Italian role model (2010), the Merit of Honor by the Borough President of Queens, NY for her outstanding cultural contribution to the Italian community in the USA (2011), the Saint Brigid Parish for her Distinguished Service in Promulgating the Beauty and Value of Italian Culture and Heritage (2012), and the Italian American Labor Council for her Work, Achievements and Life Dedication to Music (2012). Giada is also a nine-time recipient of a grant from the NIAF Sergio Franchi Music Foundation. 

Like many Italians, Giada is passionate about food. She loves to experiment in the kitchen herself, but loves it even more to enjoy a good meal with friends in a nice restaurant. She is member of the Accademia Italiana della Cucina, an by the Italian Government recognized cultural organization that checks out Italian restaurants in the World. 

Giada expresses the love for hometown Venice and for things Italian by writing almost daily fun facts and special stories on social media. Several of her stories have been shared by the Huffington Post and other popular websites about Italy and luxury life style.

Italian Singer Giada Valenti's Bethlehem appearance to promote PBS Special, Sellersville Theater Shows.  

By John J. Moser  - The Morning Call - March 2017

Italian recording artist Giada Valenti, who has performed on Broadway, will be live in the studios of PBS station WLVT-TV Channel 39 in Bethlehem at 7 p.m. March 13 during the airing of her concert special "From Venice With Love." 
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Valenti will do live interviews during pledge breaks in the broadcast, which celebrates the 500th airing of her concert special in which she interpretsAmerican and Italian hits from the 1960s, '70s and '80s. 
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This show also will promote concerts by Valenti at 3 and 8 p.m. June 17 at Sellersville Theater 1894. 

Tickets to those shows, at $35 and $50, are available at www.st94.com and 
215-257-5808.  Meet-and-greet opportunities also will be available at that show; call the box office for details. 

The television special also will air on WHYY-TV Channel 12, the PBS station serving the Philadelphia area, and will re-air later in the week. 
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Born and raised in Venice, Valenti won several important music awards including the prestigious La Grande Occasione and Festival di Castrocaro. She won the song contest San Remo New Talents in the World, held annually for Italians living abroad, and won with her pop ballad "Solo Con Te" ("Only With You"), which led her to a record contract with BMG Ariola in Europe and several hits on the charts, as well as the use of her music in radio and television commercials. 
A dozen years ago she came to the United States, but in 2012 had to have major surgery to remove three tumors from her pancreas. ​ 

She performed her song "Caruso" at the New York City Columbus Day Parade in 2005, 2006 and 2007 and has been featured in the parade every year since. 

She had a role in the Broadway musical "Be My Love," based on the life of tenor Mario Lanza. In 2008 iTunes selected her version of "Caruso" as one of the 50 best songs in the Italian language. 

She since has played regularly at theaters in New York and Atlantic City. 

Valenti, who sings and speaks in five languages, performs love songs originally made famous by The Carpenters, Rosemary Clooney, The Beatles, The Doors, Christina Perri, The BeeGees, Linda Ronstadt, Dusty Springfield, Roberta Flack, Bread, Domenico Modugno and more. 

In the special, she's accompanied by a 26-piece orchestra.