International Woman’s Day Event

Marisa Buffone, Vocalist, Artistic Director of International Woman’s Day: I was born in Toronto, where I make my home, but when I was still a child my family moved back to Southern Italy. It was here that I developed my passion for singing the music of this region of the Mediterranean, first at the University of Salerno and the conservatory of music there, and then through extensive travel and research, exploring the centuries old music traditions from Naples to Calabria – a music deeply rooted in the folkloric expressions ranging from the music of North African peoples, to that of the Turkish presence in Southern Italy, as well as the long Spanish rule. When I was studying at the University of Salerno (Dottore in Lettere, cum laude, in Modern Languages), I pursued my love of music and theatre by studying at the Conservatory of Music of Salerno (voice and piano) and worked on my thesis on the New York based theatre La Mama E.T.C. Following my thesis on Ellen Stewart’s innovative and influential theatre experiments I was invited to join the La Mama troupe and participated in many of its productions both in New York, as well as at their Italian home in Spoleto, in Umbria.
I am currently a high school teacher in Toronto where I enjoy engaging students in dramatic performances, dance and music-related activities throughout the curriculum. This led me to launch my own company in 2001: ArtWorld Theatre was launched with the specific goal of raising money for charities while entertaining through the arts. In 2007 I wrote and produced my musical Tarantella. Full productions of Tarantella: the Musical premiered in Toronto and New York (at La Mama E.T.C). A cabaret version was produced as part of the launch of Luminato: Toronto’s Festival of the Arts and Creativity, in Toronto’s Distillery District.
The music heard at these annual festivals in Puglia and in the ancient city of Kaulonia, in Calabria, reflects centuries of encounters with and influences from adjacent Mediterranean cultures: echoes of Greece, Turkey, the Middle East, Africa, Spain. It has been my pleasure to sing this music to following summer 2010 spent in Calabria where I made my Italian debut singing alongside Eugenio Bennato and Tony Esposito at the KauloniaTaranta Power festival.Marisa performed in Italy with her group of internationally renowned musicians from Perugia: Guitar: Leopoldo Calabria; Clarinet: Andrea Agostini; Ermanno Vallini Cello, Francesco Speziali Percussions. Their first concert launched in La Mama Spoleto Open, as a part of the 54th Festival of the Two Worlds (Festival dei Due Mondi) in Spoleto. Quote “I urge you to come because you will be treated to a new and splendid interpretation of songs with deep roots in the culture of the Mediterranean. Working against the stereotype we usually associate with the Tarantella tradition, Marisa returns these songs to their original art-song integrity working with well known and established musicians in the world music and roots music scene in Toronto. From her Italian debut singing with Eugenio Bennato and Tony Esposito in the Kaulonia Taranta Power Festival, Marisa will delight you with her nuanced and powerful voice.”

Leopoldo Calabria: Guitar, Composer, Musical Director: He graduated in classical guitar at the “F. Morlacchi ”of Perugia. Subsequently he participated in advanced courses with the most important names in international guitar: Alirio Diaz (Venezuela), Ubert Kappel (Germany), Costas Cotsiolis (Greece), Leo Brouwer (Cuba). In 1990 he attended interpreting courses at the Ingesund Conservatory (Sweden) under the guidance of M ° Owe Walter. He has carried out an intense concert activity as a soloist and in chamber groups, favoring the duo with the flute and the piano and performing in the major Italian classical concert seasons: Agimus, Gme, Amici della Musica etc. In 1998 he founded the Trio Sur. Guitar trio that tries to blend classical music with the new trends of different musical fields. The Trio is present for some years in classical, ethnic, jazz concerts both in Italy and abroad: France, Austria, Switzerland. From 2002 he began to be interested in Brazilian music by studying the ancient (Choro, Samba, Baiao etc.) and modern repertoire. He has been working since 2003 with the Brazilian singer Selma Hernandes with whom he recorded a record: ENCONTROS; he has made hundreds of concerts throughout Italy for the most prestigious Brazilian and non-Brazilian music reviews. He participated in Rai radio broadcasts. He has repeatedly played live on the “Brasil” Radio1 broadcast. Alongside the concert activity he has always carried out teaching activities. From 1990 to 1993 he taught guitar at the Magistral Institutes of Perugia and Foligno. From 1993 to 2008 he was a tenured guitar teacher at the middle school with a musical focus “a FG, Doligno” in Foligno. Since 2006 he has been a guitar teacher at the “La Maggiore” music school in Perugia

Umberto Ugoberti Trumpet / Accordion Perugian musician graduated in Trumpet at the Conservatory of Music in Perugia under the guidance of Maestro Massimo Bartoletti, he then attended advanced courses with Maestro Ermanno Ottaviani (National Acc. Santa Cecilia in Rome). He composes with M ° Federico Ortica electronic music and gingles for the American company IBM. He teaches trumpet and music theory in the following music schools: “Virgilio Puletti Academy”, “Santa Cecilia Philharmonic Academy”, School of Music of the Philharmonic of Papiano, School of Music of the Philharmonic of Mugnano, School of Music of the Philharmonic of Agello. He teaches accordion at the Municipal School of the city of Todi and at the “Il Pentragramma” Music School. He collaborates both as a trumpet player and as an accordionist in theatrical productions and dance theater with the following companies: “Puppet Theater TIEFFEU”, “Tetro di Sacco”, “Occhi Sul Mondo”, “Dejadonnè”, “Oplàs”, “La cafeteria della Danza “. With them he had the privilege of living in many cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Grenoble, Milan, Turin, Munich and Rome. From 2009 to 2014 he was Director of the Polyphonic Choir of Casaglia (Pg). He is the founder of the following musical groups: “Tritone”, “Artica live project”, “Compagnia Tango Popular” and “Legio Felix”. With these, as an accordionist, he has participated in numerous festivals, events, exhibitions, and theater seasons such as: “Festival delle Nazioni”, Festival dei due Mondi “,” Corciano Festival “,” Festival of young concert players “,” Umbria Jazz “, “Farenight”, “Umbria Veloce”, “Chocotango Festival”, “Estate Gualdese”, “The other Chocolate”, “150 Years of Delights in Perugia”, “Palazzo Bontadosi”, “Ex-Eliografica”, “Villa Fidelia” , “Rocca Paolina”, “Church of San Francesco in Rome”, “inauguration of the Caves of Monte Cucco”, “Morlacchi Theater”, “La cavallerizza di Torino”, “Montone Theater”, “Umbertide Theater”, ” Urbino Theater “,” Forenza Theater “,” Monticchiello Theater “,” Gallarate Theater “. He then performed as a soloist at the Cucinelli Theater in Solomeo and at the Sala dei Notari in Perugia under the direction of Maestro Franco Radicchia performing the suite BWV 1067 by J.S. Bach, transcription for accordion and wind orchestra. On the other hand, she played the Missa Tango composed by Maestro Bustos with the “Voices from the world” Choir of the University for Foreigners of Perugia, participating in the Rosa dell’Umbria Award at Lyric Theater of Assisi, the Cathedral of Ancona, the Cathedral of Camerino and the Academy of Fine Arts of Perugia. He is passionate and expert in electronic music, synthesizers, digital music and sound engineering. He has in fact produced various compact discs and works, from graphic animation to jazz. There are also numerous works in the classical field. He has participated in the following recordings: “Portmanteau”, “Legio Felix”, “Delicious”, “Malerva Maiusound”, “Tango POP”, “I hear some voices in my head”, “Radiosi Saluti da Fukushima”, “No songs of love DEC ”,“ Carols of Christmas 2014 ”,“ Last Inhabitants of Jupiter UADG ”. Over the years he has had the privilege of performing with numerous artists of various kinds such as Jonathan Williams, Mark Hamlyn, Gianni Coscia, Esteban Morgado, Elge Sween, Cinaski, Angelo Benedetti, Jenny B, Mabo Band, Flavio Boltro, Enzo Jacchetti, Cristiano Arcelli, Marco Masini, Prickly Pear, Max Gazzè, Federica Panicucci, GOLD, Umberto Smaila.

Damiano Pietropaolo is an award winning producer/director, writer, translator, and teacher with an extensive background in senior management in the arts at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. At the CBC he held the directorship of departments in the field of contemporary culture: Radio Drama and Features, and Radio Arts & Entertainment. In the international arena, Damiano led the development of the Worldplay Group in collaboration with other English-language public broadcasters, through which CBC Radio drama is heard across the globe in the annual Wordplay Festival. International awards for his documentary and drama productions include the Bnai ‘Brith award for human rights programming, three Gabriels as drama director, and World Medals and Silver Medals at the New York Festivals, also as director. His tone poem A Red Rocket to the Old World, an original dramatic feature on his own immigrant roots, received a special mention at the Prix Italia, Venice, 2006. Damiano has been an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto, (an Associate of the Graduate Centre for the Study of Drama). His translation and stage adaptation of radio plays by Federico fellini, The Fellini Radio Plays, had its world premiere at the Stratford Festival of Canada’s 50th Anniversary season in 2002. Essays, reviews and creative non-fiction have appeared in Saturday Night Magazine, The Globe and Mail, Grail Magazine, CBC Radio, and Il Quotidiano della Calabria. As editor, director and producer Damiano explored the theme of exile and return and the emergence of a post-national drama in such series as Where is Here? The Drama of Immigration (Scirocco Books, 2005), Little Italies (2006, CBC Audio Books, 2007). Essays, poetry and short fiction have been translated into Italian and published in A Filo Doppio, Rome 2017.

I Cantori di Carpino Nicola Gentile, Rosa Mennona (left)are one of the reference points of Italian and international popular music. They are the authentic genuine interpreters of an important cultural heritage, authentic testimony of the rich musical tradition and of the Tarantella Gargano. Andrea Sacco (born 1911, started singing Seranades on commission, in 1925 at the age of 14 years old. He would say that he did it out of love to help others profess their love. He said he never  wanted money to sing  serenades. (Right: Eugenio Bennato, Antonio Picinnino, Nicola Gentile) I Cantori di Carpino are one of the landmarks of Italian popular music. The masters Andrea Sacco 1911, Antonio Piccininno, born in 1916, and Antonio Maccarone, born in 1920, genuine interpreters of an important cultural heritage, authentic testimony of the rich musical tradition of Carpino and the Gargano. Among the pieces of their repertoire, examples of the most typical form of Carpi singing stand out, the sonnet, with its various variations, from Montanara, to Rodaniella, to Viestesana. All always accompanied by the unique sounds of tammorre, damselfish, French guitar and battente guitar. Thanks to Nicola Gentile, in 1996 a fusion was born with the three Masters and young musicians with a strong energy in order not to lose those traditions that have made Carpino one of the temples of popular and traditional Italian music and the capital of the Gargano tarantella.

Walter Vivarelli, percussionist Percussionist musician, born in Atripalda (AV) on 23.12.1989. He begins to undertake his first musical studies on drums at the age of 10 at the “F. Guarente” Music Academy, with Maestro Franco Pastore where he will continue his studies for two years. Subsequently, he continued his studies with Maestro Gaetano Fasano of Salerno afterwards, his last experience with Maestro Claudio Romano gave him a real preparation and musical identity. In 2008 he joined Eugenio Bennato’s production as a percussionist and tambourine player. With the Neapolitan artist, he will collaborate from 2008 to 2012, with national and international tours. Concerts at the Italian Cultural Institutes of Istanbul in 2009, Amman in Jordan 2010, Morocco 2009 2011, Holland 2012 and Greece 2011 as well as the Tours of Portugal in 2010 and the Philippines in 2011. In 2009 the collaboration with Eugenio Bennato develops, with the publication of the DVD audio – video of the concert of the “KAULONIA TARANTELLA FESTIVAL 2009”. Lucky Planets Production. For New Year 2012, he took  part in the concert of the Bennato Brothers ”Together for Naples. In Piazza del Plebiscito with the Bennato brothers ”, living his first experience as a percussionist with Edoardo Bennato. At the same time, the many collaborations with other Neapolitan artists continue, Pietra Montecorvino and Maestro Erasmo Petringa. In 2011, he joined, as a percussionist and drummer, the Eugenio Bennato’s project “BRIGANTI EMIGRANTI”, a concert that, in the same year, will be proposed at the International Festival of Spoleto.

Rocco Zambrano, musician/singer is a musician,  singer of the traditional music of Southern Italy and a lover of popular instruments: Battente Guitar, Mandoloncello, Tammorra, Tamburello and Marranzano. He began his journey in tradition under the guidance of the “elderly singers” including Zi ’Giannino, Raffaele Inserra, Antonio Matrone known as” O Lione “and many others  Over the years, his many participations in various projects place him in the world of author’s world music as an authentic holder of the vocal repertoire of the popular tradition of the Lattari Mountains as well as the different styles of Tammorriata and Canti a distesa. In 2001 he began his journey with the Collettivo Teatro Folk of Siano and in the same year he boasts the collaboration with Mario Salvi.In 2003 he was a guest on a tour in France with the saxophonist and author of countless works Enzo Avitabile and in the same year he collaborated with a great expression of popular music from Campania: Carlo Faiello, Since 2005 he begins his collaboration with the “Spaccapaese” project with which he has supported countless concerts in National and International Festivals. Since 2018 he has been working on a popular research project, “EX VOTO” where in addition to the role of musician and singer he plays a role.

Gianna Patriarca is an award-winning author of 8 books of poetry, a children’s book and a collecJon of short ficJon. Her work is extensively anthologized, adapted for Canada Stage and CBC radio drama. Her books appear on the course list of numerous universiJes in Canada, USA and Italy and is featured in numerous documentaries. Italian Women and Other Tragedies is in its 4th prinJng and has been translated into Italian. Her collecJon of short ficJon All My Fallen Angelas, published by Inanna PublicaJons in 2016 will soon be translated into Italian. To The Men Who Write Goodbye LeVers was published by Inanna PublicaJons in the fall of 2020. A selected and New Works, This Way Home will be published in 2021 with Guernica EdiJons. Also a children’s story will be published in 2022. Gianna is currently working on her novel The Sicilian’s Bride. For this event She will present: Daughters for sale/Rosaria, Loreta la Calda, Daughters.

Bruna Di Giuseppe-Bertoni was born in Rome, Italy and come to Canada when she was a teen. As an arJst her passion is painJng and wriJng. She has won literary awards for her poetry here in Canada and in Italy. She has been published in Italian and English. Her poetry and wriJng is included in several anthologies. Her first book of poetry, “SenJeri d’Italia” 2004, “Ad ogni ritorno” 2011. She writes children’s books “I call my grandmother Nonna.” Published in 2016, and “A day in the life of the Befana” 2019. She is working on two other stories. The children’s books are dedicated to her 6 grandchildren and three- great-grand-children. Her long waited project, she published her father’s diary of his life as a child, soldier and immigrant –“Diario di un Tufarolo”. She has a courier in Social Services and provides professional support to people in our communiJes. She has been involved with the Italian community in various roles and sat on several boards. As well she supports and educates a group of Italian seniors and a parent group on Mental Health.

Jackie English is a Canadian television host, actress, dancer, choreographer, director, filmmaker and performer. She is best known for hosting the TVOntario children’s block TVOKids, writing/directing the Telefilm feature film Becoming Burlesque and performances on TV and stage at theatres throughout Ontario and Toronto incl. Mirvish Panasonic, Petrolia Playhouse, Huron County (Cats) etc. English was born in Toronto, Ontario and raised by her mother Dian English, who was the managing director at the Factory Theatre. English later moved to Montreal were she graduated from McGill University in the top 5% in Mechanical Engineering. After university she worked for a year at Cap Gemini Ernst & Young in Montreal as a consultant before becoming a full time performing artist. After leaving the corporate world, English became a host of TVOKids, TVOntario’s after school block of children’s programs, alongside Milton Barns, Mark Sykes and Nicole Stamp, and later Ryan Fields. English appeared in live interstitial breaks between shows such as Art Attack, Arthur, Dino Dan and The Magic School Bus. During these segments she would talk to viewers, perform original characters including Jigsaw Jill and interview noteworthy Canadians including Robert Munsch and Perdita Felician. English also appeared in number of original TVO Kids series BOD TV, as Artbot in Artbot, Nifty Girl in Super Citizens, the mayor in The Reading Rangers, and was the in-house choreographer for music videos. Later English became the on-location host to in-studio hosts Kara Harun and Dalmar Abuzeid, where she reported on kids news including interviewing Chris Bosh, visiting Cirque du Soleil and the ROM. Best known was her 40 episodes of the series Jackie’s School of Dance which was nominated for two A.C.T. Awards.

George Drance has performed and directed in over twenty countries on five conJnents. New York credits include The Public Theatre/New York Shakespeare FesJval, The Metropolitan Opera, La MaMa’s resident company the Great Jones Rep and Ralph Lee’s MeVawee River Theatre Company. With La MaMa, he has toured throughout Europe and Asia, working on several of Ellen Stewart’s original pieces and performing in the Andrei Serban/Elizabeth Swados’ epic Fragments of a Greek Trilogy. Regional credits include The American Repertory Theatre, The New Rep, ImprovBoston, and The Stonington Opera House. He earned his BA from MarqueVe University and his MFA from Columbia. He has been a guest arJst and lecturer at Columbia University, Cornell University, Loyola University Chicago (Teilhard de Chardin Fellow, MarqueVe University, Marymount ManhaVan College, Hebrew Union College, and Boston College. He has been on the faculty of the Marist InternaJonal Center in Nairobi, Kenya, at Red Cloud High School in Oglala Lakota NaJon. Film credit include Solidarity and The Light of Eons. Television credits include Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. He currently serves as ArJst-in-residence at Fordham University Lincoln Center.

Potri Ranka Manis is the founder /arJsJc director and tradiJon bearer of Kinding Sindaw Melayu Heritage, a cultural performing art organizaJon that is a resident of LaMaMa ETC. She is a mulJdisciplinary arJst-acJvist, Registered Nurse ( frontliner during this pandemic). The dances, gong music and Silat marJal arts that carries the ancient unwriVen stories from the legends,epics and myths of Mindanao , southern Philippines is a genre by itself that connects legends to history. www.Kinding sindaw.org. The Dance is an Except from an ancestral epic Derangen of the Meranao people of southern Philippines. “ Meranao” means “People of the Lake”.

Aviaja Lumholt is a half greenlandic/half danish singer, pianist, composer, performer, drum singer and mask-dancer. She has a Master from the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen, and studied the mask dance at the greenlandic theatre, Tuukkaq. She has explored the inuit drumsinging culture and nature philosophy and done music- and maskdancing workshops in several countries i.a. Greenland, Denmark and Alaska. She has sung on albums, film- and theater soundtracks, tv-shows and in the radio, and performed with artists from all over the world. In 1996 she recieved the Roland price. Her own compositions are inspired of both her western and indeginous background.INUANIMA are a duo playing performance concerts with inspiration from mythological storytelling. The Music is alternative pop – with elements of melodic tehno, inuit drumsongs, rock and film music.THE ROARING SEA is a performance concert inpired by the inuit myth, Mother Of The Sea. A modern interpretation of the Shamans trance journey down to the bottom of the ocean. Music and videos are composed and produced by INUANIMA.

Igor Rado is born and raised in Denmark, with parents from ex-Yugoslavia. He has a Master in filmscore-composing from the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Esbjerg, DK. He is a producer, multi instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, performer and video-maker.

Annette Mikkelsen is a Special ed teacher & drama teacher Producer and Cultural manager on international exchange and cultural projects and a La MaMa Cultural Ambassador in Denmark.

Michael Smal lives in Utrecht. He is 36 years old. His Instagram is stencil_art_by_mike and his style is stencil artist/street art. The rest is for you to discover.

Clem Ryan is a Street Artist Agent who liases with artists, galleries and dealers Globally. He first fell in love with Street Art when he purchased a Banksy tee shirt at a market in Buenos Aires. Later on he got 2 Banksy tattoos on his upper left and right arms. He has since followed and contacted Artists all across the Globe including Amsterdam. He knows some of Australia’s most notorious and well known Street Artists. His aim is to see them all live handsomely from  their artwork.

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