New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli Hosts Salute to Italian Heritage & Culture Month at St. John’s University Thursday, October 24; 2013 Year of Italian Culture In United States Award Winning Actor Tony Lo Bianco to be Honored; Acclaimed Lyric Tenor Luciano Lamonarca to Perform
(Long Island, NY) NYS Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli will host a special Salute to Italian Heritage and Culture in conjunction with the 2013 Year of Italian Culture In the United States at a special Awards Ceremony and live concert at St. John’s University, Manhattan Campus, 101 Murray Street at West Street, New York, 10007 at 6 PM on Thursday, October 24.
The By Invitation Only event will honor prominent Italian Americans including award winning actor Tony Lo Bianco, President & CEO MNA Productions, Inc; Julia Bastiani, President, Italian-American Labor Council; Thomas A. & Barbara Lupo, Immediate Past President & First Lady, Grand Lodge of New York, Order Sons of Italy in America; Comm. Prof. Carlos Sclafani, Distinguished SUNY Professor & former Professor & Chair of the Modern Language Department at Westchester Community College.
This very special tribute will feature stellar musical performances by acclaimed Italian & Italian American composer and singers including Award-winning singer and songwriter, Michael Castaldo; internationally renowned singer and composer Giada Valenti and a special performance by critically acclaimed Italian lyric tenor Maestro Luciano Lamonarca.
Maestro Luciano Lamonarca & award winning actor Tony Lo Bianco
Veteran actor Tony Lo Bianco is not only known for his skills as a performer, but has extended his talents into directing, writing and producing, as well. The New York born-and-bred tough guy and former Golden Gloves boxer has distinguished himself over the years with a variety of Italianate blue-collar roles, initially on stage and then on film and TV. Adept at playing both sides of the law — the determined, streetwise cop and the corrupt politico and syndicate boss — embodying them with a dark, brooding, edgy intensity. He won an off-Broadway Obie award as a waning baseball icon in “Yanks-3, Detroit-0, Top of the Seventh”; an Outer Critics Circle Award and a Tony nomination in Arthur Miller’s “A View from the Bridge”; and received critical kudos for his one-man show, “Hizzoner!”, which was based on the life of Fiorello LaGuardia, a show he later took to public television and won a New York Area Television Academy Award. Tony’s film career started off promisingly with the cult classic, The Honeymoon Killers (1969), in which he portrayed a cold-blooded ladies’ man who, paired with a heavyset nurse, sought out wealthy, lonely women to swindle and murder. Over the years, he has given added weight and dimension to such films as The French Connection (1971), The Seven-Ups (1973), Bloodbrothers (1978), City of Hope (1991), Nixon (1995) and The Juror (1996). Tony scored exceptionally well with such mini-movies as Marciano (1979) (TV), as fighter Rocky Marciano, and Bella Mafia (1997) (TV). He has directed such TV programs as “Police Story” (1973) and the feature film, Too Scared to Scream (1985). In a solid career that has nearly reached the four decade mark, the durable Tony has brought to life a number of interesting hard-boiled characters, particularly in crimers. He was honored by the Sons of Italy Foundation (SIF) for his dedication and service as spokesman since 1996. He is also involved with the Lupus Foundation, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and the Cooley’s Anemia Foundation, NYPD Columbia Foundation and many, many other charities. He is currently touring with his critically acclaimed play “The Little Flower,” a compelling one man play about one of New York’s great Mayors, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia
Internationally acclaimed lyric tenor Maestro Lamonarca is also President of The Puglia Center of America which promotes the Puglia region of Italy in all its aspects, especially in the creation and exchanges of cultural, tourist and educational assets between the Puglia region of Italy and the United States of America. Its goals also include the organization of promotional and cultural events that serve to support global objectives, as the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, missionary and humanitarian projects aimed at fighting cancer.
For more information visit www.pugliacenterofamerica.com
