Sarasotai Magyar Hirmondó, 2009 (15. évfolyam, 1-11. szám)
2009-04-01 / 4-5. szám
THE STORY OF THE ORCHESTRA Lou and Ann Paige founded the Sarasota Mandolin Orchestra (SMO) after they retired from Teaneck, New Jersey in 1991. At first the group consisted only of a few members—two first mandolins, one second mandolin and a guitar—and they met weekly in the Paige's family room. They played mostly ethnic music, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Greek, Yiddish, etc., for the sheer joy of it. In a few years the original quartet has grown to a full blown orchestra with the addition of other professional musicians from all over the United States, Canada and Europe, who spend the winter months in Florida. During the season there are as many as twenty-five musicians in the SMO. They consider themselves fortunate to have added Antonina Nigrelli, an accomplished musician, as conductor. The Gulf Coast Italian Cultural Society (GCICS) was instrumental in initiating the orchestra's professional debut. Through performances in clubs, libraries, nursing homes, schools, festivals and private parties they now spread the joy of music to others. The repertoire expanded and now includes ragtime, light classical and operatic selections. THE CHANTEUSE MASI Annamária Eisler Masi studied voice and piano at the Budapest Conservatory of Music in her native Hungary before moving to Canada to further her studies at the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) in Toronto. As a model, she was photographed in Europe, Canada and the United States and had principal parts in television commercials. She is a member of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA). She began singing with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and collaborated with Bobby Scott in New York. She has been performing with renowned artists, such the Norman Amadio Trio. Mr. Amadio is one of Canada's outstanding pianists who has accompanied among others, Judy Garland, Englebert Humperdink and Paul Anka and jazz singers Dinah Washington, Mel Torme and Cab Calloway. A natural with languages, Masi is equally at ease singing in Hungarian, English or French. She is a chanteuse in the true sense of the word. Jazz legend Bobby Scott described her as "a unique talent and voice. It is not jazz or even pop. It's a throw back to the yesteryear and without any imitation! She just sings as she does!" Globe and Mail's Erika Ritter marveled at "the astounding resonance and depth"of her voice. 7
