The Dick Biondi Film
Richard Orlando Biondi was born in Endicott, New York, in 1932 to Rose and Michael Biondi, a homemaker and a fireman. Growing up in the Italian neighborhood known as the Nob, Dick described himself as a kid who was always yakking. A devout Catholic, he intended to enter the priesthood. But things changed when eight-year-old Dick, while spendin...
Lyric Opera triumphs in dazzling revival of ‘Il trovatore’
Celebrated Italian tenor Enrico Caruso once famously said that all that was needed for Giuseppe Verdi’s “Il trovatore” to excel were the four greatest singers in the world. Lyric Opera of Chicago might not have fully delivered on that near-impossible formula in the second revival of the company’s 2006-07 co-production of the beloved Italian melodra...
Hell In A Handbag's Hosts Annual Benefit THE SOPHIA PETRILLO ITALIAN DINNER & TALENT SHOW
Join Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia for Hell in a Handbag Productions' annual benefit, THE SOPHIA PETRILLO ITALIAN DINNER & TALENT SHOW on Sunday, December 2, 2018 from 5 - 10 pm at Our Lady of Eternal Guilt aka Ebenezer Lutheran Church, 1650 W. Foster Ave. in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood. Tickets ($75 in advance) are currently available...
Digital baseball cards innovator Chris Vaccaro
If we’re lucky, we live out childhood dreams in adult careers, the preeminent example being the Little Leaguer who makes the starting lineup of a major league baseball team. While Chris Vaccaro never swung a bat at Yankee Stadium, he hit a grand slam when he became editor-in-chief and digital director at the Topps Company. Having collected sports c...
CSO’s ‘Verdi Requiem’ is Music of the Moment in Wake of Latest Slaughter
Verdi’s monumental and altogether ravishing “Requiem” is a signature work of Maestro Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Their recording of the great operatic mass was the winner of two Grammy Awards (Best Classical Album and Best Choral Performance) in 2010. But in light of the recent horrific plague of senseless shootings...
Joe Girardi, 'Ping,' Rocky Hill enter various halls of fame
One of this area's most accomplished baseball players was selected to join a hall of fame. No, not that Hall of Fame, the one into which Peoria native Jim Thome was inducted earlier this year. But it's still a pretty formidable hall. Former big-league player and former and probably future big-league manager Joe Girardi, the pride of East Peoria, wa...
Italian tenor Pasquale Esposito kicks off busy month at Andiamo Celebrity Showroom
Andiamo Celebrity Showroom kicks off a busy November with a Friday night show by Italian-born American tenor Pasquale Esposito and his multimedia celebration of Italian culture. The Warren-based showroom has six shows in the next four weeks before it closes out the year with holiday concerts in December. First up is Esposito, the powerhouse perform...
Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri sets all-time points record
Adam Vinatieri made history Sunday. Again. With a second-quarter 25-yard field goal against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts kicker became the NFL's all-time leading scorer, surpassing Hall of Fame kicker Morten Andersen (2,544). Vinatieri entered the game with 2,540 points and tied Anderson's mark with a first-quarter extra po...
Italians Ready To Repesent At The Rugby Weekend
Italy comes into Chicago hoping to get the city's huge Italian-American community behind it, but there are other points to prove, too. FloRugby checked in with Ian McKinley and Luca Morisi, who will be part of the Azzurri arriving in Chicago. Both have had their struggles. McKinley retired after a rugby clear went into his eyeball (yes, it is as gr...
A Long Shadow, by August Nigro
One of two silver medal winners in our playwriting contest, A Long Shadow, explores a time when Italians were the immigrants to be feared and suspected. Join us for this thought-provoking, historical drama that roused the world to an ever-present danger. The Italian American Theatre of Chicago Presents: A Long Shadow. A Staged Reading of the Play b...
Sports Hall to induct standout class at 41st gala
The National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame has a stellar crop of inductees and honorees on tap for its 41st annual gala on Nov. 3 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. (312-226-5566) The NIASHF Class of 2018 includes Gina Carano, Rocco B. Commisso, Joe Girardi and Gene Pingatore. Perry Mandera will be honored as the Sportsman of the Year. The progra...
Blackhawks to celebrate Italian Heritage Month
The Chicago Blackhawks will celebrate Italian Heritage with a special ticket offer for the Oct. 18 game against the Arizona Coyotes. Fans who purchase tickets through ChicagoBlackHawks.com/Italian will receive an Italian-themed Blackhawks hat while supplies last. All those who purchase through the offer will be eligible for game-day perks that incl...