L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2014 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano 7 for twenty consecutive seasons, and a recurrent performer at major opera houses in Europe and the U.S. She has performed in every major opera house from Naples to San Francisco, a gen- uine grand dame in the world of opera. In 1957, she married George Loinaz, a Cuban-born book edi- tor with McGraw-Hill, who passed away in 1990. Miss Dalis once said he was "the most hand- some man I'd ever met." They had one daughter and two grand- sons. After her retirement from the stage in 1977, Miss Dalis returned to her native San Jose where she was appointed a full Professor of Music by the President of San José State University. Most of her attention at SJSU was focused on the opera program. The perfect comple- ment to her distinguished career. With her guidance and experi- ence, the quality of production improved so dramatically it took the SJSU opera program soaring to new heights. It created such a large number of young inspiring performers that Miss Dalis was able to establish a professional, regional company, Opera San Jose, in 1984. Opera San Jose is concluding its 2013 – 2014 season, celebrat- ing its 30th anniversary. By the conclusion of the last year's sea- The community will say farewell to the San Jose native and legend, Irene Dalis, the founder and driving force of Opera San Jose, as she prepares to retire. It seems only fitting that her Farewell Tribute will be held immediately following the Eighth Annual Irene Dalis Vocal Competition, on Friday May 10. A competition that was initiated through the generosity of a very gracious, anonymous donor who wanted to honor the legacy of world-renowned, legendary mezzo-soprano Irene Dalis. And so we follow suit in honoring her today. Miss Dalis was born Yvonne Dalis in 1925, she later changed her name to Irene on a sugges- tion from an early mentor. Her father immigrated from Greece at the age of fourteen and was a hat maker in downtown San Jose, her mother was Italian, a perfect balance of cultures that was to provide the foundation for an amazing life . She began her musical career as a pianist, received her bachelor's degree from San Jose State College (now San Jose State University), and went on to sing as a mezzo- soprano on the world's great opera stages. She was a principal artist at New York's Metropolitan Opera Irene Dalis – Farewell to a San Jose Legend son, Opera San Jose will have presented 124 opera productions in downtown San Jose, including four world premieres among the fifty-six titles in its repertoire. NANCy MORREALE Opera San Jose also has a far reaching community outreach program, with almost 3,000 in-school performances. Community programming also includes adult audiences which total nearly 2,900 performances. Miss Delia's talents off the stage are equal to any that she performed on stage. Her manage- ment and attention to every detail, produced one of the most successful opera houses in the United States. Opera San Jose has never had a deficit in its bud- get. In fact, in 2010, at the age of 85, Delia was in a serious car accident. Her injuries were quite severe. She endured multiple surgeries and months of recov- ery, yet she still had the compa- ny's financial reports brought to her so she could continue to guide the company through the tough economic times. Irene Dalis, is a truly elegant grand dame. An iconic, tour de force that one only reads about in books. She is the little girl who left home and made it big. She is a survivor with an iron will and a golden heart. Dalis built a legacy of culture and sophistication with Opera San Jose. She has inspired many and set a standard for excellence in San Jose which will last for generations. Her incredi- ble legacy will live on but it's her smile, talent and larger than life personality that people will hold in their hearts. Happy retirement Miss Dalis. You leave an enormous chasm in the art community and all of Santa Clara Valley will miss you. May 13, Tues.- Cooking Class, The Secret of Great Biscotti, 6:45 – 8:45 p.m. Learn the art of biscotti making. $15 per per- son, all materials included (bring your apron). 425 N. 4th St, San Jose, 408-293-7122, www.iahfsj.org. May 15, Thurs.- IAHF Italian Regional Lunch, Celebrating the Arbëreshë, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. The cuisine, history and culture of the Arbëreshë people. $15 non-members, $12 IAHF mem- bers. 425 N. 4th St, San Jose, 408-293-7122, www.iahfsj.org. May 17, Fri.- IAHF Italian Regional Lunch, Celebrating the Arbëreshë, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. The cuisine, history and culture of the Arbëreshë people. $15 non-members, $12 IAHF mem- bers. 425 N. 4th St, San Jose, 408-293-7122, www.iahfsj.org. May 22, Thurs.- La Divina Book Club, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Discussion: La Bella Lingua: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language by Dianne Hales. 425 N. 4th St, San Jose, 408-293-7122, www.iahfsj.org. June 2, Mon.- Festa della Repubblica Flag Raising and Lunch, Celebrating the Italy's Republic, flag raising 10:30, lunch with guest speaker 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. $18 IAHF mem- bers, $20 non-members, $10 students/youth under 12. 425 N. 4th St, San Jose, 408-293-7122, www.iahfsj.org. June 10, Tues.- Cooking Class, Focaccia Bread, 6:45 – 8:45 p.m. Zina will be sharing focaccia bread making, the Italian way. $15 per person, all materials included (bring your apron). 425 N. 4th St, San Jose, 408-293-7122, www.iahfsj.org. June 22, Sun.- IAHF Scholarship Awards and Dinner, Annual presentation of the IAHF college scholarships. 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. $20 IAHF members, $22 non-members, $7 students/youth under 12. 425 N. 4th St, San Jose, 408-293- 7122, www.iahfsj.org. Jun. 24, Tues.- San Francisco Giants Italian Heritage Night, 3:30 – 11:00 p.m. Luxury coach ride from San Jose and a ticket to the game. No parking hassles! $70.00 per person. 425 N. 4th St, San Jose, 408-293-7122, www.iahfsj.org. Jun. 28, Sat.- Valley of Heart's Delight Benefit Dinner, 6:00 p.m. History Park, 1650 Senter Road, San Jose. Honoring Frank Fiscalini, education advocate. $175 per person. More information: historysanjose.org, 408-521-5016. Legendary mezzo-soprano Irene Dalis Community Highlights was salad, pasta and sausage with a unique Italian version of sauerkraut. During dinner we were all buzzing about the incredible performance we had just witnessed. We thought it was over but we couldn't be more wrong. As we sat enjoying our meal with the wine flowing, there came the quiet sound of a couple voices singing from a distant table, then it grew, with other singers joining in from around the room. Once again we were surrounded by the sound of angels. The song over, the room went back to the clanging of dishes and the low hum of con- versations, suddenly it would start all over, like spontaneous combustion, quiet voices turning into big, bold crescendos of beauty and energy. It didn't take long for the room to be charged with anticipation waiting for the next musical outburst. The Coro Brenta did encore after encore throughout the evening. Even as the doors closed, and the men boarded the bus for the ride back to their host homes you could hear the melodic sounds of them singing and humming. It was one of those rare special evenings that reminds us of why we are proud to be Italian, and what an incredible gift it is to share that beauty with the world. OH WHAT A NIGHT, the night the Coro Brenta di Tione came to Italian American Heritage Foundation (IAHF), April 27. Due to scheduling challenges, there was only a few short weeks to fill the 250 seats available but it didn't take long before it was a sold out perfor- mance. These men, from Tione di Trento, a village nestled in the Italian Alps, who spoke very lit- tle English, if any, brought the house down. Their clear, a capello voices resonating through the hall was nothing short of amazing. People came from all over to see this once in a lifetime perfor- mance, with many Bay Area Italian clubs in attendance. Their perfect harmonic voices mingled together with the crowd as many sang along. Everywhere in the room was filled with the beauti- ful sounds of the Italian lan- guage. From the announcements to the chatter at the table to the Coro Brenta, "Italian spoken here" was the theme of the night. After the performance, we did what all good Italians do, we ate! A fabulous dinner of items specifically selected to celebrate the region of Trentino, home to the Coro Brenta singers. There NANCy MORREALE

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