TWO "UNITY AWARDS" FOR ITALIAN CHRISTIAN SINGER ROBERTO BIGNOLI.

Canada Trip November 2001                 Meet my new Italian friends  This picture was taken in a cafe in Toronto when we went to an Italian radio station to promote Roberto and Marco's concerts. I had so much fun with these guys doing concerts and drinking espresso and laughing all the time. Fr. Mimmo is pictured in back. In front to my right is his nephew Salvatore who was very kind to help me communicate with Fr. Mimmo. In back of me is Marco Tavola a talented musician and singer from Rome. And to my left is the talented Roberto Bignoli who won two awards at the UCMVA ceremony in Washington D.C. I was very happy for him. He deserved them both. Congratulations Roberto!!   Fr. Mimmo in action!   This is Fr. Mimmo performing his song, "Jesus On Line" at one of our concerts in the Toronto area. Everybody couldn't help but get up and dance. This was one of the highlights of this tour.

A tour filled with faith and true friendship

of  Don Mimmo Iervolino


Providence, love, unpredictability, and that which is "beyond" God were the backdrop for our recent concert tour of Canada and the United Sates. An experience that rather than simply being one of art, music, successful concerts and records sold, was first and foremost one of faith.

Somehow the paths taken by Roberto Bignoli and Marco Tavola appeared to sort of cross with my own, the rev Mimmo Iervolino's. Roberto and Marco had already planned a series of concert dates in Canada and the States, and their departure had been arranged since the Summer, when I appeared on the scene, suddenly and unannounced, I who providence had placed in their way.

It was on August 14th in fact, at the concert in Schio, when my dance numbers that had prompted so much interest on the evening, drew the attention of an American producer who just happened to be in Italy at the time. Her name, Susan Stein, as German as it may have sounded belied her distant Irish origins, for America was now the family homeland. It was from here that I received an invitation to attend, as an international guest, the prestigious Unity Award Presentations for Christian Catholic Music, scheduled to take place in Washington .

The events of September 11th had not derailed the likelihood of the event taking place, and so here was I ready to leave. The plan was that I was only going to travel to Washington but somehow I managed to persuade Susan to allow me to make a stop over in Toronto, Canada, where some of my nearest and dearest relatives live. All that remained for me to do now was to decide the date of my departure. I didn't like the idea of travelling alone so I asked if it would be possible for me to leave on the same flight as Roberto and Marco. So it was that that the three of us took off together for Toronto. Once there we went our separate ways - they with their manager and tour organiser, and I with my relatives.

A few days later however Roberto called me and invited me to perform at their concerts. I joyfully and willingly accepted his offer and set off to accompany them on their tour of Canada and then the United States of America. Six concert dates in Toronto and then a Christian Music Festival where Roberto and Marco had already been invited as international guests. Here too I was pleasantly taken aback to be invited to perform on stage during their performances. Our songs and types of music proved really popular - there was Marco and his pop/rock style of music, Roberto with his rock and blues ballads and me with my Neapolitan and dance style.

We also had what one might call the good fortune of bumping into the organisers of the next World Youth Day to be held in Toronto in July 2002. I celebrated mass at the Headquarters where all of those who are now feverishly working to prepare this event are based. Who knows, it could just turn out that one of us, if not more may even be fortunate enough to take part in the Concert with the Pope. …
Everything had turned out just right in Canada.


After a few days' much needed rest and the compulsory visit to the Niagara Falls, we finally left for the "States". We spent a great deal of time sitting in a car, and pretty soon our backs had moulded themselves into the shapes of the seats. This mattered little however because, although the American dates for the tour had not originally included New York, we were suddenly and at short notice asked to stand in for a friend of ours who was not been able to perform at the well known Radio Maria New York Concert. There are no words to describe the joy I felt on hearing this news! My nephew, who was acting as our interpreter, was jumping out of his skin because he was finally fulfilling his American dream… that of seeing New York!

And so it was that we too began to fulfil a dream, as from a distance we started to make out the sky scrapers of the New York skyline. Then suddenly, we were there, in Manhattan, in a beautiful Church dedicated to S. John the Baptist, and we were performing. I have to say that is was a great success. However we then also went to the sight where the twin towers had once stood. There we laid a flower and prayed for an end to violence and hostilities of any kind. This one moment became the most overpowering and painful moment in our journey.

It was time to move on, and we began travelling again, heading north out of New York. Two more stops in Connecticut and Rhode Island for two more concerts and then finally, after 9 hours of sitting in a car we arrived, shattered but happy to at last be in Washington for the much awaited Unity Awards ceremony.

It would take me too long to describe in detail everything that took place, but the reader can rest assured that Roberto and I were in a highly emotional state. I prepared myself for my dance number with an American look and with my number "Jesus on line" managed somehow to get all those present involved. I say 'somehow' because the task hadn't appeared so simple because of the fact that audience was all dressed very formally, and so I had no way of knowing if the "priest's dance" was going to work. Fortunately it was greeted by a standing ovation and requests for an 'encore'.

My task completed, and my moment of glory past, our thoughts now turned to the awards that for which Roberto had been nominated. The envelope containing the name of the winner of the best international artist was opened by our friend, Irene Coronado, who, as she saw Roberto's name, was the first to utter a shriek of joy. This was soon followed by a further cause for celebration, when, after Roberto had performed his song "Ho bisogno di te", she opened the envelope to reveal the winner of the best international song category. Here again the winner of the award was Roberto!

All of the discomforts, pain and suffering of the long journey, and the awkwardness and tiredness melted away in an instant and our hearts exploded with joy. Prior to this moment we had been missing our Italian coffee and pasta dishes and had been feeling terribly homesick from the very first day we had set foot in America. Now however this took second place, because we were going home happy, with two awards and a concert tour which had turned out a real success and had given us so much satisfaction.

As we flew from Washington to Toronto we tried to assess everything that had happened. All in all we came to the conclusion that it had all been a totally positive and worthwhile experience for which we only had God to thank. We owed him thanks having allowed us to meet so many people, above all so many Italians who, although they now consider themselves to be American citizens, in their hearts they carry a touch of the blue sky that is the sky of Italy. We owed him thanks for having received the two Awards, and we owed him thanks for having allowed me use my dance music to entertain the American people who are going through such difficult and troubled times.

On the flight back, Roberto and I, reflecting on everything that had just happened also woke up to the fact that there was a yarn that had been woven by hands that we could not see, by God and our Heavenly Mother of Schio. Our being there, with our songs, but above all with our bearing witness to our faith had acted as a spur in resurrecting the presence of God and Mary, who love us with a never-ending love, in so many people .

It was precisely because we had helped each other out reciprocally in whatever way we could that a close friendship was formed between us, a friendship that grows in God to the point of giving totally of oneself. . There were often occasions when we were asked to give of ourselves mutually, freely, humbly and unselfishly. The more we practiced this the stronger became the bonds that tied our friendship, and the presence of God in our midst became almost palpable. "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I" (Matthew 18, 20). With this 'new friend' on our side each and every problem or obstacle became an occasion to see the face of God and to love Him more. In so doing, this ongoing exercise, our songs, simply became the pretext to share on this Presence with others. Many became aware of it, felt it and fell in love with God.

Of all the success that we managed to achieve on this long and arduous tour of Canada and the USA, this had to be the greatest.

Thanks be to God, thanks be to Mary .

Rev Mimmo Iervolino


TO THE NIGHT OF THE MOVIE OSCARS IN WASHINGTON (USA)

TWO PRESTIGIOUS "UNITY AWARDS" GO TO THE ITALIAN SINGER SONGWRITER, ROBERTO BIGNOLI.

The Christian Music world's equivalent to the night of the Oscars, the "Unity Awards", promoted by UCMVA (United Catholic Music and Video Association) was held recently in Washington (USA). The night turned out to be a resounding success for the Italian singer songwriter, Roberto Bignoli, who came away with an award as International artist and one for his song "Ho bisogno di te" ("I need you" which is also the title of his new multimedia CD). The awards are an extremely important recognition for a singer songwriter who for so many years has been taking Christian music around the world.

The award ceremony, which this year was held at the prestigious Hartke Theatre on the Catholic University Campus in Washinton, was also broadcast live by America's largest Catholic broadcasting network, EWTN, the brainchild of Mother Angelica.

Another of the guests who performed live on the evening, was Don Mimmo Iervolino, who sang some of the numbers from his new album "Jesus on line". The priest, who was affectionately introduced as the "dance-priest" of the year, received an enthusiastic welcome from the audience and his songs were greeted with thunderous rounds of applause.

The UCMVA (United Catholic Music and Video Association) is an international association created to bring together Christian inspired artists from around the world. The awards that are presented annually in its name, consist of forty eight different categories. best song, best group, best musical, best video and so on and so forth.

Robert Bignoli's awards came at the end of an arduous concert tour of Canada together with Donna Lee, Dennis Grady, Don Mimmo Iervolino and Marco Tavola, another well known Italian Christian singer songwriter. The series of concerts around Canada were intended to raise funds for Catholic youth groups in Toronto, and to help them in the organisation of their programmes for World Youth Day 2002.

The tour itself was arranged and managed by Christian Child Care International, a Canadian agency, who together with the Canadian singer songwriter Denis Grady, offers help and assistance to the children of the third world. Radio Kolbe Sat has produced a multimedia CD for the occasion entitled "Italian Christian Music" which includes four videos from Tavola, Grady, Brown and Bignoli as well as 10 other songs courtesy of Tavola and Bignoli.

Back