Italian Gospel Choir at Cleveland City Hall - August 22, 2007
A Bridge Building Concert for Cross-Cultural Exchange was held at noon on August 22nd in the Cleveland City Hall Rotunda. This week, an award winning Gospel choir from Varese Italy came to Cleveland to learn and sing with local Gospel performers.
Members of La Compagnia della Gru performed at several Cleveland area locations including a Gospel Music Workshop at Mt Sinai Baptist Church on Woodland Ave.
Cleveland City Councilman Matt Zone
La Compagnia della Gru director and Matt Zone
The group was welcomed to City Hall by Cleveland Councilman Matt Zone. Zone gave a welcoming proclamation to the Italian choir director and then the director presented a letter and book about Varese to Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson.
La Compagnia della Gru director and Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson
The performance began with Somewhere over the Rainbow and then a rousing Finiucli Funicula by Debbie Masi Gifford accompanied by John Trzcinski.
Debbie Masi Gifford and John Trzcinski
Click the arrow above to watch and listen to Debbie Masi Gifford sing Finiculi Finicula
Lucretia Bolden from Mt Sinai Baptist Church then delivered two inspiring hymns.
Lucretia Bolden of Mt Sinai Baptist Church
Then the orange-shirted choir took the stage to show their award-winning vocal abilities.
La Compagnia della Gru Italian Choir from Varese, Italy
With a stop later in the day at Wade Park Oval and more performances on Thursday, the choir sampled a broad section of local Cleveland Gospel talent.
