It is a beautiful feeling to witness the power of music and its capacity to connect, lift up and stimulate emotions, specifically after the long and lonely months that passed.
On the morning of July 31st at La Rose Blanche seniors residence in Laval, the ambiance was all about joyfulness and togetherness on various beats from Elvis to today. In fact, Angelo Iacono, MP of Alfred Pellan, organized a musical morning inviting two renowned musicians, Charles Vaccaro and Sergio De Dominicis (aka Sir Gio)to entertain the residents with a live music concert.
The idea behind this activity was to brighten up the weekend of seniors after such long isolation and encourage local musicians whose art has been put on hold during the pandemic. From old classics to modern compositions, from French to English to Italian, the repertoire of the morning made the small gathered crowd vibrate. Singing, dancing and laughing were the traits of this gathering.
“As the pandemic hit our community, seniors in my riding shared with me the emotional difficulties they were experiencing, isolated and unable to enjoy their usual social activities, due to the health measures in place. There is no greater reward than witnessing the smile of the seniors as they joined me in singing and dancing” commented Angelo Iacono.
Both Charles Vaccaro and Sir Gio have been playing for more than 30 years. Charles is the co-founder of the band Lipstik, active in the late 80s, and just this February he received an important recognition: a nomination in the song-writing category at the HMMA. He also released at the end of 2020 the successful single Can’t Stop Running, and he will soon announce the release of his next EP. Sergio performed with many bands throughout his long career. In 2005 he gave birth to Musique à la Carte, a unique music project born to create tailored music experiences. He currently hits the stage with the cover blues/rock band Crash Landing, and he is set to debut his first solo album at the end of this year.
It was a morning that illustrated the generosity and commitment of music artists to give back to the community.
“I greatly appreciate that these two local artists answered my call to bring joyfulness to seniors. Without a doubt, I plan to repeat this activity in the near future in other seniors’ residences in my riding,” said Angelo Iacono.
