Romina Arena

Romina Arena
Background information
Born (1980-05-12) May 12, 1980
Origin Palermo, Sicily
Genres Pop classical crossover, operatic pop
Occupation(s) Singer, composer, actress, writer, music producer, music supervisor, dancer, screenwriter, author, voiceover and film producer
Years active 1984–present
Labels Design House/Toshiba-EMI, CP Productions/BMG, PC Music, Outback Records, NMG Records, Perseverance Records, Lakeshore Records
Associated acts Ennio Morricone, Marcello Giordani, Rick Allison, Andrea Bocelli, Shinji Tanimura, Alessandro Safina, Al Martino, Brian Wilson, Il Divo, Jim Wilson, Eric Rigler and many others
Website www.rominaarena.com

Romina Arena (born May 12, 1980) is an Italian-American popera, operatic pop, pop classical crossover, rock opera and new-age singer-songwriter.

Early years and career beginnings

Romina Arena born and raised in Sicily, of a Sicilian mother Rita and a Roman father Renato. By the age of four, Arena became a Mouseketeer for Topolino, the Italian version of Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club. She also performed as a classical ballerina in the major Italian Theatres at the age of seven. Performing with other children from different parts of Europe, this is where Arena developed her multiple language skills.[1][2] Her knowledge of 10 languages, including Italian, English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Japanese, Greek, Bulgarian and Hebrew allowed her to open many doors to the international music market. Arena calls herself “the voice of women with a broken heart” but is also referred to as “the voice of women who never give up”[3]

Attack

When Arena was a teenager after leaving Disney behind and starting a solo career, she was attacked at the backstage of a prime time television show in Sicily and her attacker severed her vocal cords with a pocket knife, leaving her comatose. Her physicians told her she would never sing again. However, she completely recovered over a three-year period. She fully regained her vocal abilities; a strange side effect of the attack was that she developed an extraordinary five-octave vocal range as a result of the trauma to her pharynx.[4]

Past musical works

Arena has performed Popera/Operatic pop/Pop Classical Crossover.[5][6][7] In 2000, Arena signed a production deal with legendary music producer Bob Johnston to produce a full 12 song studio album. For reasons unknown, the album was never released by the label that Johnston signed her to. The unreleased album included the songs "Make You Feel My Love" written by Bob Dylan, "I Can't Make You Love Me" written by Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin, also "Smile (Charlie Chaplin song)" composed by Charlie Chaplin as well as many others.[8] In 2001, Arena covered the famous Japanese classic song, “Subaru,” originally written and recorded by Japanese star Shinji Tanimura In 2003, Microsoft used her first Rock Opera single "Satellite" (Recorded in English and Italian) as the theme song for the video game Project Gotham Racing 2.[9] Arena has had several number-one hits in Italy, Germany, Australia and Japan, selling over 4 million records worldwide over the life time of her career.[10]

Recent musical works

Arena is noted for a unique style of operatic pop, rock and classical crossover.[11] In 2012, Arena reunited with her long time mentor Legendary Oscar/Grammy award winning film composer Maestro Ennio Morricone who chose her to write and sing lyrics to his most famous movie scores of all time. The duo collaborated on their new album together “Morricone.Uncovered and was released September 2012 on Perseverance Records. When asked why he decided to work with Arena on this project. Maestro Ennio Morricone was quoted in the Malibu Times as saying “I decided to work with her because of her hard work and incredible successes achieved. But most importantly, I consider her the most dominant voice I have heard in my life. I do not allow just any artist to write lyrics to my movie scores. But for her I make the exception.” [12][13] In an article written by journalist Robert Pugliese, Arena uses her exquisite operatic (diaphragm and chest) but is sufficiently flexible to expand in Pop and Classical genre (for these singers, has coined the neologism "popera") “What is striking in the color of Arena’s voice is that even in the high register and sovracuto - rare use of falsetto - still maintains a serious center of gravity, dark, full-bodied that accentuates her dramatic vocal delivery. In addition to phrasing, incredibly sharp, marked and a mastery of the breath which results also in expressive essential resource.[14]

Live touring

Arena has performed and/or worked with Andrea Bocelli, Alessandro Safina, Lou Rawls, Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, Al Martino, Gladys Knight, The Platters, Eliot Sloan from Blessid Union of Souls, Eric Rigler pipes player from the famous music soundtracks of the movies Braveheart and Titanic, and headlined on the Celine Dion stage[15] The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Besides touring the United States, Arena has performed several countries worldwide including Italy, Germany, Spain, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, England, Portugal, Gibraltar, Casablanca, Netherlands, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Thailand, New Zealand and Fiji.

Discography

Author of books

In 2012, Arena signed a multiple book deal with Linden Publishing/ Quill Driver Books.[16] Her first book "Where Did They Film That? Italy"[17] will be released in 13 languages worldwide 2016.

Partial List of Awards

Charity work

Arena has helped many major non-profit organizations over the past years to raise over a million dollars from such organizations, including the American Red Cross[33] The Arts Olympus.[34] and Every Woman,[35]

Personal life

After Arena’s father Renato passed away, she left Italy for the U.S. under the wing of Sal Pacino and his wife Katherin Pacino, the father and stepmother of the actor Al Pacino. Arena presently resides in Los Angeles, CA[36]

References

  1. ↑ ALO Magazine
  2. ↑ Times of Sicily
  3. ↑ ColonneSonore Magazine
  4. ↑ The Malibu Times
  5. ↑ The ArbiterOnline
  6. ↑ Alo Magazine
  7. ↑ The Las Vegas Sun
  8. ↑ Black, Louis. "A Work in Progress". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2011-07-03.
  9. ↑ Project Gotham Racing 2
  10. ↑ Molokai Dispatch
  11. ↑ Alo Magazine
  12. ↑ The Malibu Times
  13. ↑ Slant Magazine
  14. ↑ ColonneSonore Magazine
  15. ↑ Live at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas
  16. ↑ "Romina Arena-Exclusively Represented by AEI". AEI speakers. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  17. ↑ Where Did They Film That? Italy – Amazon
  18. ↑ RominaArena.com
  19. ↑ Website of Romina Arena
  20. ↑ RominaArena.com
  21. ↑ Seven 'Oscars' in pink In Bologna Prize to excellence female
  22. ↑ GLOBE TRICOLORE. Premio All'Eccellenza Italiana Nel Mondo Italia – Brasile Italian Excellence Award In The World Italy-Brazil
  23. ↑ TRICOLORE THE GLOBE TO ITALIAN EXCELLENCE IN THE WORLD. THE COUNT DOWN TO BOLOGNA
  24. ↑ BOLOGNA – Globo Tricolore Italian Excellence Award in the World
  25. ↑ La Gazzetta del Sud Africa
  26. ↑ Italians abroad, "Italian women in the world" presents in Bologna the prize for excellence italiana nel mondo
  27. ↑ GLOBE TRICOLORE, Fair Success For Italian Excellence In The World. Prima Parte. Part One
  28. ↑ RominaArena.com
  29. ↑ RominaArena.com
  30. ↑ RominaArena.com
  31. ↑ RominaArena.com
  32. ↑ The history of the Targa Florio in Miami Awarded five Sicilian-Americans
  33. ↑ Romina Arena @ the Santa Monica Red Cross Red Tie Affair
  34. ↑ Romina Arena performs on the Queen Mary
  35. ↑ Romina Arena Keynote performer @ Every Woman
  36. ↑ ALO Magazine

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, February 15, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.