ROLLAND G. SMITH
Award winning poet and broadcaster.
Rolland Smith has nearly fifty years of professional broadcast experience as an anchor. He is former news anchor for CBS-TV in New York and at WWOR-TV in New York., reporter, producer and commentator.
During his career he has been honored by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences with numerous nominations and is the recipient of eleven Emmy Awards. He is the author of three books of poetry and commentary.
Currently he is writing and anchoring independent documentaries for independent television outlets. He also writes a daily blog post on topics of interest from poetry to politics. Log into www.rollandsmith.blogspot.com.
Highlights of his broadcasting career include presidential interviews, frontline coverage of the Vietnam War, the war in Yugoslavia, Papal Consistories in Rome, anchoring the international broadcast feed of “Live Aid,” the global broadcast of the Global Forum and covering the U.S. Geological Survey Team inside Mt. St. Helens after the volcano’s devastating eruption.
His extensive experience in broadcasting along with his expressed interest in global issues, including the future of the environment (both physical and spiritual), have made Rolland a sought after public speaker. His speaking engagements often include readings from his poetry, in which he uses the magic of rhyme and meter as another way to communicate his viewpoint.
Currently he is writing a daily blog and participating in and producing independent documentaries. He resides with his wife, Ann, in the Hudson Valley of New York.
Quote from Rolland G. Smith :
"Claude Charlebois is a master photographer who works in two dimensions. His creative talent with the camera lens combines with his inner knowing and awareness of man’s esoteric component. He is a genius at exposing the spiritual in life and explaining it to any who ask."
GIORGIA FUMANTI
International singer
“I want my music to be an expression of my soul and for my voice to communicate deep emotions to a large audience all over the world, to all races, all religions and all nations”.
Through the ages, artists have often invoked images of heaven, sometimes even of paradise. But only a rarified few have ventured into the world of Elysium, the fabled land of the heroic and pure first described by Homer in his epic poem, The Odyssey. Yes, Elysium is exactly the place one could properly discover the celestial voice of GIORGIA FUMANTI.
Italian-born soprano Giorgia Fumanti first garnered attention as a soloist in the church choir in Aulla, an 800-year-old spiritual gathering place located in Tuscany — a region known not only for its glorious wines but also for its rich artistic legacy. Inspired by vivid childhood memories of her grandmother's lullabies, this former law student, yoga instructor and certified Reiki Master went on to study voice at Italy's esteemed Conservatorio di Musica Arrigo Boito in Parma.
Following a series of savvy career moves and serendipitous opportunities that catapulted her above the fray, Giorgia made her first major label recording in 2007. From My Heart landed her a coveted position on Billboard's Top 20 classical crossover chart, attained the #1 position in Japan and South Africa, and established the young artist as a crossover success unafraid to tackle material from Puccini to Ennio Morricone, and Sting to Sarah MacLachlan.
An equally important aspect of Giorgia’ s burgeoning career as a singer / composer is her role as producer, a rare title for a woman, especially in the classical realm. Giorgia honed her skills under the tutelage of such notable composer/producers as Vangelis ("Chariots of Fire", "Blade Runner", "Alexander") and Craig Leon (Sting, Blondie, Joshua Bell) —in other words, learning from some of the best in both the classical and pop worlds. “ To
sing for me is like to pray,” said Giorgia,” It is the easiest way to contact my heart, my soul, the magic and the mysterious inside world. Music is my expression, my research, my friend and the channelling of love and light.”
In just four short years, Giorgia has journeyed around the globe, from North America to the Far East and back again, earning her legions of ardent fans. She has joined in concert a host of classical superstars including Greek tenor Mario Frangoulis, Chinese baritone
Liao Chang Yong, the great José Carreras and Lang Lang.. The world of popular music has also embraced Giorgia, as she's been invited to share stages in some of the world's most prestigious venues with such pop icons as Michael Bolton, Wei Wei, Zucchero, Han Hong and Lucio Dalla
And it's not just who Giorgia's performed with, it's for whom and where she's performed in her brief but impressive career: at the 2011 Chinese New Year Spring Festival in Beijing; for Nobel Peace Prize winner and former U.S. Vice President, Al Gore, at his 2007 Climate Group; at the Beijing Olympics in 2008; and, in 2010, at both the World Expo in Shanghai, as well as the Tashir Music Awards, broadcast live from the Kremlin in Moscow. And proving beyond a
shadow of a doubt that she is composed of a mettle far stronger than that of the average artist, in 2008, Giorgia performed flawlessly at the Chinese New Year All Star Concert — broadcast worldwide to an audience of over 1 billion people.
With a passport that bears stamps from dozens of romantic countries, this striking globetrotter now calls Montreal, Canada, her home. “ Even if I was born in Italy as a human being, I was born in Montreal, Canada as a professional singer,’ said Giorgia, “ it is in this beautiful cosmopolitan and unique city that I started my career and where my music dream became a reality.”
Witness now the release of Giorgia's fifth recording ELYSIUM. With songs written by David Foster, ABBA, John Barry, Lionel Ritchie, Ennio Morricone and Puccini, she adds to the vast musical territory she's already covered, in a sumptuous style that is indeed her own. "I mean to touch and inspire people with these songs — songs filled with images of the moon and stars, messages of hope, of peace and, most important, love. I hope I've succeeded in creating a unique kind of magic with Elysium…I invite you to tell me everything it makes you feel." Giorgia Fumanti
Musician, Composer, Conductor and Arranger.
“music with a mission”
With millions of albums sold, five National Public TV Specials, and 10 Billboard Charting CDs, composer Tim Janis has worked with some of the top artists in the music and entertainment business -- from Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, and Ray Charles, to George Clooney and James Earl Jones.
Composer, musician, conductor and arranger Tim Janis is a story of a deep belief in the power of creating music that can heal and bring peace on a global level. His music has traveled a long and interesting journey into becoming a global healing force. This musical force has traveled to such diverse places as the hallowed ground of Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City, Africa, China, Eastern Europe, the United States and numerous public television specials, enthralling a legion of fans.
The journey to the inspirational instrumentals that are the hallmark of his music began to receive wide recognition with his CD “Music of Hope,” which was a fundraising CD for the American Cancer Society and has been used as music for oncology patients. This CD reached number one on Billboard Magazine’s classical chart in 2001. Tim worked on the CD with artists Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Ray Charles, Andre Previn, Emanuel Ax, Maya Angelou, and the New York Philharmonic and London Symphony.
Tim’s lush, gorgeous pieces have been dubbed “music with a mission”. He has performed and recorded in South Africa with Sinikithemba, an all-female, all HIV-positive choir that spreads a unifying message in the midst of Africa’s AIDS crisis. He has also, in conjunction with the U.S. State Department, brought his music to Eastern Europe as a gesture of goodwill and philanthropy. Shortly thereafter, Tim and actor George Clooney collaborated on the “Beautiful America” public television special. This special raised over two million dollars in donations during its broadcast.
Tim then brought his musical message to Mainland China with a series of concerts, and back to Africa later in 2005 in collaboration with the humanitarian organization Church World Service for Kenya’s School Safe Zones Project. The goal of this project is to improve primary school education in Africa.
Some of his recent works include his American Christmas Carol PBS special with James Earl Jones. He has written songs and performed with Grammy award winner Lisa Fischer. Former First Lady Barbara Bush narrated Tim’s first children's story Shine Like a Lighthouse, and Tim has written a new program entitled “In Room Symphony,” playing throughout hospitals across America on Telehealth’s Tigr systems.
Currently, in 2009 Tim has been fundraising for the USO and will be heading back to Kenya to once again work with school children. He also will be taping his latest PBS special, “Celebrate America,” a project that spotlights America’s thousands of public school students and their music programs on Public Television.
With millions of listeners and thousands of testimonies Tim continues to bring to the world a universal message of hope and peace.
