The little town blues experienced by Riccardo in Monte San Martino, Italy are fading away, but the young singer who performed at the recent fundraiser for the Iron Matt Foundation is aware of the irony. Complaining in good humor that his hometown was boring and offered nothing but the beautiful sea, the mountains, and great food, he went on to transport the audience on a musical journey. His voice is a powerful force of nature, and it seems to reflect the surroundings of his hometown as the repertoire of songs exhibited an amazing vocal range of peaks and valleys, rising and sinking, showing like the sea a combination of strength and gentleness.
As mentioned in a previous article, Riccardo’s voice displays the skill and control of the classically trained, but the performance on Friday evening proved that his skills go far beyond the technical and he can deliver his music to the soul. Explaining how he came to be involved with the Iron Matt Foundation, Riccardo spoke of his belief that the connections we make in life hold hidden meanings, and he hopes his music adds to this wonder by communicating a shared love. He went on to prove his theory with song after song that merged the physical and the spiritual. Even some of the selections that were performed in Italian, the language barrier melted down and listeners could close their eyes and be transported to the shores of Italy or just feel the closeness of loved ones.
It was an exciting opportunity that all will remember in years to come when they utter that long sought after phrase, “I remember him when he was just starting out.” His amazing vocal range, and his movie star looks, provide avenues for success in both classical and pop genres. One can easily foresee his uplifting, soaring songs tinged with romance, heartache, and redemption being exploited for a Disney musical. But it’s safe to say that the same elements that give birth to those skills will also allow him to keep the down to earth qualities that help make that connection with the audience real. Riccardo and his manager, Emilio Capuano of Top40 Entertainment, are planning his first music video and are filming it back in Italy. They both believe that his inspiration comes from the people and place where he grew up, and it is important that his first video reflect these roots.
Portions of the performance in Franklin Lakes were filmed by Chris Kincade of CKinkProductions, so local residents might get an opportunity to see the artist perform. In the spirit of connectedness that Riccardo spoke about prior to his performance, The Journal learned through an earlier interview with Chris that he also has strong ties to the Iron Matt Foundation.
His mom, Kirsten Kincade, has organized many past fundraisers for the Iron Matt Foundation. Matt Larson struggled with cancer, but his spirit was, and is, an inspiration for many, including Kirsten who has dedicated her Ironman competitions to Matt. She recently won her age group, women 40-44, at the Couer d’ Alene to win a spot at the Hawaii world championship. Overall, she placed 194 out of the entire 2060 participants who managed to finish; respectfully leaving in the dust a long list of younger competitors from both sexes in the race which involves 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking, and 26.2 miles of running. She will compete in October for Ironmatt again at the Hawaii event.
The fundraiser featuring Riccardo Foresi had a lot of helping hands, but special recognition goes to Terri Casaleggio who received an extra pleasant, but unexpected thank you from Ricardo for all her efforts. The work of Terri and the other volunteers, along with the generosity of the Indian Trails Club, provided a fun evening for a worthy cause. The Matthew Larson Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation was created by the family and friends of 7 year old Matthew James Larson, who lost a 5 year battle with brain and spinal tumors in April 2007. The Foundation hopes to ease the burdens on the children and families who are battling this horrible disease, while also funding medical and scientific research to find a cure.