Italian Opera Tenor Joe Fallisi to Join Next Free Gaza Voyage

Anis Hamadeh, 13.09.2008, www.anis-online.de/1/ton/52.htm

to view more pictures of Joe and the Free Gaza click here

The Free Gaza story continues. On or about September 22 a boat with twenty-six internationals will start from Cyprus to reach Gaza. Among them are veterans from the historic first Free Gaza voyage of August 22-23 and some new passengers. One of them is Italian opera singer Joe Fallisi.

Joe Fallisi attended the Civica Scuola d'Arte Drammatica of Milan Piccolo Teatro and the local conservatory, obtaining a degree in vocal chamber music and studying artistic singing. He also has a degree in philosophy from Genoa University. His repertoire reaches from opera, chamber and sacred music, to musical and songs and he has been singing in many theatres, concert halls and festivals in Italy and abroad, winning several national and international music competitions.

Two collections of classical melodies he wrote himself: "Chants de guerre parisiens", based on poems by Baudelaire, Verlaine and Rimbaud (2007), and "Carne e cielo. Poesia italiana in canto", based on famous Italian poems (2008). Proud of his anarchist roots, the vegan Fallisi composed a number of protest songs, among them the well known "La ballata del Pinelli".

"Verrò" is one of Joe Fallisi's songs for Palestine. He wrote new Italian lyrics to the traditional "Amazing Grace" and sings: "Freedom will come ... Palestine in our hearts ... Zionists, oppressors, tyrants will fall ... oh brothers Jews do live with us ... ours will be one country ... the new humanity will have justice, equality, together." The mp3 of this song is available on the page of the Free Gaza Song Contest, see links below.

Matters of justice and the human rights have always concerned the singer. For the project "Riscriviamo il futuro" of "Save the Children" he recently sang with the Hip Hop band Two Fingerz. His engagement for Palestine springs from the same source: "What happens to the Palestinian people, oppressed since 60 years by Zionist invaders and occupants, is terribly representative of the situation of injustice in the whole world. And even one of the worst, continuous sources of that. Particularly, the murderous siege of Gaza, that happens with the cowardly silence and complicity of the Western governments, is something that any decent human being can no longer accept. Palestinians have a right to be free like every other people. I am happy and really proud to be on the next Free Gaza trip and I so much wish to sing in Gaza, for my sisters and brothers."

Fallisi also is an actor. On his return from Gaza he will play a leading role in an Italian movie production, "Sogni di Piombo". Furthermore, he just founded the trio "Tre tenori italiani" together with two members of the Milan Scala Choir. For the purpose of his Free Gaza journey Joe Fallisi will also be a journalist for the Italian online news agency Infopal.

Links:
- Joe Fallisi's website with mp3s: www.nelvento.net
- The Free Gaza Song Contest: www.anis-online.de/office/events/FreeGazaSong.htm
- Video with the Hip Hop band Two Fingerz: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=8-At0rr9XDw
- "La ballata del Pinelli": www.ancoramaipiu.it/pinelli.htm
- "Tre tenori italiani": www.tretenoriitaliani.it
- Infopal: www.infopal.it

- "Alleanza per la Terra Santa Libera": http://www.terrasantalibera.org/JoeFallisi-FreeGaza08en.htm