I always loved musicals... but never like now. I due this increasing passion to one of my best friend and wonderful singer who occurred to be Peron last season in the musical EVITA in the major theater in Italy. His name is Enrico Bernardi. We became friends instantly on board of MSC DIVINA where I spent the last 8 years with my beautiful husband Greg Patton.

Enrico is one of the singer in the theater and he was just passing by in our lounge LA LUNA meanwhile we were doing a Beatles tribute who was filling the lounge at the top.

He was incredible sweet asking us, at the end of our show, if he could have joined us in the next show for a couple of songs.

We were more then happy to welcome him and from that moment every single BEATLES TRIBUTE was played and sang with him at the piano with his incredible baritone voice.

We got our highlight moment when Cruise Director Andre Schlemmer from South Africa, proposed us to do the show in the theater during the crossing back to Europe. It was a huge and terrific success.

Then last year I had to perform as a solo artist always in LA LUNA and with Enrico on board my staying was easier and smoother.

We sang often together songs from musical like ALL I ASK OF YOU and THINK OF ME from Phantom of the opera, songs from LES MISERABLES, and then some guests asked me if I had in my repertoire some hits from MISS SAIGON and BLOOD BROTHERS.

Actually to be honest I didn't even know these musiclas. So I asked Enrico about and he immediately declared that MISS SAIGON was a masterpiece. He gave me on a flash drive the whole live show from the 25 celebration in London, in 2014.

The same night, after I finished singin, and I was back in my little cozy and SINGLE cabin I put myself comfort and started watching the show. I realized that I had immediately a connection both with the story and the music because it was very similar to my preferred opera which is MADAMA BUTTERFLY by Puccini. Just this was in Vietnam instead of Japan and it was during the Vietnam war.

I couldn't be more touched by such a beautiful and breathtaking performance.

I started listening to it everyday and my wish was to sing some of thre best songs in it.

So, I did it.

Now I have new horizon in front of me: I am working with  Greg with this new Cruise Company, Victory Cruise Lines and we are sailing in the wonderful landscapes of the Northern American Grewat Lakes, in and out from Canada and USA. Tjhe Cruise Director on board, a nixce gal from Pensylvania, occurred to be a wonderful singer with the same passion from musicals I have. And she is a soprano. I am a mezzo so the match is perfect.

Soon I will be updateing our rendition and I hope to get a lot of comments on you tube and here!

So far is all... God bless you all!

Sonia

I started singing at 12, around the fire in the scout fields playing my first guitar that the professor of Italian gave me as a gift. I'm grateful for the music that has guided my whole life, made it magnificent and made sense to everything. It has given thickness to love, total love: for my children, for the man I love, for my dog, for my friends, for the guitar, for theater, for poetry, for life, for the rainbow, the sun, the rain, the wind, the night, the stars, the trees, the sea, the dreams, the passion.

Ho cominciato a cantare a 12 anni, intorno al fuoco nei campi scout suonando la mia prima chitarra che il professore di italiano mi aveva regalato. Sono grata alla musica che ha guidato tutta la mia vita, l'ha resa magnifica e ha dato un senso a tutto. Ha dato spessore all'amore, l'amore in senso totale: per i figli, per l'uomo che amo, per il mio cane, per i miei amici, per la chitarra, per il teatro, per la poesia, per la vita stessa, per i colori dell'arcobaleno, per il sole, per la pioggia, per il vento, per la notte, per le stelle, per gli alberi, per il mare, per i sogni, per la passione. 

"...e un papavero rosso tra i capelli...così!"
MADAMA BUTTERFLY

To sing it is like breathing to me. It is impossible not to do it. I grew up in a family where music was loved. My grandfather played the mandolin and painted by copying postcards. My mother played the piano when she was young, then it disappeared during the war.

My first love at 12th years old were the songs sung by Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, and Fabrizio De Andrè.Then I started to love opera since I was 13th. I spent many afternoons with the opera book in my hands meanwhile I was listening the whole operas: CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA, LA TRAVIATA, TOSCA, LA BOHEME... But my preferred was and is MADAMA BUTTERFLY by Puccini. That's why I chose CIOCIOSAN as a nickname. With this name I started my new life, after the separation from my first husband.

Per me cantare è come respirare. E' impossibile non farlo. Sono cresciuta in una famiglia in cui la musica era di casa. Mio nonno suonava il mandolino e dipingeva copiando le cartoline. Mia madre da ragazza suonava il pianoforte, poi scomparso durante la guerra.

Il mio primo amore sono state le canzoni cantate da Joan Baez e Bob Dylan e Fabrizio De Andrè fin da quando avevo 12 anni.

Poi Io ho cominciato ad amare anche la lirica e a 13 anni passavo qualche pomeriggio con il libretto in mano, ascoltando intere opere: CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA, LA TRAVIATA, TOSCA, LA BOHEME... Ma la mia preferita era e rimane MADAMA BUTTERFLY di Puccini. Ecco perchè ho scelto CIOCIOSAN come nickname. Con questo nome nel cuore ho incominciato la mia nuova vita, dopo la separazione dal mio primo marito.

CIOCIOSAN significa Farfalla, appunto BUTTERFLY

A sing sung with passion, almost yelled...love sometime makes suffer

Una canzone cantata con passione, quasi urlata...l'amore fa soffrire a volte

CARMEN is a woman that live with passion, she is not scare, she risks and then...

CARMEN è una donna che vive con passione, non ha paura, lei rischia e allora...

Being on a stage in a ship or theater is no different: it's you with your story that counts, what you transmit, what you tell, what you know to perceive, and that turns into emotion for those who listen to you and for you, you who are the source. Always thanks to music, an irreplaceable vehicle of emotions and joy.

Stare su un palcoscenico di una nave o di un teatro non fa differenza: sei tu con la tua storia che conta, ciò che trasmetti, ciò che racconti, ciò che sai fare percepire e che si trasforma in emozione per chi ti ascolta e per te che sei la fonte, sempre grazie alla musica, veicolo insostituibile di emozioni e di gioia.