Letter from Italy Premiere Tickets
Thank you to the overflow audience who made our World Premiere an overwhelming success!
Letter from Italy, 1944, is a newly-composed choral presentation premiering in Spring 2013.
Our subject is the story of Dr. John K. Meneely, Jr., who served as a World War II medic and came home to a young family. His letters home, though couched in prose, are elegantly poetic in their description of his experiences and the soldiers with whom he served.
John Meneely’s daughters, Connecticut poet Nancy Meneely and Grammy-nominated composer Sarah Meneely-Kyder, have collaborated on a sensitive and magnificent choral masterwork. Their Letter from Italy, 1944 brings its listeners to tears with its faithful and insightful recounting of their father’s journey.
The Greater Middletown Chorale commissioned the work, with its Artistic Director Joseph D’Eugenio collaborating with the Meneely sisters. The Chorale is eagerly preparing for the World Premiere, taking place April 28, 2013, 4 p.m., at the Middletown High School Center for the Performing Arts.
About the Letter from Italy Web Site
This is the place to learn more about Letter from Italy, 1944, as the production continues to unfold. Here is a sampling of what you will find here:
- Read more about the production on this site.
- NEW! Dig Deeper into resources and stories about PTSD—post traumatic stress disorder. In the 1940s and 1950s John Meneely’s struggle was at best unnamed. Today it would clearly be labeled PTSD.
- Follow our ongoing blogs by people involved with the production, including our Dramatic Director Dr. Sheila Garvey.
- Our production calendar is hosted here. We will soon add milestones and events, including
- seminars
- sound sampling opportunities
- special events
- The Honor Roll has opened. Your loved ones who have served in the U.S. military can be named in the program and on this Web site.
- Tickets: The World Premiere is sold out. A Preview Performance has been added for April 26, 7:30 p.m. Please click here for details.
Thanks Matt, etc. for setting up this site. We promise to follow LFI’s progress as we learn the music & look forward to the production.
Our pleasure, John and Joanne! The blogs are going to be interesting, and we will be adding more information as it becomes available.
We are definitely planning to attend and look forward to seeing everyone associated with this production again. My best!
Sarah Meneely-Kyder and Nancy Fitzhugh Meneely accompanied a nonet of chorale singers in an appearance at the Unitarian Society of New Haven on March 17th, 2013. This congregation has an active social service component, and the mental health committee had begun to this project early in 2013. The visit by Sarah and Nancy and GMC members helped raise awareness for this new music and its upcoming premiere. Also, a few hundred dollars in donations were presented on the morning of the visit. Several members of U.S.N.H. plan to attend the premiere.
So important to honor those who serve and be straight about the long-lasting impact war has on those who serve and those who love those who serve.
It has been 5 days since attending the premier of Letter from Italy and the story and music still resonate in my memory. This soldier’s experiences, his deep love for his family, and his family’s love for him need to be taken to a larger audience in cities where the population of military personnel is prevalent, such as, Washington, D.C. That area would be close enough to get everyone to without breaking the bank and would give you an idea of how well it could be received in other cities. I find it amazing how this work all came together so brilliantly. I am so proud of you, Joe, and the Middletown Chorale and your dedication to hard work and your openness to artists out there that have something to share. I will never forget this performance.