Sights and Sounds of 2023 Holy Cross Society

 Jillian Rossi has been a performer throughout the Lehigh Valley and tri-state area for over 15 years. Seen previously as a vocalist for several bands such as Bill Haley’s Comets, The Main Street Cruisers, & various others, she has also had the opportunity to share the stage with international artists which include Julian Lennon, The Vogues, & Beatlemania, as well as for sports legends; Darryl Dawkins, Joe Frazier & Larry Holmes. A strong education and involvement in theatre has allowed Rossi to fill the roles of “Fanny Brice” in Funny Girl, “Brenda Strong” in Catch Me If You Can, and “Catherine” in Pippin. Other accomplishments include winning the titles of several vocal competitions such as Lehigh Valley Idol and The Miss Hemisphere Pageant. Jillian credits her musical talents to her grandmother, Gilda, who recorded and performed the same cavalcade of standards during World War II.  

 The Lehigh Valley Italian American Band is comprised of musicians from all over the Lehigh Valley. The mission of the band is to celebrate our Italian heritage through the proliferation of both Italian and American music.  

With origins in the ethnic Italian neighborhoods of Roseto and Easton, the band—following in the historical footsteps of the old Easton based Triple City Band– is actually quite well known in the Easton area.

Performing in various ethnic festivals such as the Roseto Big Time and old-country style processionals of churches like St. Anthony’s and St. Placido in which the statue of the patron saint is carried throughout the streets, the band is known in these neighborhoods for its signature piece, the Italian march Caderna. Locally the march is called Number 9 because the directors numbered the marches and called out the numbers during the processionals. (The Godfather movie featured this type of church processional in the form of the San Gennaro Festival in Little Italy.)