In 1972, local Catholic radio personality and Fairless Hills resident, Jim Manfredonia, was a junior at St. Peter’s High School in New Brunswick, NJ, and first stepped onstage to win his school’s Talent Contest by singing an original composition and “Yesterday” by the Beatles.
That set him on the path of a lifetime of singing, especially the music of Frank Sinatra. In the 1970’s and 80’s he sang in many small clubs in New Jersey. And it was by placing an ad for a piano player/accompanist in 1984, that he met his wife of 38 years, Cheryl, who answered the ad and is an accomplished pianist in her own right.
Today the Manfredonia’s are co-founders of the non-profit organization, Domestic Church Media, based in Ewing, NJ, which owns and operates four Catholic radio stations in the area, including local station WFJS 1260AM.
On September 10th, they, along with their daughter, Angela, a professional singer from New York City, will present a benefit concert to support their non-profit work. The concert will be held at Notre Dame High School in Lawrenceville, NJ, and will begin at 3:00pm.
Featuring the 17-piece big band, The Summer Swing Orchestra, Angela will open the show and sing songs made famous by Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli and others.
Cheryl will be sitting in and playing piano with the big band, and Jim will continue by performing the many hits of Sinatra, including a couple of duets with his daughter, as well as performing some “saloon songs” accompanied by Cheryl on the piano, the way they used to when they first met and began performing together.
“We have all of Sinatra’s original band arrangements, so the audience will immediately recognize the songs that he made famous just by the intros,” Jim said, “and we hope that people will come, leave the worries of the world behind, and for a couple of hours, sit back and enjoy fine, live music from simpler times.”
Notre Dame High School Theater is located at 601 Lawrence Road in Lawrenceville, NJ. Tickets are $35 and all proceeds will go to support Domestic Church Media. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.DomesticChurchMedia.org/2023-benefit-concert.
PHOTO CAP: Jim Manfredonia