Born and raised in Canton, Ohio, Michael Sonata has always remained active in the performance arts. After college, Michael pursued professional acting working in theatres in Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee and Chicago for about seven years. In 2004, Michael auditioned for a role in a local murder-mystery play called The Contraltos which led him to reinvestigate Sinatra's music and unique style of singing. Weeks of research, meticulous observation and rehearsal enabled Michael to create a very life-like recreation of "Old Blue Eyes" himself. Following the shows run, he expanded his repertoire of Sinatra and worked up a one-man show to take around to local venues. After months of preparation, Michael's Tribute to Frank opened to amazed and very appreciative audiences. His repertoire now includes over 90 songs and continues to grow, keeping the show fresh and allowing him to often take requests from the audience.

More on Michael Sonata at michaelsonata.com

The Frank Palombi Orchestra from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has released several new albums. They have been performing in Maryland, West Virginia, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida and Canada. They have also performed with Grammy Award winners Jimmy Sturr Walter Ostanak and Eddie Blazonchak.

Frank also hosts the radio show "Saturday Polka Showcase" Saturday mornings on station WZUM 1590 AM, Carnegie / Pittsburgh.

The Joey Tomsick Orchestra was organized in 1984 by Joey and has since become one of greater Cleveland's most popularly active all-occasion bands. The six-piece group, also known as the "JTO" , performs a wide range of music for all types of audiences and social events from weddings, festivals, "polka parties" - even the Inaugural Ball for former Ohio Governor Voinovich in 1991 and 1995!

The Band won six awards this year at the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame Awards Show XXII. JTO won Band of the Year, their latest album Polka Funhouse won Recording of the Year and Best New Original Polka, Joey Tomsick won Best Musician and Phil Hrvatin & Hank Guzel, Jr. won Best Sideman!

More on Joey Tomsick at www.joeytomsick.com

Joe Fedorchak is a very well known and successful musician, composer and bandleader. The Joe Fedorchak Orchestra has been a top attraction in the Polka field, having performed throughout North America. He has received many awards and honors in the Polka field in addition to his induction into the International Polka Association's Hall Of Fame in Chicago. Joe is co-host with is brother Gino of the WKBN Polka Parade on Sunday mornings (9-11AM) over radio 570 AM in Youngstown, Ohio. His popularity, personality, charisma and musicianship make him the ideal guest performer at this year's Italian-American Festival Polka Party.

The San Giovanni Dancers Italian Folk Group was born in the year 2000 and since then, it has represented the Columbus Italian Cultural Center and the Saint John Italian Catholic Church of Columbus. The group is composed of very enthusiastic young people of all ages. They dance for the fun of it and for the love of all things Italian. The group is a regular at the Columbus Italian Festival and has performed at Italian festivals in Cleveland, Dayton, Medina, and Buffalo. They also perform at cultural events, private parties, and weddings.

Their show consists mainly folk dances from different Italian regions: Friuli, Piemonte, Lazio, Campania, and Sicilia. Six to eight couples in colorful Italian costumes dance to the rhythm of wonderful Italian folk music such Tarantella, Saltarello, Monferrina, Quadriglia, and others. Don't miss the beautiful sight of the San Giovanni Dancers on our Italian Pavilion Stage!

More on the San Giovanni Dancers at www.italianfolk.com

The Lowellville Band was started in 1927 by Michael Lucente. All the music played by the band was brought from Italy by "Maestro" Lucente. In 1932 he returned to Italy to live and Dan Faraglia was elected as the new band director. The band grew in popularity performing at many Italian events in Ohio and Pennsylvania. In 1941 they disbanded because of WWII and were reactivated in 1946.

The Percussionists are a group of Stark County students studying the art of drumming and percussion. They perform all styles of music on melodic mallet percussion instruments, drum sets, latin instruments and novelty instruments.

The group was formed by Phil Zampino, a Percussion Instructor since 1961, to give students the opportunity to perform for live audiences so that they can fine-tune the techniques and skills they have learned. They also offer the community free entertainment to teach the students the benefits of community involvement and contributing time to non-profit organizations. All donations received by The Percussionists are given to C-PAG (Cancer Patient Advocacy Group), a non-profit organization supporting cancer patients, caregivers, and their families.

We look forward to welcoming this talented group of young musicians to our festival for the first time.

Retro is a band of 12 year olds who have been best friends since first grade. They all attend school together in Cuyahoga Falls. The band has been playing and receiving rave reviews at events in the area for over two years. Recent concert experiences for the group include the Cleveland House of Blues and the Akron Aeros Field. Their playlist includes oldies and classic rock favorites including Smoke on the Water, Jumpin' Jack Flash, Wipe Out and Blue Suede Shoes. Come be impressed by these local young rockers as they perform on our Piazza Stage this summer.