Darlene Alberici-Cianci

"All the odds are in my favor...maybe this time, I'll win." Those were the lines of the song that I sang at my audition hoping to become a member of Dean Martin's, Golddiggers. The odds were in my favor. My sisters, Maria and Linda, were already a part of the Golddigger group and they directed me to the right people to audition for. I got the job! The other girls in the group were so sophisticated. I did my best to dress the part, but felt, most of the time, like a naïve girl right out of high school. (Guess what? I was!) Sure, most of the times were glamorous, but I recall many a night, in boring hotel rooms, propping up my aching feet from the tall dance shoes, as I lie on my bed and shut my burning eyes that were so sensitive from the false eyelash glue.

I finally felt at home a bit, when meeting the earthy variety of musicians with the Roy Radin's East Coast Revue that we did. Those guys cracked jokes and contrived a double meaning for everything...fascinating to me. It felt like I was researching for an upcoming acting role! After leaving the Golddiggers, I continued to stay in touch with Tim Fowlar (www.timfowlar.com), the musical conductor, and visited many of his performances when he worked for great stars in Atlantic City, NJ. He wrote many crowd pleasing charts for me that I later used as a performer in the tri-state Philadelphia, PA area.

Performing with the Golddiggers was fun, but musically, I enjoyed performing with my two sisters as part of our group "The Alberici Sisters" the best. Audiences loved the different vocal styles that we presented. Our harmonies were featured on songs like "Blue Bayou", "Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy" and Donna Summer's "Last Dance". For me, I think my favorite performance might have been in Monte Carlo. It was a magical night. In attendance were many prominent guests, including the Royal Family of Monaco. As our show finished and we received a thunderous standing ovation, the curtains all around the room opened to reveal the glistening Mediterranean, mirroring the dazzling fireworks display shooting overhead into the night's sky.

There were many wonderful performing highlights with my sisters, but these days my husband David's career takes center stage for our family. He regularly performs as the bass trombonist for Peter Nero's Philly Pops Orchestra. Our son David is quite the "scene stealer" himself at age 7, already studying violin. Presently, I'm finding great rewards using the same performing skills that I used in show business to now teach Yoga, Tai Chi and Pilates. It is very fulfilling guiding my classes toward richer, healthier lifestyle.