Singer, musician and songwriter Sly Furino is a familiar face if you\u2019ve ever been to a wedding, gala or corporate event in and around Montreal in the past quarter century.<\/strong><\/p> His SophistOccasion Showband had been booked solid, until the wedding and event industry began to turn upside down in March of 2020. \u201cLast year was a write-off for my industry and it seems like 2021 won\u2019t be looking any brighter,\u201d says Furino. \u201cI am hoping for better times ahead for everyone, but I\u2019m afraid that for a large 10-piece band like mine, and others in the industry, it will be a while before we can perform again for very large weddings and corporate galas.\u201d<\/p>\n As with far too many families during the pandemic, tragedy struck Furino\u2019s early on. \u201cMy mother (Carolina Boffice Furino, born in Naples, Italy) passed away, aged 82, in a senior residence on April 9, 2020, during the first lockdown,\u201d he says. \u201cWhile my family did get a chance to give my mother a funeral, we were only allowed to have 10 immediate family members attend the mass and only two could actually witness her being placed in the mausoleum. I was not one of them.\u201d<\/p> His forced hiatus from live performances and the loss of his mother, led Furino to focus his energy on a different kind of project. \u201cI spent the past 4 months creating a short film\/music video. It helped distract me from the financial and mental stresses of what we are all living today. Most importantly, it was a way of finally saying goodbye to my mother, since I did not get a chance to mourn her.\u201d<\/p> Furino\u2019s tribute especially hits home for anyone who has lost a loved one, under any circumstance, during the past year. Here\u2019s hoping he, and all of his colleagues can get back to what they love doing as soon as humanly possible.<\/p>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/panoramitalia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/unnamed-5-2-1024x729.jpg\")
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