Caledon Living Magazine- Summer 2009 Issue- Angelica: Living Life with Passion: Remember who you are and act upon it, is Angelica’s motto. Well, who is Angelica? If you don’t know now, you will soon! Angelica is a Caledon music dynamo on her way to bursting into Canadian and international stardom. Who is Angelica? I am here to stay!” Angelica Ganea says about Caledon. She has taken a circuitous route from Romania, coming here to the landscape she loves in the “greenest and safest” town. Now living in Bolton, she had started out in Palgrave. Her early years were a sign of things to come. As a child, the eldest of three in her family, she put on shows for the neighbourhood with her siblings and friends. By five years of age, her teachers in her hometown of Galati had noticed her talent. Promptly she was sent to a school for the arts, and then to university in Bucharest. At age 19 she won national competition, which propelled her into performing at a national level, with many engagements in musical theatre around the country as well as television variety shows. A tour in North America convinced her that she liked the way show business was done here in Canada.  Determination Brings Results: Angelica has resided in Canada for fourteen years. But it hasn’t all been roses while she builds her musical career again. To support herself while she worked on her music, she became certified as a personal trainer at Seneca College and went to work in a Bolton gym. That’s how she met her husband, Pino Mileto, who writes and plays “alternative” music. However, it took a karaoke evening at the Toby Jug for Pino to notice her for himself. Before that, he had actually been trying to set her up with someone else! Most of Angelica’s singing would be classified as “pop”. She, however, noticed that opera and operetta had started to cross over to the popular stage because of performances on shows such as  “America’s Got Talent” and by Andrea Bocelli. In her early twenties she was exposed to it, liked it, and has recently returned  to “play” with it when given the chance. Since November she has recorded five songs in that format. You can’t keep a talented girl down! In 2004 Angelica returned to Romania with great national publicity, but this time representing Canada at an international music festival called “The Golden Stag”. This festival attracts famous performers with names like Ray Charles, Kylie Minogue, Diana Ross, Christina Aguilera, and many others. Romanians were only too proud to know she was also succeeding outside of their country. Her then 12-month-old daughter, Alyssa, became the show mascot. This spring Angelica was able to participate in Canadian Music Week in downtown Toronto, a real professional coup, as it’s one of the world’s largest music gatherings. Indicative of her initiative and drive, she amazed everyone there by being the first artist ever to have a booth in the trade show. “Even Gene Simmons stopped by” Angelica says. Recently she has been approached by both a major record producer and a European opera director to work with them. Angelica’s motto is to remember who you are and act upon it, which means finding your passion in life. Her passion for her music has carried her through many challenges and indeed defines her life. Like most talented people, her abilities are numerous. She has planned to write a book about her songs. Fascinated by healthy living, she also practises “remember the basics” cooking of “real” food (www.RememberTheBasics.ca). That’s how she maintains her svelte figure, she claims. Wanting to eventually launch her own fashion and jewellery line, Angelica sews and is very creative. Like Scarlett O’Hara, she once fashioned a stage performance dress using her mother’s curtains! Your Chance to Hear Her at Caledon’s Pink Tie Gala! Caledon residents will have their chance to hear Angelica in person this fall at the Caledon Breast Foundation’s Pink Tie Gala. She has known Rosa at Mille Notte, founder of the Foundation, for about nine years and they reconnected recently. Angelica was subsequently asked by Rosa to sing at this noteworthy fundraising event. Hurry! Buy a ticket to hear her! Maybe one day you can say, “I knew Angelica when ...” At the rate she is soaring, that’s not very far away. After all, she has her sights set on future Oscars and Grammies! You can visit Angelica's website and YouTube for music and videos at www.iamAngelica.com and www.youtube.com/AngelicaGanea. Diana Janosik Wronski is a freelance public relations consultant.