Friend lends talent for benefit event
SEE ALSO: Christina's Garden.
By LINDA M. LINONIS
YOUNGSTOWN
Michelle Pesce, a Youngstown native and now a celebrity DJ in Los Angeles, will be featured at the dance party as part of a fundraiser for Christina’s Garden on Saturday at Edward W. Powers Auditorium in Youngstown.
- Place:Edward W. Powers Auditorium
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260 W Federal Plaza, Youngstown
Friendship with Jack Savage of Liberty and his late wife, Christina, is bringing celebrity disc jockey Michelle Pesce back to her hometown this week.
She’ll be featured in a fundraiser, Pushing Back, scheduled from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday in Edward W. Powers Auditorium at DeYor Performing Arts Center, 260 W. Federal St. The event is a benefit for Christina’s Garden, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that will underwrite the website, www.managecancer.org, now under construction and designed to help families of cancer patients. For information on the organization, call 330-746-9737.
In addition to Pesce, the event will include a musical performance by Leigh Jaffer and Joe Falleti, who will perform their original song “Our Town.” Other attractions will be the Youngs-town State University cheerleaders, a photo booth and a tattoo artist who will offer temporary body art. There also will be finger foods, a cookie table, cash bar, raffles and an auction. Tickets are available at www.christinasgarden.org. Tickets are $35 at the door and $30 in advance. For tickets, call 330-744-0264.
Spinning tunes for the dance party will be DJ Pesce, a native of Youngstown and now known in Los Angeles. The 1993 graduate of Ursuline High School has carved out a niche in the music business on the West Coast.
Friends had told her there were many opportunities there, and Pesce had a friend in Los Angeles, so she packed up and drove across the country. She was 22.
Pesce said she then worked for Fox, where actor Ed O’Neill, a Youngstown native and family friend, helped her get a job. She also worked as a talent publicist with such names as Justin Timberlake, Kate Blanchett, Britney Spears and Meg Ryan.
She had been doing DJ work on the side, and after attending Woodstock ’99, decided she wanted to be a part of the music industry full time.
That was 10 years ago.
Pesce said she has done parties for HBO, Paramount, GQ, Vanity Fair and Nike. She’s been a consistent participant at the Sundance and Toronto film festivals. For more information, visit www.djpesce.com.