The Ian LoCurto Concert Series
One of the beautiful parts of Legacy Ministries is our Concert Series. In Act One, we performed over ten different concerts over the years. One of my personal favorites was "Putting on the Ritz," our tribute concert to the music of the 1940s. I loved it!
Our audiences had the opportunity to dress in costume as we rocked out to music from the '50s in Rocking Around the Clock and relived the glory days of the 1980s in Back to the '80s. Our Christmas Concerts opened the door to the Christmas season as we gathered 'round and celebrated family, faith, and the season that makes all things merry and bright. Our concerts have become one of our favorite parts of Legacy Ministries.
As we open Act Two, Steven and I have decided to name our Concert Series after my brother, Ian LoCurto.
Ian passed away from an aortic aneurysm on January 7, 2019. While walking back to the locker rooms in the gym, he fell on the floor and quietly passed on to the other side, where the music of Heaven greeted him. His heart just stopped. He was 38-years-old.
Ian was a fan-favorite at Legacy. He was always there for an encouraging word and to make someone laugh when their day was dreary. Ian was sunshine walking . . . He still is. The audiences loved his electric personality on stage and the dedication he gave to every character he played. If you were one of the special ones who got to hear him play the saxophone in one of our concerts, you were blessed to hear a little bit of Heaven on earth.
But what many of you may not know about Ian is that he couldn't hear when he was born. In fact, at a year old, his eardrums burst, and he went completely deaf. So our parents prayed and prayed for a miracle that their boy would be able to hear again and God would restore his hearing.
One morning, Ian was sitting in his baby seat in the kitchen, and I was emptying the dishwasher. I was about three years old at the time, and I dropped a dish. As the pieces shattered on the wooden floor, Ian held his ears and began to cry.
His ears were open, and he could hear again.
God gave Ian a miracle.
Ian and I in our first costume together. We were Raggedy Ann and Andy for Halloween.
Ian playing his saxophone. He was about eight years old.
Ian found a love of music in elementary school and could play any instrument by ear. A remnant of the miracle God gave him as a baby.
One of my favorite memories is my mother begging me to teach Ian how to read music. At five years old, I started taking piano lessons and was a few years ahead of Ian in lessons. Friends, I tried and tried to teach him quarter notes, half notes, time signatures, and key signatures. I tried for months. Ian would say, "I can't learn it. Just sing the melody, and I'll play it." So, I would sing the melody, and Ian would instantly copy me perfectly playing each note on his saxophone. I don't think he ever learned to read music!
If you saw Ian on stage or in a concert, Friends, you witnessed a miracle, and you may not even have known.
As we open Act Two at Legacy, you may hear me talking about Ian like he is still here . . . in person. And it may seem weird to some people, but to me, he is still here. That maybe Heaven isn't some far-away place where our spirits float away when we die, but that Heaven is here . . . in another dimension of sorts.
Hebrews 12:1 says, "Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us . . . ".
I believe that we are surrounded by those who have gone before us - that great cloud of witnesses that stand cheering us on to run our race well . . . to leave a legacy. And I believe that Ian stands there, with my dad, with your loved ones, with the great men and women of Scripture, cheering us on to keep going . . .
keep singing . . . keep running . . . leave your legacy.
Ian left a legacy in his family and his precious son, Christian. And he continues to leave a legacy with every note we sing, every music we play, every concert we perform, and every life we touch.
As Act Two opens, I pray that we run our race well.
I pray that the music of Heaven touches earth.
I pray with every song we sing, we leave a little more of our legacy.
I pray with every performance you watch, you are inspired to live out your legacy.
And Ian, I pray I make you proud.
I love you, and I am proud to be your sister.
Here’s to keeping the song of our loved ones alive,
💜 ERIKA
Do you have a memory of Ian?
Either that you shared together or you experienced in Act One?
If you could, please share it in the comments below.
