Joseph DiMenna remembers how Sister Luigi, the Catholic nun who was his piano teacher for six long years in his now-distant youth, used to rap his knuckles with a ruler whenever he missed a note. Fortunately, his love of music survived, and today DiMenna is helping the Orchestra of St. Luke’s build a new home in New York. He and his wife, Diana, rave about the orchestra’s musicianship and its members’ obvious delight in performing. “I think what we both responded to so purely in the beginning was the enjoyment that they get from playing and how clearly that translates to the audience,” says Diana.
Her husband agrees. “We still feel it,” he says.