CLEVELAND — The Shalva band, based in Israel, made a stop in Cleveland to perform and share their message.

What You Need To Know

  • The Shalva Band is a popular Israeli band that is made up of eight talented musicians with disabilities

  • While scheduled to perform at Cleveland’s Playhouse Square, they also stopped at the Friendship Circle in Shaker Heights to visit with individuals who share some of the same disabilities as the band members

  • The band shared their message of overcoming adversities

  • Kenny Foderaro is one of those who got to meet the band and also a unique opportunity to play with them

At 36 years old, Kenny Foderaro, was born with a talent to not only sing but also play the piano.

“Only one out of every 10,000 people have perfect pitch like I do” Foderaro said.

 Foderaro is blind and has autism but has never let his disabilities get in the way of his abilities. 

“I was just a baby when my grandfather started to tell me the notes on the piano,” Foderaro said.

His grandfather told him the notes because Foderaro was born completely blind. It's a disability he shares with a few band members from Israel 

The Shalva Band came to perform in Cleveland, but stopping at the Friendship Circle in Shaker Heights to tell their story. 

The band offered Foderaro a unique opportunity to perform with them at Playhouse Square.

His mother couldn’t be any prouder. 

“Yeah, he's phenomenal," Paula Foderaro said. "He touches people's hearts, and he brings joy and that’s just his joy, and you don’t need vision to see music."

It's music that he can only hear and feel, and despite his disabilities, it's a message that is universal. 

“People with disabilities can do lots of great things," he said. "If we all know and love people who have disabilities and we could make the world a much better place."

Editor's Note: A previous version of this article mistakenly said Foderaro was born with Down syndrome. This error has been corrected. (May 19, 2023)