Dominick Farinacci & Behind the Lines: A 9/11 Story
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Led by internationally acclaimed trumpeter Dominick Farinacci, Behind the Lines: A 9/11 Story is a live story, music, and theatre performance featuring FDNY firefighter Bill Spade - who responded to the World Trade Center attacks and was the sole survivor of Rescue Company 5 - and army combat veteran Jaymes Poling, who served in the war in Afghanistan that followed. Set against the tragedy of September 11 and its lasting aftermath, Spade and Poling share their extraordinary journeys, revealing a profound bond forged through courage, sacrifice, resilience, and the enduring strength of the human spirit. Their stories are woven together with a deeply moving musical performance by Farinacci and a cast of renowned musicians, creating an unforgettable experience that brings audiences together in remembrance, reflection, and hope.
Farinacci - described by The New York Times as “a trumpeter of abundant poise who plays beautifully, with expressive control and brings true musicality” - brings an international career shaped by Juilliard, Jazz at Lincoln Center, a TED Talk, and award-winning recordings, alongside a deep commitment to music and mental well-being. Poling brings a hard-earned firsthand perspective and a powerful ability to translate lived experience into meaning and purpose onstage. Spade - featured on CBS Sunday Morning and the BBC - brings audiences inside the lived reality of that day and its aftermath, sharing what he lived through with rare clarity, courage, and gravity.
The music serves as the internal voice of the piece, deepening the narrative and revealing the humanity beneath the events. Performed live by a full band led by Farinacci, the score spans original compositions alongside reimagined works, heard through the emotional lens of the story.
The production unfolds in a cinematic world where light, image, and space translate feeling into color, conceived by director Emmett Murphy. Inspired by synesthesia, the multimedia and lighting design maps each shift in Bill and Jaymes’ psychological states, creating an immersive environment that elevates both the storytelling and the music.
Behind the Lines: A 9/11 Story was created by Dominick Farinacci and Jaymes Poling and is directed by Emmett Murphy.
Dominick Farinacci, Trumpeter and Creator
“…a trumpeter of abundant poise,” who “plays beautifully, with expressive control” and “brings true musicality.”
— The New York Times
Dominick Farinacci is ranked among the most acclaimed trumpeters of his generation. Born and raised in Cleveland, he is a recipient of the Cleveland Arts Prize, was honored by Mayor Justin Bibb with a proclamation from the City of Cleveland, and recently received the 2026 Tri-C JazzFest Legend Award.
He was just 17 when Wynton Marsalis selected him for a special PBS performance. While a student in Juilliard’s inaugural jazz studies class, he launched an international career as a recording artist and bandleader, releasing eight albums in Japan before gaining global recognition. At Marsalis’ request, Farinacci served as ambassador to Jazz at Lincoln Center, leading its first international location in Doha, Qatar (2012–2016). He gave a widely acclaimed TED Talk at the Kennedy Center about the power of music and mental well-being and has created extensive artistic works that bring together the power of music and important civic causes.
At the center of his recent work is Modern Warrior LIVE - an innovative story, music, and theatre experience centered around personal stories of endurance, resilience, and hope, and how people carry life-changing experiences forward - which he created with U.S. Army combat veteran Jaymes Poling. MWL has a touring history of more than 150 performances, has been featured on NPR and Fox News, and received acclaim from three U.S. Secretaries of Veterans Affairs, as well as General James Mattis (26th U.S. Secretary of Defense), who called it a “necessary and worthy mission.” Upon the success of this production, they established a nonprofit of the same name to expand community engagement around their flagship production and their newest production, Behind the Lines: a 9/11 Story, featuring FDNY firefighter Bill Spade, who responded to the World Trade Center attacks and was the sole survivor of Rescue Company 5.
Farinacci is deeply committed to music education and serves as the Director of Tri-C JazzFest Academy - the educational arm of Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland - which serves more than 1,000 students year-round. He also curates a national music series at EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute in Cleveland (formerly Nighttown), building on the storied musical history of that establishment.
Bill Spade, FDNY World Trade Center Firefighter
Featured on CBS Sunday Morning and the BBC, Bill Spade is a lifelong New Yorker and September 11th first responder. On September 11, 2001, he deployed to the World Trade Center with FDNY Rescue Company 5—alongside eleven members of his unit—and was the only survivor. In the years since, Bill has spoken candidly about life after 9/11, including survivor’s guilt, raising two young sons, and the counseling and support that helped him move forward.
Before 9/11, Bill devoted his life to public service—first as an NYPD officer, then as an FDNY firefighter. After joining the NYPD in 1984, he transitioned to the FDNY and spent the next decade responding to major emergencies across New York City.
Bill’s commitment to remembrance and education continues today. He has been a docent at the 9/11 Memorial Museum for more than 10 years, dedicated to ensuring September 11th is never forgotten.
Jaymes Poling, Combat Veteran & Creator
Jaymes Poling brings to Behind the Lines: a 9/11 Story the firsthand perspective of a three-tour combat veteran who served with the 82nd Airborne in Afghanistan. Confronting war memories, the loss of friends, and the isolation many veterans face after service, Jaymes discovered the power of storytelling, music, and public speaking to help move forward.
Enlisting at 17, he served eight years as an infantryman, machine gunner, and squad leader at Fort Bragg, including three years in combat in Afghanistan. Through Modern Warrior’s productions and speaking engagements, Jaymes has toured nationally to engage communities in schools, performing arts centers, and veteran and mental health conferences. He has also spoken with hundreds of active-duty soldiers overseas about mental health through the Troops First Foundation.
After graduating from John Carroll University and meeting jazz musician Dominick Farinacci, the two created Modern Warrior LIVE—an innovative story, music, and theatre experience centered on personal stories of loss, endurance, and how people carry life-changing experiences forward. Jaymes plays a crucial role across Modern Warrior productions and nonprofit operations, building partnerships that help veterans move from isolation toward connection and strength.
About Modern Warrior LIVE
Behind the Lines: a 9/11 Story is the latest production from Modern Warrior LIVE, a nationally recognized nonprofit established by Dominick Farinacci & Jaymes Poling that unites real stories, live music, and theatre to explore resilience and the unseen aftermath of life-changing experiences. MWL has become a trusted cultural partner for organizations and leaders focused on resilience, service, and reintegration, and works with a wide range of extraordinary individuals to elevate their stories and empower, educate, and activate communities.
MWL’s flagship production, Modern Warrior LIVE, has toured extensively throughout the U.S. and is deeply integrated within veteran and mental health communities. MWL programs and performances have received support from the National Endowment for the Arts, have been featured on NPR and Fox News, presented at Amazon headquarters, opened for Brené Brown, and earned praise from national leaders, including three U.S. Secretaries of Veterans Affairs and General James Mattis, who called the work a “necessary and worthy mission.”
Farinacci - described by The New York Times as “a trumpeter of abundant poise who plays beautifully, with expressive control and brings true musicality” - brings an international career shaped by Juilliard, Jazz at Lincoln Center, a TED Talk, and award-winning recordings, alongside a deep commitment to music and mental well-being. Poling brings a hard-earned firsthand perspective and a powerful ability to translate lived experience into meaning and purpose onstage. Spade - featured on CBS Sunday Morning and the BBC - brings audiences inside the lived reality of that day and its aftermath, sharing what he lived through with rare clarity, courage, and gravity.
The music serves as the internal voice of the piece, deepening the narrative and revealing the humanity beneath the events. Performed live by a full band led by Farinacci, the score spans original compositions alongside reimagined works, heard through the emotional lens of the story.
The production unfolds in a cinematic world where light, image, and space translate feeling into color, conceived by director Emmett Murphy. Inspired by synesthesia, the multimedia and lighting design maps each shift in Bill and Jaymes’ psychological states, creating an immersive environment that elevates both the storytelling and the music.
Behind the Lines: A 9/11 Story was created by Dominick Farinacci and Jaymes Poling and is directed by Emmett Murphy.
Dominick Farinacci, Trumpeter and Creator
“…a trumpeter of abundant poise,” who “plays beautifully, with expressive control” and “brings true musicality.”
— The New York Times
Dominick Farinacci is ranked among the most acclaimed trumpeters of his generation. Born and raised in Cleveland, he is a recipient of the Cleveland Arts Prize, was honored by Mayor Justin Bibb with a proclamation from the City of Cleveland, and recently received the 2026 Tri-C JazzFest Legend Award.
He was just 17 when Wynton Marsalis selected him for a special PBS performance. While a student in Juilliard’s inaugural jazz studies class, he launched an international career as a recording artist and bandleader, releasing eight albums in Japan before gaining global recognition. At Marsalis’ request, Farinacci served as ambassador to Jazz at Lincoln Center, leading its first international location in Doha, Qatar (2012–2016). He gave a widely acclaimed TED Talk at the Kennedy Center about the power of music and mental well-being and has created extensive artistic works that bring together the power of music and important civic causes.
At the center of his recent work is Modern Warrior LIVE - an innovative story, music, and theatre experience centered around personal stories of endurance, resilience, and hope, and how people carry life-changing experiences forward - which he created with U.S. Army combat veteran Jaymes Poling. MWL has a touring history of more than 150 performances, has been featured on NPR and Fox News, and received acclaim from three U.S. Secretaries of Veterans Affairs, as well as General James Mattis (26th U.S. Secretary of Defense), who called it a “necessary and worthy mission.” Upon the success of this production, they established a nonprofit of the same name to expand community engagement around their flagship production and their newest production, Behind the Lines: a 9/11 Story, featuring FDNY firefighter Bill Spade, who responded to the World Trade Center attacks and was the sole survivor of Rescue Company 5.
Farinacci is deeply committed to music education and serves as the Director of Tri-C JazzFest Academy - the educational arm of Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland - which serves more than 1,000 students year-round. He also curates a national music series at EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute in Cleveland (formerly Nighttown), building on the storied musical history of that establishment.
Bill Spade, FDNY World Trade Center Firefighter
Featured on CBS Sunday Morning and the BBC, Bill Spade is a lifelong New Yorker and September 11th first responder. On September 11, 2001, he deployed to the World Trade Center with FDNY Rescue Company 5—alongside eleven members of his unit—and was the only survivor. In the years since, Bill has spoken candidly about life after 9/11, including survivor’s guilt, raising two young sons, and the counseling and support that helped him move forward.
Before 9/11, Bill devoted his life to public service—first as an NYPD officer, then as an FDNY firefighter. After joining the NYPD in 1984, he transitioned to the FDNY and spent the next decade responding to major emergencies across New York City.
Bill’s commitment to remembrance and education continues today. He has been a docent at the 9/11 Memorial Museum for more than 10 years, dedicated to ensuring September 11th is never forgotten.
Jaymes Poling, Combat Veteran & Creator
Jaymes Poling brings to Behind the Lines: a 9/11 Story the firsthand perspective of a three-tour combat veteran who served with the 82nd Airborne in Afghanistan. Confronting war memories, the loss of friends, and the isolation many veterans face after service, Jaymes discovered the power of storytelling, music, and public speaking to help move forward.
Enlisting at 17, he served eight years as an infantryman, machine gunner, and squad leader at Fort Bragg, including three years in combat in Afghanistan. Through Modern Warrior’s productions and speaking engagements, Jaymes has toured nationally to engage communities in schools, performing arts centers, and veteran and mental health conferences. He has also spoken with hundreds of active-duty soldiers overseas about mental health through the Troops First Foundation.
After graduating from John Carroll University and meeting jazz musician Dominick Farinacci, the two created Modern Warrior LIVE—an innovative story, music, and theatre experience centered on personal stories of loss, endurance, and how people carry life-changing experiences forward. Jaymes plays a crucial role across Modern Warrior productions and nonprofit operations, building partnerships that help veterans move from isolation toward connection and strength.
About Modern Warrior LIVE
Behind the Lines: a 9/11 Story is the latest production from Modern Warrior LIVE, a nationally recognized nonprofit established by Dominick Farinacci & Jaymes Poling that unites real stories, live music, and theatre to explore resilience and the unseen aftermath of life-changing experiences. MWL has become a trusted cultural partner for organizations and leaders focused on resilience, service, and reintegration, and works with a wide range of extraordinary individuals to elevate their stories and empower, educate, and activate communities.
MWL’s flagship production, Modern Warrior LIVE, has toured extensively throughout the U.S. and is deeply integrated within veteran and mental health communities. MWL programs and performances have received support from the National Endowment for the Arts, have been featured on NPR and Fox News, presented at Amazon headquarters, opened for Brené Brown, and earned praise from national leaders, including three U.S. Secretaries of Veterans Affairs and General James Mattis, who called the work a “necessary and worthy mission.”
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Where is it happening?
Playhouse Square, 1501 Euclid Ave,Cleveland, Ohio, United States
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Host or PublisherPlayhouse Square
