Talented tenor lives up to a big name: Aaron Caruso
There are few tenors who can sing like the great Mario Lanza. And only one who was so good that film producer Sonny Grosso and legendary record producer, Phil Ramone, selected him to sing the role of Mario Lanza. But that’s exactly what happened to Aaron Caruso... yes, Caruso, that’s quite a name to live up to, but Aaron Caruso is off to a good start.
Perhaps Tony Bennett’s comment to the young Caruso, upon hearing him sing, was more prophetic then he knew. Bennent told Aaron, “You sing like Mario Lanza; I want to see you in the movies!” Aaron Caruso isn’t just your average good singer... no, this young tenor has been singing for 20 years, studied classical piano for ten years and has been performing on stage since the tender age of 6. He attended the world renowned “Interlochen Arts Academy” for high school.
He earned his bachelor degree in V ocal Performance with an Italian Minor from University of Michigan. He speaks four languages fluently (Italian, English, Spanish and French) and can sing in seven including Russian, Latin and German. He has studied Opera abroad in Italy for one year and in New York City with Maestro Luigi Veccia for 8 years. Maestro Veccia was a student of Marcello and Mario Del Monaco. As a kind favor to me, and to his Italian American fans, Aaron Caruso has agreed to let me ask him several questions for my column.
Cookie: Hello Aaron, thank you so much for taking time away from your busy career to take part in this interview. You have a lot of fans in the Italian American Community who will enjoy hearing your responses. I know that you were born in Detroit, Michigan and later moved to New Y ork, City. What area of New York do you call home these days.
Aaron: It’s my pleasure, Cookie. Thank you for having me. I have an apartment in Astoria, Queens. I picked Astoria because of the nice neighborhoods and I have a parking place, which is a rarity in New York! I lived for several years in Connecticut as well.
Cookie: With such a magnificent voice , I’m curious to know if your parents or siblings were also blessed with such talent?
Aaron: Thanks Cookie. I’m actually the only musical one in my family. I did have a great Aunt that sang, but that’s it. I was kind of the musical one in my family. We all had to take piano lessons, though. Even my brother with cerebral palsy who has only use of one hand. My mother was adamant about it. I’m glad she was.
Cookie: Aaron, I love the story of how you came to discover your talent as a singer... how your mom and a prayer to St. Anthony had a lot to do with that discovery. Would you please share that story with our readers?
Aaron: Sure I would love to share it. I was playing football with some friends and lost my necklace and crucifix. I waited about a week to finally tell my mother and she told me to get in the car with my father and go back to look for the necklace. I told her it was a lost cause because people come around with medal detectors, etc, and it’s most likely gone. Well she said she would say a special prayer to St. Anthony about it and I would surely find the necklace.
Now, Cookie, at the time, I didn’t sing yet. I only played the piano. Anyway, I went with my father- in the rain- to the park to try and find the necklace. I got out of the car, took ten steps, and looked down. Between my legs I found the necklace and crucifix! I came home to tell my mom I found it. She told me she prayed to St. Anthony that I would sing in church for him one day if I found my necklace. I told her I wasn’t a singer. She said I had better start because she made a promise! That’s a true story. She always knew with her motherly intuition I would be a performer of some sort.
Cookie: Aaron, you sing the song CORE ’NGRATO at many of your performances. The song was written in New York for the great tenor, Enrico Caruso. You sing this song with such pas- sion, do you feel a special bond or obligation to this song because of Caruso?
Aaron: I love to sing the song. It’s really more like an operatic aria than a song. Technically, it’s considered “art song” because of it’s complexity. It was written in the Neapolitan language and, yes, it is a language. Many people erroneously consider this type of music “folk music”. Nothing could be further from the truth. I don’t feel a particular bond with the song because of the Caruso connection. I just love to sing it.
Cookie: On April 10th, 2009 you made your Carnegie Hall debut, the day was Good Friday. Was that one of your most treasured career milestones?
Aaron: I was so nervous backstage, it was almost a relief when it was over! I wished my voice teacher, Luigi Veccia was still alive to see it and my former manager/assistant, Maria Gannotti-Fersko. My family was there and that was the most important. So, to answer your question, yes, it was a real milestone for me.
Cookie: Aaron, do you consider yourself part of the Pop- Opera genre that is becoming so popular these days with accomplished tenors. Do you feel a dedicated tenor can lend himself to both the classic world of Carnegie Hall and to the pop generation and succeed at both?
Aaron: I think it’s up to the artist. As my late voice teacher used to say, there are people who are vocally smart and those who are not. I think the first rule for any singer is to make a living at it. Once you sort that out, you can be more picky. I think the answer is to find what you are good at singing. Some singers are very good at opera and some at the popular genre. Very few are good at both.
Cookie: I was saddened to hear of the passing of Mario Lanza’s son Damon Lanza. We worked on a story some years back about his father, the great Mario Lanza. Damon was a well liked young man, did you have the opportunity to get to know him?
Aaron: Yes I did get to know Damon Lanza. He was a very kind and gentle man. He was always smiling. We used to joke around a lot and have so much fun with Damon, Bob Dolfi and Marlene D’Attanasio- the Lanza Legend team. Where Damon was, Bob was not far behind. They were great friends and Damon is sadly missed.
Cookie: Aaron do you have a CD available that our readers can purchase, or is there a new one coming out soon?
Aaron: They can purchase cds through my website: I’m also on with a Christmas cd I recorded.
Cookie: I know your west coast fans would like to know if you will be appearing in any of our cities in the near future? Do you play Las Vegas? What’s on the schedule for the coming year.
Aaron: I have many exciting dates for the upcoming year. Some are still in the works as we speak. The best way to know is to check my calendar on my website: www.aaroncaruso.com
Cookie: Aaron, every Italian loves to eat good food... and most Italian men are excellent cooks... I have one last question that will wrap up this interview....What is your favorite Italian dish and are you a good enough cook to prepare it yourself ?
Aaron: Wow, what a cool question! Yes, I love to eat and to cook. I have few dishes I like and the rest are variations on a theme. I like to fry a steak in the pan with olive oil, garlic, red onions and a little vino. I also put freshly squeezed lemon juice in with my special secret herbs and spices (can’t tell you...family secrets!). Just as it’s about done, I sprinkle gorgonzola cheese on it. I’m getting hungry just talking about it! I call it simply “Bistecca alla Caruso”. I treat my very, very closest friends to this dish. It’s very good, I’ll have to cook it for you some time! Thank you so much for your time Cookie. To you and all of your readers, please have a wonderful and blessed 2011. I hope to see you at the shows!
Cookie: Thank you Aaron, your responses were warm and enlightening. For myself, and all our readers, I wish you the best in the coming new year. Also, I hope to someday have the culinary joy of personally tasting your homemade “Bistecca alla Caruso”!
