News

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I have been delaying writing anything about this musical because I didnt have any good pictures. Well, lo and behold, my dear friends Sandra and Forrest Blood made me a disk of some highlights from the show and I happily put them up on my photo page. I hope everyone likes them and I sincerely thank the Bloods (not the gang, but Sandra and Forrest) for their pictures. Thanks guys!

The musical was a huge success with many standing ovations. I was honored to work with such talent such as Lou Pannacciulli and his wonderful orchestra the Nassau Pops. http://www.nassaupops.com/ If you have a chance to hear them, please do yourself a favor and go. There is nothing like a beautiful live orchestra. They were all very nice people too. It turns out Lou is a first cousin of another friend of mine from Queens, Lou Aqualino. Small world. Anyway, it was also an honor to work with Sonny Grosso the famous movie/tv producer and of course Phil Ramone the great music producer. http://www.philramone.com I have put links for both of these men in my links section.

I also worked with an aggregation of talent that was second to none. Lou Martini, jr http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0553778/, Giada Valenti http://www.giadavalenti.com/, Ryan Kellyhttp://www.ryeryan.com/, Julian Sage Miyata http://www.myspace.com/juliansagemiyata, Lou Moneta and Gayle Scott http://swingsinatra.com/, Christina Luna, Don Catrone and of course Frank Pellegrino http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0671023/. It was really an honor to work with all these great people. I look forward to continuing on this wonderful journey. Best to all. -Aaron

Hello Everyone! I just finished 3 shows with "Best of Times" in Massachusetts. It was a great experience and I have to thank Vernon and Barbara for their help and encouragement. I enjoyed singing for the "seniors". They know good music and they were really a lot of fun. One of my better experiences on stage. I look forward to singing for them again.

Hello everyone. I had a great time as the Grand Marshall of the Baltimore, MD oldest running Columbus Day Parade. What an honor it was for me to be picked. After the parade we had a wonderful concert with Tenor Elio Scaccio. All of this was put together by Chairman Vince Piscopo, who did a wonderful job. Here is the link to the article in the Examiner: www.examiner.com/a-973630~Parade_celebrates_Baltimore_s_Italian_heritage.html?cid=rss-Baltimore

Before the parade I was able to meet Governor Martin O'Malley- http://www.gov.state.md.us/ and also Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon - http://www.ci.baltimore.md.us/mayor/ It was wonderful to see people of all backgrounds coming together to celebrate this holiday. I was certainly very honored to be there. It's one thing to be in a parade. Its another to be Grand Marshall. I will be posting pictures here on my website.

Well, what a time in Milwaukee we had this year! It was a lot of fun at this my second time performing for this wonderful festa. If you have a chance to go, you really should. There are something like 10 stages. Its really amazing. I gave 4 shows from Thursday through Sunday. What a time. I featured my friend, Christina Luna also. She was just wonderful as usual. We are hoping she will have her own show next year. I would like to thank Paul Iannelli, Al Rolandi, Sal Quarino and Dominic in the opera tent for all they did. Also, we had Bob Dofli, the Mario Lanza family historian and Damon Lanza, the only surviving son of Mario Lanza on hand. They debunked a lot of the myths about Mario and really promoted him very well. Marlene was also there and its always a pleasure to see her smiling face. They have a website at http://www.lanzalegend.com
You should check it out! Ok, Ciao for now. Im off to Ohio next........

Hi guys! I had a great time in Canton as usual. There were a couple of shows there and what a nice group of people, honestly. Sometimes we just say that, but this time they really were nice. I look forward to next year there. I am always happy to see Sam and wife Nancy as well as all my old friends there. Its a great festival if you are ever in the area during that time. I hope everyone is well.

Well I just got back from Baltimore and Associated Italian American Charities dinner where I sang with tenor Elio Scaccio and Soprano "Mary Grace". It was a lot of fun visiting with the people there like Vince and Julie Piscopo who is the reason I was there in the first place. They treated me like family and we sang to about 1,000 people or so. The night after we had a time in Baltimore's Little Italy at a place called "Ciao Bella". We were joined by the great Ray Massa and the Eurorhythms. There was more home made wine than at an Italian festival! The night before was a black tie affair, so we were able to be a little more casual on Saturday. I look forward to seeing these guys again real soon. That's about it for now. Im just getting ready for my busy summer. I am looking forward to spending the 4th of July with my family. All the best to all of you.

Well I just came back from Canada. I did a little Tournee' in a couple of cities in Northern Ontario. Sudbury and North Bay. The people there treated me so well that I cant wait to go back. There is something very appealing for us Americans in Canada. I had friends there already from my concert there last year, but this year I made even more. I had four performances with the very talented Suzanne Charette as the pianist. They were all very successful concerts and I cant wait to go back. I also had some of the best food I have ever eaten at Ristorante Verdicchio. No joke. I hope everyone is well and now Im back home enjoying the nice weather. Ciao!

Hello Everybody. I hope you're all doing well. We had another great time in Washington D.C. for the N.I.A.F. event which my dear friend Ray Suntino is always a part of. I come down to have fun with fellow Italian Americans and what a great time we had. I have included some pictures in the photo section of the website http://www.aaroncaruso.com/photos.html I didnt realize that Mel Brooks was married to an Italian, Ann Bancroft. Apparently her real name was Anna Italiano. Go figure. I remember all of his funny movies from my childhood. On the way back from Washington, we visited friends in Baltimore and Philadelphia. What a great time. Im looking forward to my upcoming show in NYC at Nicola Paone's. Ill talk to everyone soon.

Ciao,

Aaron

Hello everyone. I had a great time in Baltimore with my friend Elio Scaccio, Kevan Vanek and Vince Piscopo. They are great guys and we put on a great 3 tenors type show, but it was a lot more fun. They have a very nice festival and the Italian community there is great. Another great band that was there was the Ray Massa band. They performed at the Baltimore festa as well and they were great as usual. The thing I like about Ray's band is that they do all the Neapolitan stuff. You dont find a lot of bands that do that. They usually do all Italian or all American, but they do both. Following Baltimore, I went to Columbus where Ray is from. I just returned from there today. They had a wonderful Italian festival there. It was a little chilly at night and Im not used to singing in the cold like that, but it was a lot of fun. Ray Massa is in charge of the entertainment there and he thought they would like me there. We had a great time. I got rained out a little bit on Saturday, but we still had fun. They first night I worked with Rick Brunetto's Big Band. It was great to work with professionals, because it makes things so much easier. They have a wonderful priest there, Father Metzger, who is also Italian even if his name is not. Its a great community there, also.
Its really a lot of fun to go to all these places and meet so many nice people. I often reflect on my own life and think of my parents and how I would like to show them all these wonderful people that I meet. I feel really blessed to be able to go and do what I love most in this world for people who really appreciate it. I hope everyone is doing well and Ill post more next week. Ciao, Aaron

Well ladies and gentlemen it is with great regret that I write this. My dear friend, father figure, mentor and voice teacher finally succumbed to cancer on July 30th. I just found out today as he was in Italy when it happened. Luigi Veccia taught me more about life than he did about voice and I have to say, it is thanks to him that I sing today. If you like the way I sing, I am here to tell you it solely because of this great man that I sing today. When I came to him about 9 or 10 years ago, I was green and in many ways still a child. With his speeches about love, life and of course vocal technique, somewhere in between all of this I became a man. Luigi was a great man who had a profound effect on me and everyone who came in contact with him. I will miss him dearly as will Nannette, the love he left behind, and also his students. Sleep well, caro maestro.

Wellsville is a little town right where Ohio meets Pennsylvania meets West Virginia. Its not too far from where Dean Martin is from , Steubenville, and also home of the famous Fiesta Pottery plant. It used to be all Steel Mills, but times have changed. They also have the Mountaineer Racetrack and Casino not too far from there on the West Virginia side. More importantly they have really nice people. I sang at a Sons of Italy state wide event in Ohio many moons ago with my friend Sam Vitale. We met the Mayor of Wellsville and some other friends and started going to their festival every year. I still go and Sam is off doing operas and pursuing his own interests. Im glad I do go, because the festival gets bigger every year and I swear, everybody knows eachother. I didnt come from a small town like that so it is a lot of fun for me. I sang with a great young singer named Molly Sue Gonzales. She is mainly a country singer, but she's got some pipes and talent because she learned the Bocelli/Dion duet, The Prayer, in one day FLAT! I couldnt believe it. I was very impressed. Any of you musicians out there know that there are some difficult harmonies in that duet. She learned it by ear. Anyway, look for her in the future. I had a great time with my friends over there and its a great festival to go to if you get a chance.

Hello Everyone. I havent written in a while. I was in Milwaukee, WI for their great "Festa Italiana". It is a festival I have wanted to sing at for a long time and it is known as the nations largest festival. I had a great time. I couldnt believe the grounds there. It is where they have all their ethnic festivals and their famous "Summer fest".
There were a lot of great acts there such as the Four Aces, Bobby Rydell and Fabian. I got to meet a lot of nice people from all over the United States. I also met a great singer by the name of Romina Arena. She is from Sicily and a real sweetheart. I will be putting a link on my site for her. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and thank you for visiting my site. Come back soon.
All the best, Aaron

I was in the great city of Southington, CT recently and we had a great time there. It was their second annual festival and I was proud to be there for the second time. The people there are very nice and I have a lot of friends there. It's always nice to go somewhere and know a lot of friendly people. I even marched in their procession with the Madonna della strada. It was great. I hope everyone can make this great festival next year. They run it very well.

Hello all. I just sang for the CIAO Italian group at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. They invited me for their Carnevale celebration. They really put on a great event headed by Stefan, Marissa and Lauren. They are really great people and whenever I worry about the future of America, I just have to think about these guys. They are really on the ball. Following this I sang at the Southington, CT UNICO chapter dance. It was headed by my great friend Nello Picone who also did a great job. There were over 450 people there and they were all great. So, that's about it. I hope everyone is doing well and Im just getting ready for a busy festival season. Talk to you later!

Ciao,
Aaron

Hello. I hope everyone is having a great new year so far. I know I am. Im getting to spend some time with my family back in Michigan. I'm getting ready to go back to New York and it's going to be sad for my parents and my brother, Andy and my sister, Kara. Who am I kidding? It'll be sad for me too! I don't know about you, but if it weren't for my parents, I don't know where I'd be. I don't have enough space to write about all the wonderful things my parents have done for me. They've always given me all the love and freedom to become who it is I wanted to be. My dad always told me "if you want to be a garbage-man, be the best one you can be!". That isn't to say anything bad about the garbage industry, but that I was free to be who I wanted to be and they would support me, unconditionally. This is all within reason, of course! I have a voice message in my phone that I save. It was saved from my birthday, Oct. 11th, 2005. It's from my mom. It says that she wishes all my dreams come true on this day and everyday- and that she loves me. This message I will never erase. So, I hope you have the good fortune of having your family around you. If you don't, then I'm sure they're smiling down on you from heaven. I thank God for the wonderful parents that I have. I know someday they won't be here, so I'm trying to be with them as much as I can, when I can. All the best to everyone. Buona notte.

Hello everyone. I recently attended the funeral of a very good friend of mine, Russell Terrance Amerson, a great Baritone, conductor, musician and friend. I went to the world - reknowned Interlochen Arts Academy with him and when I first arrived there, I was 16, I had never been away from home, and I was pretty scared to say the least. My mom and dad just left - crying - so, needless to say, I was pretty bummed out. I walked around a little bit, still not knowing anybody, then God sent an angel in the form of my friend "Terry" (as we called him). He was tall and was like a big teddy bear that took everybody in. He was my best friend during one of the best times in my life. We got in a lot of trouble together and laughed so hard together. He will be missed and my prayers go out to his mother and father and his fiancee and family and also all of his friends, which are many. I used to take him to midnight mass with me, after we graduated, and he would be the only black guy in an all white church. Once he opened his mouth and sang with that beautiful voice, everyone was quiet and it didn't matter what color he - or any one of us - was. That's how he was - color blind. He had friends from all nationalities and walks of life. I just spent the weekend with my friend Wataru Hokoyama, who is a very talented Hollywood Movie Composer. He came in especially for the funeral. (see "links" section of my website) He is from Japan and Terry took him in, too. He hardly spoke English, but Terry didn't mind. So, Terry thought it would be neat to teach Wataru "slang" English. Now, imagine this Japanese kid talking slang with broken English. It's pretty funny stuff. He learned a lot from Terry, as did I, but most of all he learned that it doesn't matter what color or culture you come from, Love is still the same. The only race Love is concerned with is the human race. If he liked you, you knew it. He was a man with a very big heart. He was just a good person who will be sadly missed. Good night, Terry - when you wake up, you'll be singing in the greatest choir of them all and they sure are lucky to have you there! -With Love and Respect, it was my honor to know you. Your friend, Aaron

Hello everybody. I just wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone for all the wonderful things you are saying about me as a performer and a singer. As you may or may not know, I have worked very hard to be able to make what I do look easy. I have studied very much with a man named Luigi Veccia. He and he alone has given me the technique to be able to do what I do. Of course, I met him half way by practicing ad nauseam, but he has the true "italian technique" of singing. So many people talk about it, but very few are able to do it. I recently sang in Warren, Ohio to so many beautiful people. I started coming down with a cold or something on my way there. By the time I got there I could hardly talk and I was very sick. I was getting very nervous as the time approached to perform. I knew, however, that even if I had a cold in my throat, which is where it was, I could still sing because of the technique of singing I learned from Maestro Veccia. In the next couple of months, I am going to put a few more arias on my site so you can hear the type of singing I do when I am in the Maestro's studio. Plus I love opera. So, I wanted to thank, publicly, Maestro Veccia for teaching me his infallible technique and for his friendship. Also, "the proof is in the pudding", as we say. He still has a beautiful and powerful voice at age 70. He can do everything he is expecting of me. Doesn't that make sense to learn from someone who has already done what it is you are trying to do? If I were training to climb Mount Everest, which singing can certainly feel like sometimes, I would not train with someone who hasn't made the monumental climb himself. So, for this and many other reasons, I am thankful to the Maestro. If anyone wishes to contact him for any reason he can be reached at: vecciavoce@gmail.com He is also coming out with a website in the very near future. All the best to everyone and I hope to see you at some of my events. Enjoy and live your life to the fullest..
Aaron

This is a quote by Mary Ann Williamson from her book "A Return to Love". The theme has come up many times over the last week or so and I wanted to let everyone read it. "You are a child of God. Your playing it small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not found in some of us; it is found in everyone. And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others." I truly believe these words. Many of you who are reading this are singers so I really hope you do shine as you were meant to do so. You may not be a singer, but whatever you do, I hope you shine at it and enjoy your life every day. All my best....Aaron

Hello Everyone,
I am practicing my Italian as I am going to Italy at the end of July for a couple of concerts there. I am happy to be a guest of the Marche Tourism Board and glad to be friends with such wonderful people as Anna Rita and Corrado. Grazie Mille. Other things are going very well here in NY. I recently sang for Jerry Vale at his Birthday party and I was truly honored to be there. I also had the pleasure of meeting Sergio Franchi's son and first wife, Yvonne Franchi. What wonderful people they all were. I grew up on Jerry Vale's records and even now as I listen to them I am amazed at what a beautiful voice he has. Thank you to my friends Mr and Mrs. Frank Mercede for bringing me there to the party. Fun stuff. I hope everyone is well and enjoy your summer!

Hi everybody. I hope everyone is well and enjoying their summer. I've added some pictures of University of Connecticut's Champion Women's Basketball Coach, Geno Auriemma. Not only is he a top-notch Coach, but he is also a great person. He was extremely nice and we talked a bit in Italian. This was all arranged by Dr. Joseph Picone, a great friend. I have never been a fan of sports but now I'll be rootin' for UConn. That is the effect someone can have on you when they're nice and they don't have to be. I was given a bit of advice from a great performer and friend, Mr. Danny Marona about show business. His advice on how to become a famous singer is first and foremost to be nice. That goes for any profession. Secondly, he said "Success doesn't change people, like so many say it does, rather, it reveals what they truly are." I have thought about that for a long time and I think about it often and Im thankful for the time I spent with him. If that is the case, and I know it is, Im glad to have met Mr. Geno Auriemma. We sang Old Neapolitan songs that his father used to sing. He would call them out "Santa Lucia Luntana!", "Comme Facette Mammete!" and I would play and sing them. That is the picture of me playing the piano for him in my "photo" section. I was surprised at his depth of knowlege about Neapolitan music, but then I found out he was born there and he started speaking beautiful Italian. Once again, thank you to Dr. Picone for arranging that meeting. I have a very busy month this month and at the end of it, Im off to South Beach to perform at the Ms. Florida pageant. I recently had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Florida 2004, Jenna Edwards. May I say what a sweetheart she is and I look forward to working with her in July. She started her own Non-Profit organization called "Queen for a day". Here is the website http://www.qfad.org/ Go check it out. They help young children with cancer by going to the hospital and making them "Queen" for a day. They each get to keep their Tiaras which are donated by pageant winners. I think this is such a wonderful thing and Im going to add it to my links page. They have a "chapters" page on their website so go volunteer and help out if you can. That's all. I hope to see many of you this month. Have a great June!