BocelliOnline

[Melodie]

A night to remember

CNU student Anthony Colosimo shares the stage with famed Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.

BY DAVID NICHOLSON
October 21, 2005

NEWPORT NEWS -- When Andrea Bocelli was starting his singing career, he got an unexpected boost from tenor Luciano Pavarotti.

On Thursday night, Bocelli tapped tenor Anthony Colosimo, a music student at Christopher Newport University, for his moment in the spotlight. Bocelli invited Colosimo to sing at his sold-out performance in the Ferguson Center for the Arts.

Andrea Bocelli, right, applauds Christopher Newport University senior Anthony Colosimo after Colosimo sang "La Serenata."
[PHOTO: Heather S. Hughes/Daily Press]

After Bocelli opened with two songs, he left the stage and returned with Colosimo, who sang "La Serenata," a popular Italian song by Tosti. Standing straight and singing out clean and clear, Colosimo sailed through the lyrical number while Bocelli stood by watching.

"I was scared," Colosimo said at intermission. "I don't remember anything until I left the stage. Bocelli told me I sounded good."

The rest of the evening belonged to Bocelli, an Italian sensation who alternated between popular Italian songs and opera arias. Some of his best material came at the end of the first half, when he sang the Act III tenor aria from Puccini's "Tosca" and returned with soprano Eugenia Garza to sing a stirring duet from Puccini's "La Boheme." Garza drew bursts of applause from the audience as well in her solo arias from Puccini operas.

For Colosimo, it was a night to remember.

"I was totally blown away," said the 22-year-old senior. "I feel so fortunate that I'm here at CNU now for all these things that have happened."

The unexpected invitation came at a luncheon Wednesday at the Williamsburg Inn. Colosimo and another student, Laura Cusamano of the College of William and Mary, were on hand to receive music scholarships awarded by the National Italian-American Foundation. Bocelli, a friend of the foundation, agreed to hand out the scholarships.

The deal was brokered, in a way, by Rosemary Trible, wife of CNU President Paul Trible Jr. She was sitting next to Bocelli at the luncheon and began telling the tenor that Colosimo and others in the CNU chamber choir were heading to Italy in March for a concert tour.

"He smiled and said, 'Wouldn't it be wonderful if the choir could perform with me on Thursday night?' " she recalled. Trible turned to her husband, who then spoke to Colosimo, who called the director of the choir on his cell phone to see if it could happen.

It turned out that the 30-member choir was too big to appear onstage with Bocelli and the Virginia Symphony. Colosimo got the nod instead during Bocelli's Wednesday night rehearsal.

"I was there, and I went onstage, and he asked me what I could sing," said Colosimo. One of the selections on Bocelli's program, a popular Italian song by Tosti called "La Serenata," was one Colosimo had sung at his senior recital.

"I knew that one, but I told him I could learn anything," Colosimo said. "Then Bocelli asked me if I was ready to sing Thursday night."

Rosemary Trible calls Bocelli "one of the most gracious people I have ever met."

"He really shows his heart when he sings, and he showed his heart when he allowed this student to come up onstage and perform," she said. "It was a transformational moment."

Soon after he got the news, Colosimo called his family in Arlington.

His mother, father and sister drove down to watch him make his mainstage debut alongside one of the world's best-known tenors.

Colosimo began singing at age 8 in The Singing Capitol Chorus, a barbershop ensemble conducted by his dad, Bill Colosimo.

He's also a member of an award-winning college barbershop quartet called Iguanas in Flight that will perform Saturday in Roanoke.

Colosimo plans to return to CNU in the fall to pursue a master's degree in music education. His career goal is to teach music in the public schools.

Now he'll have an inspiring story to tell his students.

http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-06713sy0oct21,0,3182041.story?coll=dp-widget-news

[Anna in NY]

Oh Melodie!
Thank you for posting this ! As a teacher, I love stories of students who receive opportunities to shine. And to think that this young man received such an opportunity from Andrea!!! I'm just beaming!
Maestro Andrea, how generous of you to give this young man the opportunity to sing on your stage. Bravo!

[sj]

This is so cool -- can you imagine how that kid felt!? ... and his parents? Wow...