The Sicilian Tenors

The Lyric Theatre presents a variety of talented tenors, but you’ve got to have a special place for a group called the Sicilian Tenors that has a singer named Caruso in it. Aaron is not related to the great Enrico Caruso, but the three singers are all classically-trained musicians who bring their lively take on everything from Italian classics like “O Sole Mio” and “That’s Amore” to arias from Tosca to the best of Broadway (think Phantom.) The late Joan Rivers said they were “The Three Tenors meet the Rat Pack” and the three friends are known for their light-hearted fun as well as for their music.

Aaron Caruso has been performing since he was six and he attended the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy for high school. He earned a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance with a minor in Italian from the University of Michigan. He speaks four languages fluently and can sing in seven, including Russian, Latin and German. He studied opera in Italy and New York with maestro Luigi Veccia and has performed in La Boheme and in concerts featuring operatic works. He also specializes in classic Neapolitan music.

Elio Scaccio has also been performing since childhood. In college, he focused on jazz vocal technique and performance. He continued classical training at the renowned Peabody Conservatory at John Hopkins University. Since that time, he has trained under the supervision of several renowned opera tenors but has always maintained his unmistakable pop essence. He is a crossover performer at home with classical, pop standards, Italian tunes and occasionally vintage rock.

Sam Vitale is classically trained and also a graduate of the University of Michigan’s School of Music. He continued his studies in New York under Luigi Veccia and has performed the lead tenor roles in Carmen, La Traviata, Rigoletto, Don Giovanni in Cortona, Italy, as well as in Phantom of the Opera. He is a proud veteran of the Air Force and served in Desert Storm and Desert Shield. While in the Air Force, he won First Place in the World Wide Tops in Blue Competition, Classical Division.

The group enjoys giving back, and as The Amazing Musical Friends, they visit schools and children’s hospitals, helping youngsters experience music in an educational and fun way.

Katherine Heerbrandt of the Frederick News Post had praise for the trio. “The format was fresh and the tenors were in fine tune, delivering in such favorites as ‘Silent Night,’ ‘O Sole Mio,’ ‘Nessun Dorma’ and one of Lanza’s biggest hits, ‘Be My Love.’ Glorious, glorious, glorious. Moving the audience from tears to laughter with warm nostalgia and soaring voices, the Sicilian Tenors hit all the right notes. The value of beauty, especially in music, can’t be overstated for picking up your spirits or making you smile.”