Rosario Caltabiano was born in Naples, Italy. He started his musical career at the age of fourteen, when his godfather gave him a jazz organ as a confirmation gift. He went on to study jazz organ, church organ, and piano, giving many concerts and winning several musical awards during his high school years. In 1985, after completing an engineering degree from the University of Naples, he came to the United States and immersed himself in work and mastering English. Rosario’s love for music was reactivated when, in 1994, his wife Trisha noticed a small ad from the Symphony Pro Musica choral group in Hudson MA, which was seeking new chorus members. He showed up for a rehearsal of Handel’s Messiah and was casually told to join the tenor section. That is how it all started!
Since then he has become a member of Illumination Opera and performed both as a soloist and in the chorus of many local groups: Greater Worcester Opera, Westford Chorus, Sounds of Stow, Lowell Opera Company, Nashoba Valley Chorale and Symphony Pro Musica. He has participated in the Berkshire Choral Festival and the Great Waters Music Festival. For several years, Rosario has enjoyed being a member of the Sounds of Stow Chorus, where he learned most of his classical choral repertoire and appreciated Barbara Jones’ (Chorus Director) exceptional musical talents. He has also worked with Dan Rowntree, Director of the Westford Chorus, with whom he sang the lead role of Don Jose in their production of Carmen; and was the tenor solo in the Verdi Requiem. While singing with the Westford Chorus, he was introduced to his voice teacher Monique Phinney, whom Rosario still sees on a regular basis. Monique has had, and continues to have, a superb influence on Rosario’s vocal and musical abilities.