A comparatively-little identified singer acquired the increase of a lifetime on Monday when he sang at Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The president, 78, tapped Christopher Macchio to carry out the nationwide anthem. Described on his web site as “America’s tenor,” Macchio, 46, has an extended historical past as a live performance singer and nearly as lengthy of a historical past of supporting Trump.
The Lengthy Island native didn’t take into account a profession as a singer till a trainer helped him notice how highly effective his voice was, as he informed CBS Sunday Mornings.
Instilled with a new-found confidence, he went on to check classical voice at Manhattan Faculty of Music earlier than making his skilled debut in a PBS live performance particular. He quickly carried out on applications for Fox, NBC, ABC, and RAI Worldwide.
So far, he has additionally appeared as a visitor singer in concert events with David Foster, appeared in two movies (the mafia comedy “Don Q” and the faith-based biopic “Cabrini”) and launched two albums — “Dolci Momenti (Candy Moments)” and a Christmas LP, “O Holy Night time.”
Macchio even performs semi-regularly at Carnegie Corridor and Lincoln Heart with Andy Cooney and Daniel Rodriguez because the New York Tenors.
His introduction to Trump occurred a few decade in the past when one other singer slated to carry out on the former “Apprentice” host’s Mar-a-Lago New Yr’s Eve celebration backed out on the last-minute, main a member of the Florida membership to recommend Macchio step in as a alternative. Trump flew Macchio down from New York and was wowed.
“He stated, ‘Your voice is unbelievable, magnificent. I can’t inform who is healthier, you or Pavarotti,’” Macchio recalled to CBS Information.
The tenor has additionally stated that Trump’s late brother, Robert, was a “large, large fan” of his pipes (Trump selected Macchio to carry out at Robert’s funeral).
With good cause, Macchio says he’s Trump’s “favourite singer.”
Macchio carried out on the White Home patio in 2020 after Trump accepted the Republican celebration’s nomination for president, headlined Trump HQ’s 2024 election evening celebration, and sung on the president’s marketing campaign stops, rallies and his Bedminster, New Jersey golf membership.
“There’s no person with a voice like this man,” Trump says in Macchio’s sizzle reel.
Macchio can be firmly planted within the MAGA political firmament, as a fast perusal of his social media postings will attest. However as his social media profiles additionally present, he considers himself a “believer within the unifying energy of gorgeous music.”
“That may be a major purpose of mine, to ship a efficiency that may hopefully have that form of impact and make folks actually proud to be a citizen of this nice nation,” he informed CBS.
On Saturday, Macchio reacted to the ceremony being moved indoors as a result of bitter temperatures in Washington, D.C. The Capitol Rotunda holds solely 600 folks, whereas greater than 250,000 company had been ticketed to view the inauguration exterior the Capitol grounds.
“I used to be trying ahead to seeing 100,000 folks unfold throughout the Nationwide Mall,” he informed the Related Press. “Sadly I gained’t be getting that visible whereas I carry out, but it surely’s nonetheless going to be such an incredible honor.”