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Perry Canestrari - Biography

Although the roots of the Tenor voice, and opera in general, date back to the late 16th century in Florence, Italy, there are some surprising parallels between a country like Italy, which is bordered on the north by Switzerland, on the northwest by France and on the south by the Ionian and Mediterranean Sea, and the graceful, amorous emotionalism of Perry Canestrari's tenor vocal dexterity. Perhaps it's his delivery, which in the same breath makes songs like Phantom of The Opera move and then suddenly give the visual belief that Canestrari himself made da Vinci's Mona Lisa grin. Whatever the case may be, Canestrari is a vocal Armageddon of control.

Nestled in a suburb of Montreal, Canada, Perry Canestrari has been sharpening his Tenor forte all of his life, though he only admits to "finding my voice" in his late twenties. After successfully graduating in music from both Vanier College and McGill University (where he took part in the choir, vocal ensemble and Opera Studio), Canestrari realized, what he always intrinsically knew, when he reminiscences about a family vacation to his parents' native Italy.

"I treat singing as an inheritance," says Perry, as he sits surrounded by stacks of vinyl albums, CDs and walls that are filled with a handful of his many laurels (university degrees, pictures of himself with Luciano Pavarotti and programs from many of his hundreds of performances). "My father used to sing. I noticed I had a knack for singing when I was four years old. On that trip back to Italy, I just started to sing. At that time, in Italy, a lot of American and Canadian artists would go there to participate in the Italian song festivals. At the time people like Dusty Springfield would come to San Remo, which is in Northern Italy, and they would participate by performing Italian songs. I remember singing one of Paul Anka's Italian songs called "Every Time."

Although he veiled his staggering vocal gift until his high school years, Canestrari began his musical odyssey as a drummer and in percussion, but it was in his teen years that he began listening to a lot of romantic ballads.

"I would sit beside the stereo and listen to Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck and Elvis Presley, but my biggest idol, believe it or not, was Engelbert Humperdinck. At that time, my father would always sing classical music and I started to like operas by Bach, but pop music, back then, had much more of an influence on me. Anything my father was signing was a little passé for a high schooler. Looking back, I've done more things in the classical field then my father ever did" laughs Canestrari who's current tenorismo influences include Sergio Franchi, Franco Corelli, Mario Lanza and, of course, Lucian Pavarotti. "Performing percussion was not satisfying my ego." Perry continues, "I don't know what impression I give off, but I think you have to be a little ego-centric to be a singer and you need to feed that ego, but with a balance of being humble."

Canestrari, who just turned 40, has accomplished both. Perry has studied under the tutelage of Lina Narducci, of the revered Quebec Conservatory, for nearly three years, Margaret Kalil, Micheline Rene, as well as with famed opera performer/instructor, Maria Pellegrini (who lives in Ottawa and was recently requested to teach in New York). Along with that, he has made his living as a tenor by performing at numerous benefit concerts (he did six charity events at Montreal's famed Place des Arts), singing in the Catholic Church choir (Canestrari speaks four languages: English, French, Spanish and Italian), the Italian circuit, weddings and conventions. He even made his "movie debut" where he played a tenor in the 1997 film "La Deroute". Canestrari says this is the customary route to "get my face out there".

In 1989, all of Canestrari's hard work paid off. He hooked up with George Fiori, who was not only a bandleader for his own orchestra, but son of famed Quebecois seventies rock star, Serge Fiori of the band Harmonium. With Orchestre George Fiori, Canestrari recorded two CDs (produced by Fiori's son Serge) and Canestrari also appears on a major part of the recently released Classicomania Vol. I. Couple that with a thirty-date tour accompanying the orchestra l'Ensemble Amati, and it's no surprise that you can see him performing the national anthem at the Montreal Molson Centre, for an Interbox event or even entertaining crowds at the Montreal Casino or at a Microsoft Convention.

As a firm advocate that the attractiveness of Italian Tenor singers truly lifted back in 1981 when John Denver and Placido Domingo landed a Top 20 mainstream hit, Perhaps Love, which was followed by enormously fashionable discs like Pavarotti and Friends and, of course, The Three Tenors, Canestrari senses that now, more than ever, is the exact time to let people hear his interpretations of music's timeless compositions.

"At first you just want to make a living", recalls Canestrari of all the years and inspiring experiences that have gone by, "but after doing it, you start realizing that it's a passion. It's like an addiction, but a good one," he laughs. "If I am not part of this scene, I'm miserable."

He also insists that: "If you try too hard for something, it does not come your way. If you have a desire, but you leave it on the shelf, that's when it passes you by. But, if you just let things happen, they happen. And you'll never expect it."

So whether he is readying his own, original material, singing to the head honchos of Visa International at a convention or just having fun on a Wednesday night at a cozy, local Italian restaurant, Perry Canestrari knows that just around the corner is another occasion to let more people be captivated by a voice that foregoes time and proceeds most of his peers. "It's my life. Don't ask me to be anything else" he corresponds.

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