A comparatively-little identified singer received 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 a protracted 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 instructor helped him notice how highly effective his voice was, as he instructed CBS Sunday Mornings.
Instilled with a new-found confidence, he went on to check classical voice at Manhattan College of Music earlier than making his skilled debut in a PBS live performance particular. He quickly carried out on packages for Fox, NBC, ABC, and RAI Worldwide.
Thus far, he has additionally appeared as a visitor singer in live shows with David Foster, appeared in two movies (the mafia comedy “Don Q” and the faith-based biopic “Cabrini”) and launched two albums — “Dolci Momenti (Sweet Moments)” and a Christmas LP, “O Holy Night.”
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 couple of decade in the past when one other singer slated to carry out on the former “Apprentice” host’s Mar-a-Lago New 12 months’s Eve occasion 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 said, ‘Your voice is unbelievable, magnificent. I can’t tell who is better, you or Pavarotti,’” Macchio recalled to CBS Information.
The tenor has additionally stated that Trump’s late brother, Robert, was a “big, big fan” of his pipes (Trump selected Macchio to carry out at Robert’s funeral).
With good cause, Macchio says he’s Trump’s “favorite singer.”
Macchio carried out on the White Home patio in 2020 after Trump accepted the Republican occasion’s nomination for president, headlined Trump HQ’s 2024 election evening occasion, and sung on the president’s marketing campaign stops, rallies and his Bedminster, New Jersey golf membership.
“There is nobody 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 in the unifying power of beautiful music.”
“That is a primary goal of mine, to deliver a performance that can hopefully have that kind of effect and make people really proud to be a citizen of this great country,” he instructed CBS.
On Saturday, Macchio reacted to the ceremony being moved indoors because of the bitter temperatures in Washington, D.C. The Capitol Rotunda holds solely 600 individuals, whereas greater than 250,000 friends had been ticketed to view the inauguration exterior the Capitol grounds.
“I was looking forward to seeing 100,000 people spread across the National Mall,” he instructed the Related Press. “Unfortunately I won’t be getting that visual while I perform, but it’s still going to be such a tremendous honor.”
