The COVID-19 pandemic was hard on so many performers, as venues were shut down for months on end, and Sudbury native Joey Niceforo was left wondering what was next.
In his earlier career, the now 44-year-old trained opera singer had been a member of the Canadian Tenors and formed his own classical crossover, Destino, before launching a solo career and releasing his debut album, Priceless, in 2018.
“After COVID, to start over again, in terms of this singing career, I thought it would be really difficult,” said Niceforo, a graduate of Sudbury’s Collège Notre-Dame who now lives in Toronto. “And then I ended up getting a residency at Casa Loma with the Casa Loma Symphony Orchestra.”
The Casa Loma gig has turned out to be a blessing for Niceforo, and he’s expanded his repertoire to everything from Broadway to Edith Piaf.
“I don't really pick the songs,” Niceforo said. “It’s the music director who picks it, and it’s kind of fun, because I'm game to learn anything. Some of the music they pick is absolutely beautiful.”
While many performers have day jobs, Niceforo is lucky enough to be earning his living as a singer.
A career highlight for Niceforo has been performing this past November at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto at an AIDS benefit concert put on as a collaboration between the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra and the Casa Loma Symphony Orchestra.
“So that was my Roy Thomson debut,” he said.
On May 4, Niceforo will return to his hometown of Sudbury for his first performance here since 2019. He always loves performing here, as he can count on a big turnout from family and friends.
“I'm so blessed to come from such an incredible city where everybody seems to support each other,” he said. “That’s what makes Sudbury so special. It’s a real community.”
He’s bringing a few long-time friends with him: acclaimed soprano Sara Papini, who’s his Casa Loma singing partner, and pianist and conductor Sabatino Vacca of the Cambridge Symphony, who will lead a nine-piece chamber orchestra that will accompany the singers.
Niceforo said he’s excited to be bringing some of his new repertoire to Sudbury.
“I'm going to be doing some favourite Edith Piaf pieces, a few new ones that I learned from the Piaf show that we did here in Toronto at the castle,” he said.
“I'm going to be doing a few pieces from my album, ‘Priceless’, and we're going to have some Italian favorites. I've kind of moved away from doing the opera music, but we're going have a few favorites for people.
“And some Bocelli, Broadway, a few new great Broadway pieces. We're going to do ‘Come What May.’ Sara and I did a video that was actually filmed at Castle Loma at 3 a.m., because it was the only time we could go. And we’re going to be doing some ‘Phantom of the Opera’ music. So there's going to be a lot of different music for everybody's tastes.”
Given that times are tough for many people, Niceforo has decided to collect donations of non-perishable food for the Sudbury Food Bank at the concert.
“Nobody should ever, ever go hungry,” he said. “I think it's a basic human right. I've heard that some of the food supplies are a bit lower, and so we thought we'd like to support them this year.”
Niceforo’s concert runs at 7:30 p.m. May 4 at All Nations Church. Tickets are on sale through EventBrite or can be picked up at All Nations Church and Jett Landry Music for $50 each.
Heidi Ulrichsen is Sudbury.com’s assistant editor. She also covers education and the arts scene.
