Salvo’s voice is at once calming and arresting. His tenor rises, floats and dances on the air just above the audience. The timbre of his tenor is inviting. The passion in his voice is alternately powerful and subtle, like a flowing river unencumbered by an aqueduct. Life, too, for Salvo has ebbed and flowed, slowed and rushed out of control.
His muted beginnings as a piano student in Palermo, Italy, is in stark contrast to the man who has evolved into a charismatic and at sometimes self-effacing performer. While his contemporaries played stickball and other outdoors sports, Salvo studied music theory at the Vincenzo Bellini Conservatory at twelve.
Some people are born to entertain while others are cultivated like a rare jewel. Salvo straddles both. His natural rhythm and musicality on the piano, unfortunately interrupted due to reasons beyond his control, would not fall away and disintegrate. The impressionable and popular child and later teen was a family and community favorite singer.
His voice became his creative outlet and he eventually earned a following and a modest income, but realized he needed to resume his vocal studies after a four year interruption. This missing ingredients and differences between singing “Ave Maria” in church, contemporary and wedding songs, was the intricacies of creating a polished presentation. He sought out and was mentored by several noted vocal coaches who helped him develop as a Bel Canto singer. His next musical home was the Academia Del Mediterraneo in Palermo where he studied with Pietro Ballo.
When his personal and professional journeys pointed to a promising career, he faced and overcame what was diagnosed as a death sentence, Stage 4 melanoma cancer. Undeterred, he surpassed his six-month prognosis and has dedicated his life to easing the pain and suffering of other cancer sufferers and survivors. His gift extends beyond singing, songwriting and composing; he believes in giving back to communities and groups that have and continue to support him as an artist.
Salvo is a passionate dreamer who feels that trust and loyalty are inseparable and necessary as a foundation for friendships. His past struggles haven’t stifled him, but has increased his desire for success. An audience has the power to make or break a singer’s career, a fact that isn’t lost on Salvo. Lessons learned as a waiter in Palermo aren’t too far from those needed in the entertainment industry. The performer or musician is in service to his paying customers.
The artist’s sole purpose is to deliver a memorable performance, as would a server in a four-star restaurant. An artist must be open and oftentimes vulnerable to his audience that travels a parallel destination during a performance. The two meet center stage, and at the end of the show when patrons reach out for a moment in time, and an autographed photo of their favorite singer. The music extends beyond the edge of the stage. There’s unrehearsed choreography and silent music that happens between audience and performer that casts a pebble along the surface of still water into infinity.
