In a November 4, 2012 interview of Donald Braswell II's music director Anthony Bazzani, a little known connection to Luciano Pavarotti, the famous Opera and crossover singer, was uncovered. Braswell and Bazzani began their relationship when Anthony was hired to play keyboard at Donald's debut concert in San Antonio in November, 2008.
Click here to read more about Anthony Bazzani's work with Donald Braswell II
After graduating Juilliard and touring worldwide, Donald Braswell II was predicted be the next tenor to rise to the stardom of Luciano Pavarotti. This prediction was cut short in 1995 by the car that ran Braswell down in Wales and ended his opera career.
He always admired Pavarotti, especially for the Maestro being one of the first to cross over to bring opera to the masses. For three years he has performed with his three tenor group, Gli Unici, in a concert tribute to the great Pavarotti.
A Braswellian, Bianca Centofanti of the Luciano restaurant chain has hosted this annual concert each year. She adored Pavarotti's incredible voice and Pavarotti adored her authentic Italian cooking. His autographed photo is hanging on a wall of fame in the downtown San Antonio Luciano Ristorante. Donald Braswell's autographed photo hangs next to it.
Anthony Bazzani's mother Pat Vaughn was born and raised in Paris...Texas and today is still his biggest fan. She was a flight attendant for TWA and traveled extensively. Anthony's father, Paul (Paolo) Bazzani worked for the same company in Modena, Italy, where they met. Paolo spoke seven languages and ultimately became a flight service manager and interpreter for the airline.
After they married, Paul transferred to the US and the couple moved around the country living in major airline hubs (New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Kansas City), before settling in Paris to raise a family. Paris is a small town near the Oklahoma border in northeast Texas. Anthony is the middle of their three sons and was born there forty years ago.
So it is no coincidence that the classical music rolls off Anthony Bazzani's fingertips. It comes from his Italian roots. Most of his Bazzani family is still in Italy and he enjoys his reunion visits there. His father was born and raised in Modena, which happens to be the same town where famed opera singer Luciano Pavarotti was born and raised.
Pavarotti's father, Fernando, and Bazzani's grandfather, Bruno, were good friends from their military service in Italy. They were in World War II together. After the war Bruno moved into Modena from a small town on the outskirts. He had a beautiful voice and had sung National Anthems all around Italy. Their whole family would sit around and sing songs at home. Anthony remembers visits to Italy as a child and singing with the family there.
Fernando Pavarotti brought his friend Bruno into the male choir, Corale Rossini, from the Modena church. They sang together year after year. Luciano sang with them from the age of nine. In 1955, when Luciano was 19, the choir won first prize at the International Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales. Maestro Pavarotti felt the competition was the most important experience in his life and it was what inspired him to turn professional.
By 1958, Luciano had left the choir. They were told his voice teacher felt singing in the choir would ruin Luciano's solo voice. Bazzani has a cherished photo of his grandfather in the choir with a teenage Luciano. Many years later Luciano flew on a TWA flight that Anthony's father Paul was working. Paul introduced himself and Luciano spoke fondly of Bruno and the years singing with him in the choir. (Anthony graciously shared his father's photos for this article's slide show.)
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