Joseph Tomaselli
I was the fifth child of a wonderful family who were loving and helpful. Mother and father loved culture and when they saw that I was interested, they bought me a violin. I became very happy with the violin until my parents took me to hear an opera. I was so overwhelmed when I heard the singers, that I immediately looked for a voice teacher. My teacher, Mr. Pettine was a good teacher until I had to go in the army. My battalion was stationed in Okinawa, and after the peace pact between North and South Korea, we returned to the U.S.A. I went to New York to study with the Great Maestro Enrico Rosati. He was impressed with my improvement and he suggested that I go to school where he taught, Santa Cecilia, In Rome. I lived in an area where all the great singers lived and we made friends immediately. When I met the great Baritone Riccardo Stracciari I found that he was totally impoverished. I wrote an article for Metropolitan Opera Company, and many wonderful, kind people who read the article took up a collection and I was never aware until I spoke, years later, with Fredrick Jagel and he said, 'You gave him the most wonderful gift for his remaining years!'
