Courtesy Anthony Nunziata Brooklyn-born, Nashvillebased, and Corning-bound: world-class pop singer Anthony Nunziata slides into this EMMF season with a free concert August 7 at the Corning Ice Rink.
Pop into POPS
Free Concert in Corning Features EMMF Newcomer By Kelly Stemcosky
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singer and an orchestra walk onto an ice rink…It may sound like the beginning of a joke, but it’s what audiences will be treated to during a free pops concert offered by Endless Mountain Music Festival on Sunday, August 7, at 2:30 p.m. Two for the Road—Corning POPS!—at the Corning Civic Center Plaza Ice Rink features a newcomer to EMMF, Anthony Nunziata. The critically acclaimed singer and songwriter is a recent winner of Album of the Year from Broadwayworld, which calls him “an explosion of love and entertainment.” Stephen Gunzenhauser, EMMF’s founder and artistic director since the festival’s inception in 2006 (seven concerts in eight days for the inaugural season), also sings Anthony’s praises. “Anthony, every eight months or so, is coming out with new CDs, and they sell like hotcakes. He’s a wonderful singer and is somehow able to connect with any audience,” says Stephen, 22
adding with a laugh, “He’s doing this as a favor to me.” Stephen is always scouting new talent to bring to EMMF, and has been known to tap old friends in the process. As Anthony explains it: “I did a private concert this past Christmas in Lancaster and he [Stephen] was there. It was actually an event honoring him and I was brought in as sort of a surprise performance. And immediately, he said, ‘Oh, Anthony, you know, I really want to have you in the festival this summer.’ So since then, we’ve been talking about putting together a program.” Stephen’s friend’s performance is part of a dedication to another friend of more than thirty years. Cornelius O’Donnell, a beloved chef and fixture in the Corning area, as well as a long-time Mountain Home contributor, passed away last September. “This will be a wonderful dedication. I hope everyone comes and celebrates the wonderful life he led, a man who always
had a smile on his face,” says Stephen. Anthony’s goal for the performance, and his work overall, is simple: write great music and tell great stories. “I went to school for journalism, and I also trained in improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade for many years in New York City. I’ve found that’s just who I am, like how I’m talking to you right now, is how I’m going to be on stage. In between songs, I just sort of dive into moments from my life, or talk about things that happen during the show, so even if people are familiar with my songs, they’ll always get a different show from me. And that’s exciting for me because we’re all there to just experience it in the moment. I’ve always been someone who just loves to connect with people. If I can do that through my music, that’s doing part of what my mission is for being here.” That clear mission has helped Anthony build up quite a résumé: two sold-out See POPS on page 24
