Joseph Gualtiere

At 18, Middle Village Resident Joseph Gualtiere Already Has An Impressive Resumé
By Emilie Schneider

The adrenaline is running, the abdominal butterflies are buzzing, and the sounds of the overture are resonating through the theater, it's time for Joseph Gualtiere to transform into character as he steps on to the stage.

This scene is typical for Gualtiere, of Middle Village, who sings in musicals

Middle Village resident Joseph Gualtiere plays many characters.

and operas, a rare ability few performers exhibit. No matter how many times he performs, he has the same nervous feeling before each show, but to him it is important to be nervous and have the butterflies.

"When I am on stage I am not myself anymore," Gualtiere said. "Usually when I am about to go on, I'm just trying to put myself in the character's shoes. What is the character feeling in this scene, how do I convey that emotion." 

For only being 18 years old, Gualtiere is a very professional and experienced young performer. Gualtiere attended the competitive LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts in Manhattan, majoring in vocal music and performance. He sang in choirs, performed in musicals and operas, on top of taking regular music classes. He prefers to sing classically over anything else. 

"I pretty much performed in anything I was able to perform in there," he said, adding that he looks up to singers Luciano Pavarotti and Josh Groban. 

Even before high school, Gualtiere displayed a passion for music and performance. He always wanted to take acting lessons and in seventh grade had a solo in a show. Around that time, a cast member from "Sopranos" heard Gualtiere sing and asked him to perform at a celebrity event. 

"I went to this sporting event for celebrities and I sang for all of them and I got really good feedback," he said. "I realized it was something I wanted to do." 

Gualtiere has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, as well as on television. He has had the opportunity to showcase his talent for celebrities like Rosie O'Donnell, Zach Braff, Anne Hathaway and Paul McCartney, but the best time of his life was when he performed as a back up singer for Elton John at his 60th birthday last year at Madison Square Garden. 

"It was amazing," he said. 

Gualtiere recently performed in the professionally staged productions of "Fame," "Ragtime," and his operatic performances include "The Mikado" and "Pirates of Penzance." He was granted an award from The Josephine Foundation for Best Male Performance of 2007 in "Once Upon A Mattress." 

"Fame" director Andrew Joseph Koslosky is someone Gualtiere looks up to, who has helped him out as a performer and as a person. 

"He has done a lot of good work," he said. 

Koslosky returns the praise. He said Gualtiere is on the road to a successful career. 

"He's one of these young men at this age who has an unusual drive and the way he approaches his works spells success," Koslosky said. "Joseph handles himself well." 

Gualtiere also has the ability to make the people around him better and that is an important trait for a performer, Koslosky added. 

Gualtiere is furthering his career as a freshman at the Boston Conservatory this fall, where he is looking forward to growing as both a performer and a person. He will major in classical voice and opera and would like to continue performing. He hopes to one day open up his own professional theater company for teenagers, but his biggest dream would be to perform on Broadway and at the Metropolitan Opera. 

Gaultiere's advice for young performers is to put themselves out there and get noticed. They shouldn't be afraid to be who they are and show an audience their talent. There are always going to be people who are better, but a performer has to work as hard as possible. 

"That's really all that matters. That you work as hard as you can to achieve you goals and that you are happy with what you are doing," he said. "And as corny as it sounds, follow your dreams."