Today we’d like to introduce you to Carla DelVillaggio.
Carla, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
There are two aspects of my life, both of which make me very proud. In 2005, my late husband had the crazy idea that I should attend the Sunburst Convention for Celebrity Impersonators. From the time we met, we would enjoy going to karaoke. Inevitably, someone would ask if I had ever been told I bear a resemblance to Barbra Streisand. I also only sang her songs at karaoke, never trying to impersonate her. He had this big idea, that I needed to pursue a career as a Tribute Artist. I thought he had lost his mind, but with his encouragement and support, and the backing of Greg and Jackie Thompson, the producers of the Sunburst Convention, this insane idea started to take shape. Paul Brown, my husband, got his Talent Agent license, and began booking me everywhere. Over the years, I have traveled around the country doing shows in all kinds of venues. I also have a live band that backs me. I have been fortunate enough to win many industry awards in the 20 years since I made my debut. After my husband passed in 2021, I stopped performing. It was simply too difficult to do it without him, and there were too many memories I was dealing with. I just did not want to sing without him there. Recently, I have begun to put my toe in the water once again. With Greg Thompson taking over as my agent, I have done several shows. It is still exceedingly difficult, but I am happy to be back onstage. Being onstage and singing her wonderful songs is a privilege. I have met so many lovely people along the way. I will be forever grateful to my husband for pushing me and proving I can make a career out of this.
The other part of my life that gives me immense joy is being a college professor at Valencia College, East Campus. I am going into my 21st year, which seems impossible. I teach voice and I direct an Opera-Theatre Workshop. This group just celebrated its 20th Anniversary with a huge Gala. More than forty alumnae returned to participate (one traveled from Dubai, and one traveled from Germany), it was a beautiful and overwhelming experience. I cried every night; I was so overcome with gratitude and many emotions. It began as an exceedingly small class, performing in the choir room. All these years later, it has grown rapidly. We do all our performances in the larger Performing Arts Center. We also went from doing small “scenes programs” to fully staged and costumed shows. The repertoire has covered a wide variety of genres. We still do Cabarets (scenes programs) but we have also done fully staged Operas (Gianni Schicchi, The Medium, Signor Deluso, Candide, The Three Penny Opera, etc.) and fully staged Broadway Shows (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Wild Party, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and coming up this Fall semester we are doing The Spitfire Grill). It’s been a real labor of love. So many exceedingly talented students have come through our program, and MANY are still remarkably close friends. I really cannot believe this “little class that could” has grown up so much. This “audition only” class has become extremely popular, most semesters we have a very large number of students register for it. I am indebted to my colleague, Alan Gerber, for his support of “OTW” (as we lovingly call it). Watching these students grow and thrive and learn and overcome obstacles is an incredible thing to behold.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not. We all had to deal with Covid, which almost shut us down completely. There were performances that were cancelled, and we ended up having to do voice lessons online, which was terribly difficult for the students and the teachers too. I feel like the students came back afterwards with a great deal of issues they didn’t have before. It was a terrible time. Prior to that, I was under scrutiny, because a student had lied about me. That was a very low point in my time at the college. If it had not been for my colleagues, I don’t know what would have happened.
Performing-wise, Covid wreaked havoc. I had so many contracts that were cancelled, which translated into allot of income lost. It was a tough time. The worst that came out of it was the death of my husband, Covid caused absolute chaos to my personal life.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I majored in voice all throughout college, graduating with my BA degree from UCF, focusing on Classical Music and Opera. I received my Master of Music Degree, with an Opera Specialization from SUNY-Binghamton (N.Y). I sang roles with the Orlando Opera, Baltimore Opera, Annapolis Opera, Tri-Cities Opera (Binghamton) and others. I loved this part of my singing career. I had so many wonderful opportunities, including performing in the Czech Republic. When I decided to “retire” from Opera it made me sad, but it drew me towards teaching. I still dabble in it, as I often have voice students who are studying classical music and opera. Being able to pass on my knowledge and experiences to my students is an extension of my own performing. I am a very enthusiastic teacher, always cheering on my students, while also expecting them to work hard. This also extends to my work as a tribute artist. I use my stage experiences (both Opera and tribute work) to help my students with stage presence, communicating with their audience, and being “singing actors”. I feel like everything I’ve done onstage can be a “teachable moment”. Even my mistakes and nerves can help teach them.
I have always loved being onstage. I enjoy taking on whatever the character is and speaking through them.
I’m proud of my work as a tribute artist. One of the things that sets me apart from other impersonators, is that I do my shows in 1st person. So the stories I tell are “as Barbra”, interacting with the audience “as Barbra”. It is so much fun, and it is merely acting, like anyone taking on a role.
What’s next?
Now that I’m back performing, I do hope to be able to continue that for at least several more years. I’d love to get back into some of the venues I played years ago. With Greg Thompson’s help I think it will happen. I’d also like to do some shows in NYC again. I did shows up there quite a few years ago, and it was a great experience. Actually, the same goes for my teaching career. I’m not planning for retirement any time soon, so my plan is to continue doing what I am doing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.simplystreisand.net
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/funnygirltoo/
Image Credits
MICHAEL CAIRNS
