Gaetano Ferro has the accent of a Latin lover, a natural singing ability, and the voice of a man many years his junior.
At 71, Ferro said he’s often told that he sounds much younger—a feat he chalks up to good living.
“I don’t care what the calendar says, I just don’t feel that old,” he said.
He explained that he and his wife simply take care of themselves and live a good life—though his wellbeing isn’t the only thing he takes care of.
One reason he sounds so young could be the exercise his voice gets. Ferro takes voice classes with instructor Natasha Yufe through Santa Maria’s Recreation and Parks Department. He’s taken the class three times, and—despite a few butterflies when he performs at recitals—said the course has been fulfilling.
“The classes have been really good,” he said. “I’ve really enjoyed them.”
But, he said, the key is to take the classes more than once.
“One class alone kind of gives you an idea,” he elaborated. “You really need to take the class two or three times to get even better.”
Ferro was born in Italy, but his family moved to Argentina in the 1940s. He grew up singing in church and with choirs but was never able to take lessons. Later, he got married and moved to the United States in the 1960s. Now that his three children are adults and he has more time on his hands, the timing of the voice classes couldn’t be more perfect. Originally, Ferro took the class to help him on Sundays.
“My main purpose is to sing praises to God in church,” he said.
Though he doesn’t plan on taking his vocal abilities any further than that, the love of song is definitely there, which
may explain why Yufe said Ferro is such
a natural.
Ferro sings in Italian, Spanish, and English—mostly classical music along the lines of Placido Domingo or Pavarotti. They’re tunes that Yufe calls “good music.”“It’s the good old fashioned way of learning to sing,” she said.
Yufe uses the Bel Canto technique and urges her students to practice classic music, with which they’re often unfamiliar.
“It opens up a whole new world of music to them,” Yufe said.
The instructor stressed that singing is a little more of an intellectual pursuit than people realize. It’s also more physical.
“It starts from the bottom of the body and goes all the way up through the face,” Yufe said.
Ferro said Yufe has taught him the basics, like how to stand and how to breathe. She’s also taught him to appreciate performing. The class holds two recitals for family and friends.
“Even though there’s only a few people, half the stage is still shaking,” he said.
Ferro may eventually get used to singing on stage, but for now he’s simply enjoying learning to exercise the power of his voice.
“I don’t plan to start a recording career or anything like that,” he said. “I just want to be able to sing freely and enjoy the gift I have.” m
Arts Editor Shelly Cone sings Beatles songs as lullabies to her kids. Contact her at scone@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jan 29 – Feb 5, 2009.