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July 09. 2004
12:00AM
Singer
brightens the day at Centerclair
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Entertainer Anthony Cirillo
(right) of Huntersville and Centerclair Nursing
Home staff member Joyce Jolly play air guitar
during one of Cirillo's songs performed for
delighted residents of the center Thursday
morning. (Donnie
Roberts/The Dispatch)
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BY ERIC FRAZIER
The
Dispatch
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If some in his
audience were unable to lift their arms and applaud his performance
of "Rock Around the Clock" Thursday morning at Centerclair Nursing
Home, Anthony Cirillo understood. Entertaining residents at
long-term care facilities is his specialty.
With a
repertoire of about 1,000 songs, a quick wit and a perpetual twinkle
in his eyes, the vocalist delights in involving those who can in
clapping, dancing and singing the lyrics of familiar tunes that
spark fond memories.
"I find it very fulfilling," Cirillo
explained. "It's immediately gratifying. You can see the difference
you make in people's lives."
LaDale Dennis, Centerclair's
activity director, said keeping the 64 residents there active and
entertained is a challenge. Most are in their 80s. Volunteers, both
individuals and church groups, help out, but professionals who cater
to long-term care and assisted-living facilities are not common.
"I had a hard time getting him," Dennis said. "He's hard to
book because he travels so much."
Cirillo performed more
than 200 shows last year. His bookings span the East Coast from New
York to Florida. He travels by car, setting up his own equipment -
loudspeakers, mixing console, microphones and a Dell laptop computer
with his musical accompaniment stored digitally.
"I have the
whole orchestra in that computer except the cymbals," he told his
audience when he played the "1812 Overture." Then he engaged
everyone in raising their arms to simulate the cymbal crashes as he
added verbal sound effects.
Cirillo tailors each performance
to the audience, season and occasion. He highlighted July with
patriotic and summertime tunes Thursday. On some songs, he enlisted
the staff's help, with the uniformed workers forming a marching line
for "76 Trombones" and kicking up their heels like the Rockettes on
"New York, New York."
His delivery is lighthearted and
spontaneous as he gauges the audience reaction, banters with them
and responds to the unexpected. While singing Perry Como's "Hot
Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom)," Cirillo's wireless microphone started
to fail, and he didn't miss a beat, changing the lyrics to "I need a
new battery."
He started his musical career as a teenager in
south Philadelphia. He has played in rock and roll bands at casinos,
nightclubs, weddings and private parties.
Ten years ago,
when he was working as a marketing and public relations professional
at a hospital, the director of an adult medical day care program
asked him to sing for the clients. He enjoyed it and saw an
opportunity.
"Being a marketing person, I saw this as a
niche that not too many people are filling," he said.
When
he followed his wife's relocation to North Carolina with a major
corporation nearly three years ago, he became an independent
marketing consultant and stepped up his performance schedule. They
make their home in Huntersville.
Not only is Cirillo an
entertainer, he is an author and advocate for elder health care
issues. In March, he self-published his first book, "Who Moved My
Dentures." It is a collection of stories about older adults he has
met while performing.
He said his goal in writing the book
was to dispel myths about life in long-term care facilities and to
provide useful information about the industry for families and
caregivers. Cirillo has also recorded one compact disc entitled
"Songs for a Rainy Night." Both are available on his Web site: http://www.anthonyssong.com/. He has plans to
produce a series of themed video programs of his shows that activity
directors can present anytime.
As Cirillo stayed busy
selling and autographing books and CDs after his show Thursday, Mary
Elizabeth Cornwell offered her assessment.
"I loved it,"
said the longtime resident who turned 66 Saturday. "I thought it was
wonderful. I'd like for him to come back."
Dennis said she
would like to schedule Cirillo for another performance near the
Christmas holidays.
Eric Frazier can be reached at 249-3981,
ext. 226, or at eric.frazier@the-dispatch.com.
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