Major League Voice

By Kim Nagy, August 29, 2023

Nick Capodilupo '23 takes center stage at Yankee Stadium.

Nick Capodilupo ’24, honed his talent on stage in IC's School of Music, Theatre, and Dance.

(Photo by Adam Baker)

One opportunity has led to another for vocal performance major Nick Capodilupo ’24, a football player who knows his way around a libretto. The classical singer harmonized his academic and athletic sides last November when he sang the national anthem and awed a crowd of over 40,000 fans prior to the 2022 Cortaca Jug game at Yankee Stadium. The power of his performance piqued the interest of the Yankees.

“When we first had the request to have a member of the Ithaca football team sing the National Anthem at last November’s Cortaca Jug, we thought it was an important part of the pregame events for that day, but as soon as we heard Nick sing, he knocked it out of the park,” said Deborah A. Tymon, the Yankees’ Senior Vice President of Marketing. “We decided on the spot that we wanted Nick back to sing at a home game in 2023 – his voice is outstanding!”

On August 18, Capodilupo’s knocked it out of the park again when he performed the national anthem prior to the Yankees' game against the Boston Red Sox. It truly was an example of practice makes perfect, as earlier in the week, he could be heard practicing for his Bomber teammates during a football practice.

Hear Nick Capodilupo's rendition of the National Anthem from August 18.

Capodilupo has performed the national anthem over 80 times in the last seven years. Performing at the Yankee Stadium—both times—stands out in his memory.

“At Cortaca, the whole weekend I was just thinking about football,” he remembered. “When I got up there everyone was screaming, and I was thinking, ‘This is really cool. Don't screw it up.’ But once I get to the rockets’ red glare part of the song, usually it's okay.”

As he walked into the stadium for the second time, excitement swept over him.

“I was greeted by a wave of applause and many people who were excited to hear me again. It was one of the greatest lead ups of my life which ended with a very well performed national anthem.”

Nick Capodilupo ’24

“I walked out and was greeted by a wave of applause and many people who were excited to hear me again,” he said. “It was one of the greatest lead ups of my life which ended with a very well performed national anthem.”

Capodilupo chose IC for the caliber of the music and football programs—and the kinds of opportunities he saw.

“When it came down to it, I asked myself, ‘Where am I going to feel most comfortable?’” he said. “And where am I going to feel that I have room to grow—not just sit on the sidelines, but get experience?”

Last year, on top of his busy football schedule, he played the lead role of Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance, took a master class with Lawrence Brownlee, and successfully performed his junior recital, 14 musical pieces in five different languages, all of which required rigorous preparation.

“Nick is a phenomenal vocal talent, and he demonstrates significant career potential as an aspiring professional opera singer. He approaches the process of growing his technical abilities in singing and honoring the integrity of his repertoire with the tenacity and determination of an elite athlete, and he works comfortably at the intersection of music and athletic training.”

Marc Webster, Associate Professor of Music Performance

“Nick is a phenomenal vocal talent, and he demonstrates significant career potential as an aspiring professional opera singer. He approaches the process of growing his technical abilities in singing and honoring the integrity of his repertoire with the tenacity and determination of an elite athlete, and he works comfortably at the intersection of music and athletic training,” said his voice teacher, Marc Webster, Associate Professor of Music Performance in IC’s School of Music, Theatre and Dance.

“Last spring, he navigated a densely packed schedule of IC coursework, and moved efficiently from football practice to opera rehearsal as our lead tenor, while preparing a degree required solo vocal recital. He demonstrated his interdisciplinary aptitude and fascination of the brain/body connection when he composed a series of football drills to help him memorize excerpts of complicated Italian Art Songs from Composizioni da Camera by Vincenzo Bellini for his recital,” Webster continued. “Our faculty were all pleased that he was invited back to Yankee Stadium to sing and cheered him on from South Hill!”

What’s next for the rising classical singer? Capodilupo plans to continue his vocal performance studies in graduate school. The ultimate dream? “I’d like to perform on stage at the Met,” he said. “Most of all, I just want to continue to enjoy performing. I am truly grateful for this experience. Thank you, Ithaca College, and Ithaca Football.”