Nazario Maisonet

Raised in the Bronx, New York Nazario was influenced by both film and stage at an early age. As a boy his father would take him to the theatre at least twice a week. Weather it was a big budget film or a small off Broadway production or even a group of street performers, show business caught his attention early on in life. His father Nazario Maisonet Sr. attended film school in hopes of becoming a director. His dream was never fulfilled, but instead served to inspire his young son, who because of his father developed the same passion. In 1993 while in high school Nazario joined the ministry of Crossroads Tabernacle in the Bronx headed by Pastor Aimee Cortese. It was there that he met his mentor to be, a professional jazz musician by the name of Joseph Henry Cortese who came from a musical family that included famed gospel singer Damaris Carbaugh. It was Cortese who discovered that young Nazario had very unique musical talent. Over the next couple of years Cortese helped to develop Nazario's vocal ability. He spent the rest of the decade touring with the Upper Room Music Company. As the youngest member of the contemporary Christian music group, he easily gravitated to the many aspects of the music industry. He started off as a singer/soloist and then became involved with production, where he soon honed his skills as a live sound engineer. As his musical studies advanced, he became an instrumentalists; playing keyboards, drums and percussion. The Upper Room Music Co. recorded four albums, two in which Nazario was featured as a soloist (Heaven Bound + The Race). The group traveled across the nation and Nazario was honored to play with some of the industries top musicians; such as Joseph H. Cortese (Drummer, Composer, Producer, Founder of the Upper Room Music Co. & The Storytellas) who was one of the most highly sought after drummers in the city; even having a chance to audition for the great Miles Davis. Phil Hamilton (Guitar/Roberta Flack) and Bob Franchescini (Saxaphone/Micheal Jackson + Aretha Franklin). In an unexpected turn of events, Cortese who played an instrumental role in Nazario's life as a mentor in music, was asked to head up an inner city theatre group. Before this Nazario had performed a series of short one-act plays in which he displayed an uncommon level of skill as an actor. Cortese recruited Nazario to help write, produce as well as star in their first project, which was to adapt for the stage a book titled Run baby Run, based on the life of Nicky Cruz, a former gang leader turned preacher. The story had been made into a feature film in the 1970's starring Pat Boone and Eric Estrada. This was Nazario's introduction to the theatre. The production opened in the summer off 1996 and ran four nights, three shows per night with an additional video taped performance. Over 10,000 people packed into the theatre with lines out the door that were literally two city blocks long. Media attention was attracted by the likes of Fox, ABC and NBC local news as well as articles in the local newspaper and a featurette produced by Hard Copy.