By Shannon Jacob
Recent Berklee grad and LiveWell Fitness Assistant Sissy Castrogiovanni believes that having a disciplined exercise routine can strike a chord of harmony in every aspect of our daily activities.
Sissy has managed to balance her music career with lessons she learned during hard workout sessions. She claims that pushing beyond your limit while exercising helps you gain insight as to how you can channel that same determination into practicing, studying, and final exams. She was gearing up for her album release when the Boston bombings took place, nearly ruining her plans. Yet she remained strong, and decided that she would go ahead with her album release campaign in hopes of upholding Boston and all the victims of the bombings. [Editor’s note: As of May 9, 2013, Sissy managed to raise $3,505 through Indiegogo, successfully funding her campaign. Her album, Intra Lu Munnu, was released on June 1, 2013.]
Berklee Groove: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Sissy Castrogiovanni: My name is Sissy Castrogiovanni, I am 28 years old, and I am from Sicily, Italy. I am a singer/composer and I came here [to Boston] four years ago.
BG: How was your experience performing at Regattabar?
SC: It was amazing. We didn’t expect it because of what happened at the Boston Marathon, but it was almost a full house. All the people who came were great…. The concert was a presentation of the album Intra Lu Munnu, which means “inside the world.” It is written in Sicilian dialect, and the music is a mix of my Sicilian folk roots, Mediterranean music, and jazz. Plus, all the musicians are from different parts of the world, so they added their personal influence to the music.
BG: How did all of the chaos in Boston affect you?
SC: At first, I wanted to call the whole event off. What happened in Boston does not make any sense at all; there is no logic behind the attacks. But then I thought that music is a good way to help people be strong and stand united together…. Of course we could not rehearse as much as we wanted – there was so much to do. So before the show, we were a little worried that we were not strong musically. But then we realized that the purpose behind us carrying on with music [was that] we were trying to make people strong and that… everything was going to be just fine. And it was.
BG: Did you compose all the songs?
SC: All the songs are original melodies, except for one, which is a traditional Sicilian cultural song. There is one song that my grandmother composed, and one that is actually a Chopin tune for which I wrote lyrics. It is music from around the world because in Sicilian music we have classical music, Middle Eastern and Spanish flamenco influences. In the song that my grandmother composed, the lyrics thank God for her beautiful family. The Chopin tune is a piece that my grandmother used to play a lot, so in that piece I thank her in return for always being there for us.
BG: Do you feel that working out helps you as a musician?
SC: It absolutely does. [The workout I do is] called Insanity because it is very hard. I always did a lot of sports, and this works for me personally because I need something to keep me going. This workout pushes you beyond your limit and helps you keep going even when you think you can’t stand anymore. Even if I am completely tired, this kind of workout is almost a spiritual meditation that I apply to my day-to-day life. When things get crazy… I am able to push myself further to achieve my goals.
