BIO
PHOTOS
VIDEOS
REPERTOIRE
Click a button below for a sampling of themes and songs Casey has performed and services he provides.
BIO
Authentic. The one word that sums up Casey Jones Costello is authentic. If you could shuttle a brilliant singer through time from 1931 to today he would sound like Casey Jones Costello. From a young age Casey developed an affinity for music from the early-to-mid 20th Century; while other kids spent hours playing video games, Casey amassed a collection of Edison cylinders and 78s, reams of turn of the century and mid-century sheet music and a collection of videos featuring Bing Crosby, Judy Garland, Nelson Eddy, and Jeanette MacDonald, among many others. While his contemporaries may imitate the imitators, Casey's voice is genuine, of another time because it knows no other time. Possessing a crystal clear baritone/tenor voice, powerful and tender, with a lilting nod to Bing, each performance is a mini-history lesson, making his show captivating both for vocal excellence and his vast knowledge of the material and the stories of the people who created and popularized it — a veritable musical history tour.
A performer of a wide variety of musical genres, Casey’s repertoire spans hundreds of songs - so many in fact that when asked by the audience if he knows a certain song, one of his accompanists, Mitzie Collins, has been known to say “Ask him to sing anything — Casey knows all the songs.” He has been repeatedly selected to perform his shows in the Rochester Fringe Festival from the date of its inception and he regularly performs as the featured vocalist in many Irish-themed shows with the Striking Strings and Harmonious Harps for St. Patrick’s Day, in many Christmas-themed shows (both as a soloist for the Sampler Trio, the Striking Strings, and on his own), fundraiser events, private parties and as cantor and soloist in several churches and for memorial services. He can often be found at senior homes, assisted living facilities and the like, singing the old favorites and long-forgotten tunes in the style that they were originally performed; residents know to get there early for one of Casey's performances because often every seat in the house will be filled by showtime!
Casey is also a songwriter and has performed many of his own compositions in concert, and has recently recorded several of his works with an orchestra for an upcoming album. Frequent collaborators have included folk musician and Eastman Community Music School faculty member Mitzie Collins, jazz pianist and former music director at Seneca United Methodist Church, John Palocy, pianist Yunjin Audrey Kim, former chair of the music department at RAPA (the Rochester Association of Performing Arts) and Kevin Nitsch, a member of the piano and music theory faculty at Nazareth College and the Music Director at the Baptist Temple in Brighton, NY. Since 2015, Casey has also been a Teaching Artist at both RAPA and OFC Creations serving as Vocal Director for several Youth Theatre productions on an ongoing basis. Casey also provides private voice instruction to several students.
A native of Brighton, New York, Casey Jones Costello, is a graduate of Nazareth College, summa cum laude, with a B.S. in Music/Business, and a concentration in vocal studies. In 2013, he was the first recipient of the Nazareth College Department of Music’s Excellence in Music/Business Award, was inducted into the Pi Kappa Lamda national honor society for music and also received the Management Department’s Elizabeth Fake Award. Casey has released two albums, Lullabies of Broadway in 2014 and in 2018, a collection of parlour songs from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, entitled Trees and Other Sentimental Songs of Bygone Days. He is currently working on several others, including a Christmas collection, one of Irish favorites and another which includes many of his own compositions.
CALENDAR
Upcoming Performances
14 Sept.
5:00pm
Lyric Theatre
Formal Vestibule
A Grand Night for Singing: A Tribute to Rodgers and Hammerstein
Sept. 15
5:00 pm
Lyric Theatre
Formal Vestibule
A Grand Night for Singing: A Tribute to Rodgers and Hammerstein
Sept. 15
2:00 pm
Wolk Manor
Patriotic and Americana themes
REVIEWS
“Costello has a rich, lovely voice . . . never less than crystal clear . . . a gifted young man with a future of large promise.”
~ Michael Lasser, City Newspaper
“Casey Jones Costello is a 22-year-old anachronism . . . who specializes in crooning the music of a man who died before Costello was born, Bing Crosby. . . Costello cut a slim, romantic figure as he mixed snappy music-hall patter with Crosby’s best known song[s] . . . all delivered accompanied by piano in the lightly fluttering vocals popular with singers of that day.”
~ Jeff Spevak, Democrat and Chronicle
“Casey has been a delight for our residents. His passion for music is evident in the research he provides about his songs as well as the performance of each song. His performance at The Manor House is always an anticipated event and we look forward to when he can return.”
~Rustie Reeb, Life Enrichment Director, The Manor House, Batavia, NY
“You’re completely crazy!"
~Debbie Reynolds, actress, singer, and film historian, as spoken to Casey before an audience at Lehman Theatre in the Bronx, NY after she called Casey to the stage where he sang “Tammy” (her signature song) to her.
“Singing with the delivery and grace of a bygone era . . . Costello sings these songs the way they were meant to be sung.”
~ First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival
Official Guide
“My friend Helana and I thoroughly enjoyed the many Fringe Festival presentations during the past few weeks. The last and our grand finale was an exceptional young singer by the wonderful name of Casey Jones Costello. His performance at RAPA was enchanting and he gifted us with various songs from the golden age of Broadway. Oohs and ahs preceded many of his choices as recognition and appreciation swept the audience. I predict a bright spotlight will follow this recent graduate of Nazareth College.”
~ Karen Walter-Passarell, Democrat and Chronicle
“Casey’s show was exactly what we were hoping for! He’s such an amazing talent and his pianist was spectacular as well. The audience loved him. We had Casey come for a church event and fundraiser and it was a GREAT success. He has a pleasant personality and a memorable voice. I highly recommend him for your next event. Excellent!”
~Rev. Adrian Tierson, First Presbyterian Church, Shortsville, NY