Spotlight on Christina Solazzo

Before she could even speak, she could sing.

When Christina Solazzo was a baby, her speech articulation was slightly delayed, said mom Adele Solazzo. “But when she sang, you couldn’t tell, she was able to mimic the sounds she heard.”

Christina learned to read at a young age because she was anxious to sing the songs in the hymnal at church.

Christina Solazzo as Chava in her high school
production of Fiddler on the Roof

Now 16 years old, Christina is able to move audiences with her melodious voice.

“I like that I can affect how people feel,” said Christina. “When I see that I’ve been able to make them cry, when I can control an audience, I love that I can convey that much passion.”

Christina has sung in church and school choirs her whole life. She sang with the Ruth Eckerd Hall Teen Choir for many years and has been in many musical theater productions. This past year, she played a lead role as Chava in Fiddler on the Roof at Palm Harbor University High School.

She’s studied voice extensively, including a voice intensive at Walnut Hill in Natick, Mass., and an opera program in Italy through Spoleto Study Abroad.

“One of the most import things for a young voice is to get the right training,” said Adele. That’s why, for years, she’s commuted from Palm Harbor to the Patel Conservatory in Tampa for voice lessons for Christina.

She tried other voice teachers closer to home, but “we noticed her voice was getting a little hoarse and we were concerned about that,” said Adele. “We came back to the Patel Conservatory because we wanted to find someone to help her prepare for college auditions. We wanted high quality training that would offer protection for her voice.”

Christina will be participating in our Vocal Arts Academy, which was recently featured on Fox 13's Good Day Tampa Bay.

“I’m really excited because I’ll get to work with a lot of good teachers who can help me improve in areas that I struggle with. We’ll also work on acting, posture and movement,” said Christina, who describes her style as classical and operatic.

"I like to sing opera the most because I feel like it's more difficult," she said. "I like the fact that it's a challenge."

One of her favorite artists is Regina Spektor, a Russian pop singer. “Her lyrics are very poetic, and she uses a lot of piano.”

This fall, Christina will be taking an upper level music course at her high school which will include composing. She also hopes to be a part of the thespian group, and she’ll continue private lessons at the Patel Conservatory.

“I honestly think the instruction at the Patel Conservatory has been by far the best,” she said. “They don’t try to get you to sing a certain way. They help you improve your voice and keep it safe.”


For more information about the Patel Conservatory's vocal arts program, click here.