BUFFALO, NY - Canisius Magazine's conversation with the voice coach to the stars continues here, as Anselmo shares stories about what Phyllis Diller once told him, who his favorite performer is and what he really thinks about those reality talent shows.
CM: When you were young, you imagined that someday you would live among the stars. Then you went out and lived that life.
AA: I knew it was the life I wanted, and fortunately for me I had a good voice. When I was a teenager, I read The Secret of the Ages by Robert Collier. The mind is a very powerful tool. I taught all my students - the most important thing is to know how you are going to attain your goals.
CM: Since you grew up during the Great Depression, it’s interesting that your parents supported your decision to sing, rather than insist you get a factory job, or pursue something more practical, so to speak.
AA: They told me, ‘marry a rich girl, and you have to get a college degree!’
CM: Tell me an interesting celebrity story that people might not know about you.
AA: One summer I was the opening act for Phyllis Diller. When first I met her, she was so quiet, not the zany woman you would expect. When I auditioned for Phyllis, she told me, “You are a male Barbra Streisand.” I will never forget those words. When I went on tour with her, Phyllis would sit and listen to my show every night before her act. I asked her why she did that. She said “you help prepare me for my show.” What a dear, wonderful person.
CM: Who was your favorite student?
AA: Geraldine Fitzgerald (star of Dark Victory and Wuthering Heights). I admired her and her work for years before I actually met her. Geraldine told me that she always wanted to take voice lessons, but everyone told her she couldn’t sing. I said, “I can make you sing, love can do anything!” We hit it off immediately and Geraldine was my student for 35 years. She knew a lot of the big stars, and referred them to me for voice lessons. Sometimes she would pay for their first 10 lessons to be sure they would show up. One of them was Mandy Patinkin.
CM: Do you still teach?
AA: I have a few students. The main student I teach I auditioned 15 years ago, when she was just nine years old. Her name is Caroline Jones. I don’t normally work with students that young, but when I met her, she had this energy and beauty about her. So I auditioned her. That was the beginning of a wonderful relationship. Caroline is now 24 and has a beautiful voice. She is currently working with Stedman, Oprah Winfrey’s partner, doing performances and teaching at underprivileged schools. She plays the piano, guitar and harmonica and writes her own songs. Caroline has it.
CM: Do you still sing?
AA: No, I think I’ve gotten lazy at 91! But I know a wonderful pianist that I think I will get a hold of, because you know it never really goes away. It will be good for me. If people ask me to sing, I will!
CM: What do you think of all the reality shows on television that claim to discover the next big vocal star?
AA: I think they are awful. These kids are thrown into the business too young, and they are not educated. And the judges, they are the worst. I have never heard one of them say, “you have a really nice voice, you should take singing lessons.”
