Italian tenor Pasquale Esposito chatted about his new album and upcoming show with Carlo Ponti on December 10th in Santa Monica, California.
How did the new holiday album come about?
That’s a great question, and the title really does tell the story. My Christmas by the Bay is a nod to the two bays that have shaped my life and my holidays.
I was born by the Bay of Naples, where Christmas is all about warmth, family gathering around elaborate feasts, and the vibrant, timeless melodies of traditional Italian carols—that deep, emotional resonance you feel with songs like ‘Tu scendi dalle stelle.’ The celebration is full of light, nativity scenes, and that particular Italian joy.
Later in life, I found myself living by another beautiful bay—the San Francisco Bay. Here, I discovered a different kind of Christmas magic.
It’s a blend of many cultures, crisp winter air, sparkling lights on the hills, and the classic American holiday sounds—the jazz, the choral works, the beloved pop standards that fill the air.
This album is the soundtrack of my journey between these two worlds. It’s a compilation of the music that has touched my life during the season in both places. You’ll hear the sounds of my Neapolitan Christmases alongside the sounds of my American ones.
It’s my way of celebrating the shared spirit of the holiday—a spirit of home, nostalgia, and joy—that somehow feels both uniquely Italian, uniquely American, and ultimately, universal.
So, My Christmas by the Bay is more than a collection of songs. It’s a personal map of my Christmases, from the Mediterranean to the Pacific, and I hope it brings a sense of that dual warmth and celebration to everyone who listens.
What inspires your music and songwriting?
My inspiration always comes from the same place: personal history and the senses. The smells, the sounds, the emotional textures of a moment. For this album, that meant diving into the vivid memories of Christmases past in both of my ‘bays.’
In Italy, inspiration is the aroma of espresso and struffoli in my nonna’s kitchen, the sound of a zampogna (shepherd’s bagpipe) in the distance, and that profound sense of togetherness. In America, it’s the scent of pine and fog, the glow of fireplace light on friends’ faces, and that expansive feeling of shared wonder.
I wanted to contribute new songs to the holiday canon that spoke directly from these two halves of my heart. That’s why this compilation includes two original pieces.
The first, ‘Tutto Ricomincerà’ (‘Everything Will Begin Again’), is in the language of the bay where I was born, Italian. It’s inspired by that very Italian, very Neapolitan sense of Christmas as a luminous pause, a promise of renewal.
It’s about the quiet hope that fills the midnight Mass, the idea that with the Christmas star, everything finds a new beginning. The melody tries to capture that bittersweet, hopeful elegance.
The second original is ‘Around the Fireplace’ in English, the language of my home by the San Francisco Bay. This one is inspired by the gatherings I’ve come to love here—the crackle of the fire, the stories exchanged, the blend of old traditions and new friends. It’s a warmer, more intimate song, about the circle of light we create against the winter dark.
So, my songwriting is inspired by place and memory, but it’s ultimately about translating a feeling into melody and words.
These two originals are my way of giving back to the two cultures that have given me so much of my Christmas spirit, bookending the classic songs that taught me what the season could sound like.”
What’s your personal favorite song on the album?
That’s a tough question—like choosing a favorite child! But if I had to pick one that especially captures the heart of this project, it would be ‘Dolce Sentire.’ It holds a very special place in my heart.
The lyrics of this hymn are attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, the very saint who, in the 13th century, created the first living Nativity scene—the presepe—in Greccio, Italy. As someone born in Italy, the presepe is the absolute center of Christmas tradition; it’s a visual storytelling of humility, wonder, and incarnation.
So, to sing the words written by the man who gave us that tradition… it feels profoundly connecting. It’s a direct line back to the very roots of how my culture celebrates Christmas.
The title means ‘To Sweetly Feel’ or ‘To Sweetly Hear,’ and that’s exactly what it’s about—sensing the divine joy of Christ’s birth with a tender, open heart.
For me, this song perfectly bridges my two bays. It comes from the deepest well of Italian tradition, yet its message of gentle, joyful reverence is universal.
Recording it, I felt I was honoring both my heritage and the spiritual core of the season that I now celebrate in my American home. It’s not just a song; it’s a prayer, and a piece of history. I love it for its simplicity and its incredible depth.
How does it feel to be an artist in the digital age?
You’ve touched on the central paradox. It feels exactly like being in a vast, dense jungle. The digital age is a landscape of unimaginable opportunity—you can connect with a listener in Naples or San Francisco in an instant. Everything can happen. Your music can find its family anywhere on the globe.
But simultaneously, it’s a jungle where visibility is a constant challenge. With so much noise and so many voices, it’s also true that nothing can happen. Your work can vanish into the ether. So, the prevailing feeling is one of profound uncertainty. It’s not necessarily negative, but it is the new reality—a constant low-grade hum of ‘what if?’
And that’s where the danger comes in. This jungle demands that you be not just an artist, but a strategist, a marketer, your own tech crew.
The greatest risk is investing the most important currency you have—your time, your creative focus—into platforms or pursuits that may yield nothing. You can spend hours cultivating a digital presence only for an algorithm to change and silence you overnight.
Yet, within that danger, there’s also a liberation. For an artist like me, bridging two worlds, the digital age means I don’t have to choose one audience.
I can share my ‘Christmas by the Bay’ directly with the world from my own home. The key is navigating the jungle with intention: to remember that the core is still the music, the human connection in songs like ‘Dolce Sentire.’
The digital tools are just that—tools. They shouldn’t become the entire workshop. My job is to use them to build bridges back to the real, heartfelt emotion that inspired the album in the first place.
Are you excited about the December 10th concert in Santa Monica, California?
Oh, absolutely—I’m tremendously excited! This concert feels like the live embodiment of the album, and doing it at The Broad Stage in Santa Monica is truly special.
That venue is a jewel. I love The Broad Stage—it gives space for the music and the musicians to breathe, especially with arrangements that move between intimate Italian carols and fuller American holiday sounds.
The acoustics are stunning; they have this clarity and warmth that will do justice to everything from the quiet reverence of ‘Dolce Sentire’ to the joyful swell of our original songs.
It’s the perfect setting to bring My Christmas by the Bay to life. Sharing these songs in a live, resonant space—with the audience right there in the room—adds a whole new layer of connection. Some family and friends will be there, too, which makes it even more meaningful.
So yes, very much looking forward to December 10th. It’s going to be a beautiful night of music, memory, and celebration. I can’t wait to share it with everyone.
What’s it like to work with Maestro Carlo Ponti?
It’s a truly special collaboration. The best way to describe it is that working with Maestro Ponti feels like working with a family member. There’s a profound level of trust and shared history that allows for complete creative honesty.
In our work, there are no masks. We can always say exactly what we think—about a phrasing, an arrangement, the emotional core of a piece. That kind of direct communication is rare and precious.
There’s no ego in the way; every suggestion, every debate, is channeled toward one single goal: making a great show, creating the most powerful and authentic musical experience possible.
He brings immense expertise and a deep, intuitive understanding of music, both classical and contemporary. But more than that, he brings that familial spirit—a sense of common purpose and mutual respect.
For an album like My Christmas by the Bay, which is so personal to me, having a collaborator who operates with that kind of supportive yet challenging honesty was invaluable. It allowed us to refine the soundscape of the two bays together, ensuring every note served the story.
What is your advice for young and emerging artists?
I would return to the analogy of the jungle, because it’s so true. My advice is to enter it with clear eyes.
Living in the jungle—the creative life—is beautiful. You are always in direct contact with the raw, inspiring force of your passion and art. There’s no filter. That intimacy with your craft is a privilege and a joy.
But a jungle is also inherently dangerous. The terrain is unpredictable. The weather changes. Not everything is as it seems. In artistic terms, that means the path is rarely linear. Success isn’t guaranteed, and the industry—especially the digital landscape—can be volatile.
So, my most practical advice is this: Always work on your Plan B while you’re fully committed to Plan A.
Your Plan A is your music—give it everything. Pour your heart into it like I did with My Christmas by the Bay. Be authentic, be relentless, and build your unique sound.
But in parallel, without shame or distraction, cultivate a Plan B. This isn’t a betrayal of your dream; it’s a strategic foundation that allows you to keep dreaming.
Plan B could be a skill—teaching, sound engineering, another field entirely—that sustains you. It’s what protects your most important asset: your time and your peace of mind.
With that foundation, you can create from a place of freedom, not desperation. You can enjoy the beauty of the jungle without being consumed by its dangers.
What does the word success mean to you?
To me, success is not a distant peak to be summited, but a sustainable state of being.
My definition is this: Success is when you can do what you love to do and support yourself doing it.
It’s that beautiful, sometimes elusive, intersection of passion and practicality. It means waking up and dedicating your time to the craft that gives your life meaning—whether that’s composing, performing, or connecting with an audience through songs from your heart—and having that work provide the foundation for your life.
This definition moves the goalpost away from fleeting external markers—like fame or viral moments, which are so unpredictable in our digital ‘jungle’—and plants it firmly in the realm of daily fulfillment. It’s about creating a life where your art isn’t just a hobby or a dream, but a viable, integral part of your existence.
For me, with this album My Christmas by the Bay, success is being able to bridge my two homes through music, to tell that personal story, and to have that expression resonate enough to allow me to continue doing it.
It’s the freedom to keep creating from a place of authenticity, not desperation. It’s a modest, but deeply powerful, kind of victory.
What would you like to say to your fans about the new music and the upcoming show in Santa Monica?
I would say, from the very bottom of my heart, that you are my gift from God. This journey—from the Bay of Naples to the San Francisco Bay, to this album, to this stage—would have no light, no sound, and no meaning without you.
This music, My Christmas by the Bay, is my story, but it becomes our story when you listen. You are the reason these memories and melodies get to live and breathe.
So, for every stream, every shared post, every kind word, and every ticket to the show: thank you, thank you, thank you.
And I invite you to come together at the beautiful Broad Stage in Santa Monica on December 10th. Let’s share that night.
Let’s feel the acoustic warmth, sing along, and celebrate this season of gratitude and renewal—together. I can’t wait to give this music back to you in person.
To learn more about his upcoming December 10th show in Santa Monica, California with Maestro Carlo Ponti, click here.
For more information on Pasquale Esposito, visit his official website and follow him on Instagram.
