The debut recordings by Riccardo Foresi feature Rob Mounsey - arranger/pianist (Aaron Neville, Tony Bennett, Peter Cincotti , Usher, Steely Dan), Larry Saltzman - guitar (Chris Botti, Madeleine Peyroux, Paul Simon), Ben Wittman - drums (Paula Cole, Laurie Anderson) and Rich Hammond - bass (Gavin DeGraw, Mose Allison, Diane Reeves).

Captured live in the studio, produced by Rob and Wayne Cohen (Curtis Stigers, Eternal, Martin Sexton, Jennifer Love Hewitt), these tracks were recorded and mixed at Shelter Island Sound (NYC) by Steve Addabbo (Suzanne Vega, Shawn Colvin, Ingrid Michaelson).

"Riccardo is a back to the future crooner. He is a pure timeless romantic spirit." - hit songwriter/producer Wayne Cohen

"Really enjoyed the music very much, enjoyed his singing, his personality, his sincerity, he has a lot of emotion, he has a great young sound, kind of an update on a classic sound, very strong songs, so it's been great fun to be part of it." - hit producer Rob Mounsey

I was invited to perform yesterday at the fund raiser for the victims of the earthquake that hit L'aquila, Italy a little more than a month ago....It was so inspiring to see that help continues for the those who lost everything.

Two soccer teams played a 90 minute game including one team of players from L'aquila. It was very touching.

I was honored to be part of this important event, and my performance seemed to be much appreciated...The event went on for the whole afternoon and the money raised went to the survivors. I really enjoyed the spirit of the participants in the benefit who wanted to give back.

A good thing on a good day....

Recently I was in NYC again, working with Wayne putting together the songs to record. I never dreamed I'd be lucky enough to work with such an incredible group of musicians. Having these musical heavyweights agree to join me on my journey to create these recordings gives me confidence and reinforces all the things that my family and friends have been saying to me about my work. To convince these incredible artists that you've got something worthwhile is actually a big achievement. The idea that they would all come together to invest in my project and to help me express my musical vision is better than any dream. This has been a long time coming and I can't wait to share it.

Riccardo Foresi began his journey in a house in the Italian hills filled with music. When asked if she remembered when he first started showing interest in music, his mom recalled, "you were singing the day you were born." Starting at age 6, Riccardo's father and grandfather signed him up for music school, and two years later he started studying trumpet. By age 10 he was enrolled in the music conservatory of Fermo. He graduated 7 years later with the highest grades given at the conservatory. While it seemed likely that Riccardo's journey would lead him to be a trumpet player in the classical music world, the music playing on his mother's radio caused a detour, as he fell in love with pop songs and singers.

Starting in the marching band in his small home town, by the time he turned 15 Riccardo was already a full time musician. His versatility and dedication led him to perform in many different situations: at weddings and festivals, in pop/rock and jazz bands, in brass quintets and as lead trumpet in classical orchestras.

At 19, determined to learn English, Riccardo moved to Canada where he also studied jazz at McEwan College in Edmonton. Then in 2003-4 he toured throughout Italy. After that, driven by his spirit and determination, Riccardo moved to NYC. He recalls "the day I arrived in New York, I thought 'How is this possible, with all of these people?' But after three hours of walking around, from Times Square to Little Italy, I began to understand the spirit, and the warmth of this city."

His unique talents were quickly recognized and Riccardo soon found himself collaborating with some of the industry's most successful pop writer/producers including Wayne Cohen, Jeff Franzel, Jorgen Eloffson, Sharon Vaughn, and Gary Baker, and industry executives Eric Beall and Eddie O'Loughlin.

Now, inspired by both the landscapes of Italy and the streets of New York, Riccardo uses the romance and passion of his voice to create a uniquely powerful musical fusion that combines the dramatic heat of opera and the coolness of soulful pop music.