Meet The Jersey City Bartender Who Doubles As A Met Opera Singer

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Razza in Jersey City is known for its delicious pizza and flavorful cocktails, but it has a secret right behind the bar you might not have known about — bartender T.J. Capobianco is a singer with the Metropolitan Opera.

While Razza's head chef Dan Richer is feeding your taste buds, Capobianco can feed your eardrums with some opera notes, if you ask of course. Most of the time, Capobianco is happy to mix drinks and chat politely with coworkers. It wasn't until a few weeks ago, when a customer recognized Capobianco and asked him to sing a few notes, that his coworkers realized.

"If they weren't aware after the few times I have sung, they're aware now," Capobianco laughed.

He's a tenor with the Met Opera, and the power behind his voice needs no introduction. On Friday, a woman and her daughter and mother recognized him as they passed through Razza's outdoor dining setup. They asked him to sing a few lines, and within the first refrain, the block in front of City Hall stood still to listen to Capobianco's belt. Applause rang out as people craned their necks to see who was singing. Capobianco gave a bashful bow and thanked the group that stopped him before heading back inside.

"No one's ever stopped me like that or asked for my picture," Capobianco said, "It was really nice to be noticed in that way and know that people are still finding a way to appreciate the arts."

Capobianco lives in Jersey City and had a contract with the Met Opera for a season that had ended just before January 2020. He was supposed to sign on for another season right after, but the coronavirus pandemic shut theaters across the country, including the Metropolitan Opera. The closure hit Capobianco hard, like many other performers.

"It was a gut-punch," Capobianco said, "I'm still early in my career, so to lose a year like that, a lot of things come under siege all at once."

As the son of two chefs, Capobianco said he always felt comfortable in restaurants and immediately kept himself afloat with jobs in the industry. This past May, he found Razza through a friend and joined the team as a bartender.

"When I walked in I just knew the dynamic and vibe would be perfect, it's a great fit," Capobianco said, "Being an opera singer and working at an Italian restaurant is a pretty happy accident."

Music and performing have been part of his life from a young age. Capobianco spent his high school years in musical theater programs and voice lessons, hoping to one day be on Broadway. His voice teachers noticed the power behind his voice, and suggested opera instead. By the time he was a sophomore at Temple University in Philadelphia, Capobianco was making his transition from musical theater to opera singing.

This fall, Capobianco will join the Met Opera for another season, with plans for a continuation into spring 2022. Come October, Capobianco will be back on the Path train, heading into Manhattan for rehearsals. Until then, he said he's happy to oblige customers with a taste of the opera right in Jersey City.

If you ask him for a song, he'll likely belt out a snippet of an aria called "Nessun dorma" from Giacomo Puccini's opera "Turandot." It's Capobianco's go-to song. The emotional aria follows Calaf's monologue as he falls in love at first sight with a princess.

As a bartender, Capobianco said the drink he identifies best with the aria would be Razza's Italian lemonade — the mint brings the same unexpected feeling as the power of the aria, he said.

"It's a heroic piece and people seem to like the high note at the end," Capobianco chuckled.

You'll most likely catch him sipping on a full-bodied red wine when he's not behind the bar. He's a fan of the classics, both in drinks and music, and if you're lucky, he might give you a taste.

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