Good Bye and Good Luck to Local Music Director and AWHS Alumnus

Fairfield native and UB music graduate Anthony Procaccini, a 1976 graduate of Andrew Warde High School, recently finished six fruitful years of service to Saint Patrick Church, Bridgeport. This historic church, now known as the Cathedral Parish, officially merged with the former Saint Augustine Parish, also of Bridgeport, on Sunday, January 15.

During his term as Music Director, Procaccini, pictured below, saw the Adult Choir grow in size, while bringing them “off-campus” for multi-denominational ecumenical services and to assist a Christmas-time “Toys for Tots” drive at the nearby Westfield Mall (see last photo below).

“Saint Patrick’s Parish and the former Saint Patrick’s School were venues where previous generations of my family worshipped and studied, after my ancestors first arrived in Bridgeport from Italy in 1913,” Procaccini said recently. “Many current parishioners were quick to make me aware of this when I started there in 2006. It was like coming home for me, in more ways than one.” The 100-year anniversary of the dedication of the church’s magnificent upper sanctuary, scheduled for 2013, coincides with the afore-mentioned milestone in Procaccini’s family history.

At Saint Patrick’s, he developed and produced four successful Guest Artists Days, featuring the likes of soprano Elizabeth Knauer, baritone Thomas Woodman, and bassist Stephan Lang.

Until the recent merger, the Saint Patrick rectory served as the unofficial headquarters of the B.A.C.I.O., Inc.-sponsored Annual Community Christmas Carol Sing-Along, an event attended by the Reverend Bishop William E. Lori in both 2010 and 2011. The music program for this popular and growing event was created in its initial year 2007 and produced each year thereafter by Procaccini, with strong support from his former choir members.

Many of the events detailed above, both in the church and outside of it, were recognized by and garnered attention from the community at large since Procaccini, also a writer and editor, submitted articles, blurbs and letters to the editor to numerous local publications. The writings largely extolled the many positive facets of his former parish and its choir.

In addition to directing the Adult Choir, Procaccini was accompanist for a Children’s Choir headed by Mark Halstead (pictured below to Procaccini's right), a local architect, Bridgeport historian and a member of the Greater Bridgeport Youth Orchestra board of directors. Procaccini also initiated and produced a program of Gospel-based music in collaboration with highly-acclaimed Jazz artist Chris Coogan and vocalist Michele Grace. Unfortunately, this program met an early demise, due to the deepening financial problems incurred by all in 2008. Many parishioners, though, expressed their hope that it would continue at another juncture, but this was not to be the case.

Mr. Procaccini will continue in his career endeavors as a multi-instrument musician – in addition to singing and choral conducting, he plays piano, organ, string bass and bass guitar – while adding translating and interpreting of Italian-English, his expertise as a Frank Sinatra historian, and, time permitting, one or two other endeavors to be revealed at a later time. “The transition away from Saint Patrick’s will not necessarily be easy, but I look forward to the challenge, and the changes it entails,” he says.

The parish gave Procaccini a warm send-off during the weekend of January 7 and 8.