Vanessa Vacanti | Live From The Palace Theater
“Latte Biscotte” | Vanessa Vacanti Live at the Palace Theater
“I Remember Love” | Vanessa Vacanti Live at the Palace Theater
“The Porch” | Vanessa Vacanti Live at the Palace Theater
“Sentimental Conversation” | Vanessa Vacanti Live at the Palace Theater
Vacanti | Artist In Residence Interview
Produced and performed during Vanessa Vancanit Artist in Residence weekend at Arts at the Palace, these songs originated from New York City-based composer Susan Reichen and was reimagined by Vanessa Vancanti on vocals, Matthew Vacanti on bass, Mark Shiner on drums and Dave Solazzo on piano.
🎙️ Music by Vanessa Vancanti
📍 Filmed at Arts at the Palace, Hamilton, NY
🎬 Cinematography by Ryan John Lee
🎧Audio Mix/Engineer by Henry Howard
Project Release: Vanessa Vacanti
Generations of Jazz
Arts at the Palace’s Artist in Residence program was created to invite emerging artists to Hamilton, offering them the time, space and resources to take their work to the next level. We were introduced to Vanessa Vacanti, a jazz vocalist from Buffalo, NY, after booking her for Thursdays on the Village Green summer concert series (July 31st, 2025), and quickly knew she’d be an ideal fit.
For Vanessa the weekend became a deeply personal project - centered around five never-before-heard songs written years ago by her grandmother’s close friend, New York City-based composer Susan Reichen. Discovering the unfinished works sparked Vanessa’s vision for the weekend: bring these dormant songs to life through collaboration, arrangement, and performance. The result was one of our most memorable public showcases to date, with Susan herself traveling from the Hudson Valley with her daughter to attend the live performance. “I feel very grateful to have had this opportunity with her.”
Vanessa’s roots in music run deep. Growing up in a home with her jazz bassist father and percussionist mother, her love for vocal performance emerged with her introduction to musical theater. Though she pursued musical theater formally in college, jazz eventually called her back. “I found my way back to the jazz style and began studying with great teachers such as Nancy Kelly, Kim Nazarian, and Nick Weiser,” she explained. “Through this, I found the confidence to pursue vocal jazz as a solo career after graduation.”
Like many artists, Vanessa’s major challenge is learning to trust herself and her artistic choices, choosing how you want to present yourself as an artist. Surrounded by a music industry full of strong opinions about how to “sell” your work, she’s focused on staying true to the music she loves. The Western New York music community has played a key role in that process, connecting her with diverse musicians and giving her the confidence to explore and grow.
Photo by Ryan John Lee
Vanessa arrived for the residency with a handpicked ensemble - Dave Solazzo on piano, Mark Shiner on drums, and her father Matthew Vacanti on bass. Together, they explored different grooves and styles, shaping each piece through open and creative rehearsal. “I came into the weekend with a few ideas, what “feels” I wanted the tunes to be in, whether I wanted them to be developed into bossas, swing, or funk - then the musicians helped me turn those ideas into beautiful recordings,” she shared.
The Artist in Residence program gave Vanessa the space to take creative risks - something she identified as rare and meaningful. “Working for a weekend in Hamilton allowed me to take away the pressure of time and just work - arrange, come up with ideas, test them out, fail a little, and then start over,” she said. “It is the dream to be in a space with musicians who just want to see your music come to life.”
At the showcase, Vanessa reflected on how meaningful it was to perform for a room filled with people deeply connected to the music - her mother, sister, and grandmother, along with Susan Reichen and Susan’s daughter. Beyond that personal connection, she noted the Hamilton community, “It is wonderful to know that the people who are coming out to see an out-of-town jazz musician performing original music are the people who are really there to listen and experience it with you,” she said. “I am always grateful to be in a room with such an audience.”
Vanessa’s residency underscores the mission of Arts at the Palace’s Artist in Residence program - to create a supportive environment for artists to grow, connect and share. Through meaningful collaborations, production support, and public performance, artists leave Hamilton not only with recorded work but with clarity around their artistic identity and vision for what comes next.
We can’t wait for you to hear Vanessa LIVE this week and hope you enjoying watching her live recordings of the music she will be performing at Thursdays on the Village Green!
Learn more about Vanessa on her website or Instagram @vanessa_vacanti_
Photo by Ryan John Lee
