Simple, music is the only international language. You don’t need to read or understand the music to be able to feel the music. I have had incredible shows with musicians from all over the world and we would be using Google Translate to talk before the show or during the rehearsal. It would be a mess, ha! However, when the show starts all we have to do is look a certain way to be able to understand what is going to happen next. Music has no borders!
As a part of our series about stars who are making an important social impact, I had the pleasure of interviewing Nick Stefanacci.
Pop/Jazz Saxophonist, music educator and philanthropist Nick Stefanacci has been a lover of music and performance his entire life. Having started playing saxophone at age 5, he began performing at 16 with the then-rising southern rock guitarist, Derek Trucks. Stefanacci has since worked with some of the industry elite, including, Latin Grammy Award Winning Rock Group, Diamante Electrico, Hip-Hop Legends Ja Rule and DMC (RunDMC), Cindy Bradley, Dog Eat Dog, Bernard “Pretty” Purdie, and The Four Tops to name a few. Stefanacci was also the featured Saxophonist in the Series Finale of NBC’s Smash Hit, Lipstick Jungle, starring Brooke Shields. As a prolific composer, Nick has released 7 solo albums to date (4 full-length and 3 EPs), with his fourth EP, Secrets, coming in May 2024.
Thank you so much for joining us on this interview series. Can you share with us the backstory that led you to this career path?
Thanks so much for having me! Sure, music has always been a part of my life, and when it became my career the next logical step was to ask how I could give back. It’s a blessing to be able to do what you love and if you do not try to pay that forward, then I feel that you are missing the bigger picture. So my nonprofit music festival (The Promise Music Festival) was the culmination of my love for music and my experience of working with special needs children while being a music educator. Those interactions truly showed me how blessed I am and how music can affect one’s life. Without those students, I am not sure if The Promise Music Festival would be in existence.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I wouldn’t call it a funny mistake, but the very first festival nearly bankrupted me. I honestly do not know what happened. We had it all from location, publicity, sponsors, food trucks, great talent, and a beautiful spring day. We literally had 10 paying customers. That was a serious gut check. The lesson was to scale things back a bit and make sure that expenses would be covered, but more importantly, do not give up on what you believe in.
What would you advise a young person who wants to emulate your success?
I tell all my students to be more successful than me. Relentlessly chase your dreams and you’ll be surprised as to where you end up. You cannot be afraid to work hard, make sacrifices and fail. You only learn from your failures…you don’t learn from your successes.
Is there a person that made a profound impact on your life? Can you share a story?
I have honestly been blessed to have many phenomenal mentors throughout my life but I would have to say the biggest impact comes from the man I still see at dinner, my father. He has taught me so much about life and how to approach it. He is probably the most giving, least selfish person I know, and no matter what curveball life throws at him he will still pick up the phone when you call, with a smile on, and ask how he can help. There are countless stories of my father being screwed 7 ways from Sunday and it never has affected who he is and how he treats people. That’s the legacy I want to leave behind! Money and fame are all nonsense; it’s how you are remembered!
How are you using your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting causes you’re working on right now?
Sure, my nonprofit music festival that I previously mentioned is gearing up for a major reboot; so be on the lookout. If you or any of your readers/followers would like to be a sponsor, please do not hesitate to reach out via the website above!
However, I just started collaborating with a dear friend of mine to start a new scholarship fund and this is going to get really interesting. We are developing a huge gala fundraiser and I cannot wait to share it with you all when the time is right! Hopefully, we can do a feature article together about that to announce it!!
Can you share with us a story behind why you chose to take up this particular cause?
I already discussed the story behind my festival. So we can talk about this new foundation/scholarship. As I mentioned, my dear friend Rich Aveo, and I perform all the time and we have become family throughout the years. A while back we just had a chance to catch up and we just started talking about the future and what we would like to do. Somehow we got discussing my festival and then it snowballed into Rich’s idea about this scholarship and immediately it clicked. We have to do this! Life is funny because all of my past experiences have led to this new exciting foundation and I would never be able to draw a map of how all of my experiences would culminate to this moment; it’s truly inspiring. It’s a lesson in never saying “no” to an opportunity. If you can do it, go do it!
Can you share with us a story about a person who was impacted by your cause?
The music festival has been working with CHOP (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia) and the proceeds go to any effort they are currently in need of. The scholarship will be launched in 2025, so we hope to be able to help many bright, young students achieve their goals for years to come.
Are there three things or are there things that individuals, society, or the government can do to support you in this effort?
Absolutely, it takes a village to make change! We are always looking for partnerships/sponsors for the music festival. The scholarship will be looking for donors to help fundraise and get this ready to help change lives. If anyone is interested, the best way to contact me is via email — [email protected]. I wouldn’t count on the government for anything except to tax me more 😉
Why do you think music in particular has the power to create social change and create a positive impact on humanity?
Simple, music is the only international language. You don’t need to read or understand the music to be able to feel the music. I have had incredible shows with musicians from all over the world and we would be using Google Translate to talk before the show or during the rehearsal. It would be a mess, ha! However, when the show starts all we have to do is look a certain way to be able to understand what is going to happen next. Music has no borders!
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started”?
Ha, that’s simple. It would be Music? Really, music? Music? Come on, music? Ok, music?
All out of concern and love for how I would be able to survive, not to diminish my dreams or anything but just to simply make sure I can live life.
I try to teach my students everything I can to give them an advantage and it does not matter because it only comes down to your age and experiences. You cannot tell someone something they don’t want to hear. If they are not ready to hear it, then they won’t listen. I tell them all the time, I can only bring you to the water, I cannot make you drink it. Most high school students are not ready to drink it…
You’re a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
In this particular country, I would love to try a social experiment in which we get rid of all the labels. Labels are great, especially for food and allergies, etc…however all of our human labels (race, sex, gender, etc.) are extremely divisive. One thing that I have noticed from traveling and meeting so many amazing people is that in other countries they do not refer to themselves for example as Italian German, or African French, or Dominican Swedish. Instead, they say that they are German, French, etc…That does not mean that they forget their heritage or abandon who they are. They simply have a deeper connection to their nationalism. It’s rather quite interesting I think. If we all embraced that we are American, what would that do to race relations? I am not saying to forget who you are and where you come from, quite the opposite. Always remember who you are, but as a sense of a nation, let’s come together under one theme, America.
Can you please give us your favorite life lesson quote? And can you explain how that was relevant in your life?
“You have to go places to see things.” — My Uncle Marty!
It circles back to never saying “no.” If I had said no to certain gigs, events, or whatever, I would have never seen so much or experienced so many marvelous things in my short time here. I’m not that old, and I feel that I have lived 3 lives already. You have to go places to see things! It’s the best way to learn!
We are blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
Jay-Z! I think he gets it, you know. It would be amazing to talk with him about all of my different philanthropic endeavors and see how we might be able to collaborate to bring change to this world. If you look at everything he is involved in outside of music, yeah, I think he gets it! Besides, getting to talk shop about music too would be a revelation I think…you know, wink, wink 😉
Thank you so much for these amazing insights. This was so inspiring, and we wish you continued success!
Music Stars Making a Social Impact: Why & How Nick Stefanacci Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.