Standing ovations may be de rigueur these days for powerhouse Gold Coast tenor, David De Vito, but when his rendition of the Sinatra classic My Way brought the entire audience to their feet on Australia’s Got Talent, it earned him a triple thumbs-up from the judges and a ticket to the next round.
If voters get behind David De Vito and he continues to strike the right chord with the judges, there’s a one in 40 chance the 37-year old Coomera father of two could bring home the $250,000 prize money.
At 187cm tall, David’s giant stature is matched by an extraordinarily powerful voice, which critics have likened to the late, great opera singer, Luciano Pavarotti.
“My voice has been recorded at 152 decibels. To put that into context, a soft-voiced singer probably sings at around 70-80 decibels, rock singers may hit 90-100 decibels.
“I am what’s classified as a ‘Dramatic Tenor’. Pavarotti was a dramatic tenor, that’s why he was best known for having an unusually powerful voice. Other world-famous tenors like Bocelli and Carreras are lyric tenors,” says David.
Many Gold Coasters will remember David as the ‘Singing Chef’ at the popular Labrador restaurant, Ciao, which he sold in 2006 so he could concentrate on his singing career.
“I would spend the entire night cooking for around 300 people, and none of them would leave. They would all be out there waiting for me to come out of the kitchen, which was usually around 11 o’clock.
“I would still be wearing my chef’s apron, covered in flour and sauce, and I would sing until about 1am, sometimes longer,” says David.
“My parents and brothers often joined me at the restaurant for family sing-alongs. We had quite a following.”
David’s father Silvio De Vito from Molendinar was a professional opera singer, who ran a catering business in Adelaide for many years before moving to the Gold Coast.
David recalls some of his earliest memories of music were his father’s passionate renditions of songs such as O Sole Mio and Nessun Dorma. Unfortunately, David says, his father is in the early stages of dementia, so he has dedicated his performances on Australia’s Got Talent to him.
“When I was four, I insisted my parents buy me a black suit so I could dress up like Dad and sing alongside him on stage. Thirty years on, I still love nothing more.
“I want to do this show, and win this show, for my Dad, while he still remembers me. He is my inspiration to be who I am, to perform.”
David’s next appearance in the semi-finals of Australia’s Got Talent airs on Tuesday 14 June. Voting lines will open for the first time on this night.
He also appears at the Gold Coast Arts Centre on Saturday 25 June. Tickets are $100 for dinner and show and $49 for show only. Tickets are available from the Arts Centre on 5588 4000.
I worked in his Restaurant 2002, I life in Germany and I can truly say, my best memories of Australia are from my time working in his restaurant. When I hear a song in the readio sometimes it brings me back to the time when I worked in CIAO. He was a great boss and a great guy with a voice you just want to join in and sing along. Just pure great. Best regards from Germany Alexander