21-year-old Joe Giacinto recently got the chance to live out his dream by playing the National Anthem at a major sporting event for the Atlanta Hawks.
MESA, Ariz. — A Mesa clarinet player, who’s blind and autistic, recently got the chance to live out his dream by playing the National Anthem at a major sporting event for the Atlanta Hawks.
21-year-old Joe Giacinto spoke with 12News, sharing more on how it all happened and his message for others aspiring to learn.
Giacinto was recorded playing the National Anthem before the Park University Buccaneers Women’s Basketball home opener against Nelson in Gilbert.
The caption on the video said, “His dream is to play the National Anthem at a major sporting event.”
“They posted video on Instagram, and it now has more than 2 million views,” said Giacinto.
That video has now reached more than 2.3 million views.
“It’s crazy,” he said. “It means a lot that so many people are inspired.”
NBA star Dominique Wilkins saw the video and flew him out from Phoenix to Atlanta to play the national anthem at an Atlanta Hawks game.
“It was amazing,” said Giacinto. “I’ve never been to Atlanta, so I was very fortunate to have my mom come along with… a huge thanks to KultureCity.”
He said he could feel the excitement.
“Yeah, I could tell it was a very energetic crowd,” he proclaimed. “It gave me the encouragement, and I was a little nervous at first, but like once I started playing, my fears just kind of melted away.”
And meeting Dominique Wilkins was something he will never forget.
“It was really, really cool… so, I got to meet him as I was getting set up to play,” he said. “My mom took some nice photos, and then during halftime I got to meet him again, took some more photos. He signed a jersey that I bought from Dick’s, and I also gave him one of my business cards… yes, you know it says, ‘Looking for gigs.’”
After all, he’s been playing for almost 10 years.
“Just the sound… I listened to classical music a lot when I was a child, and especially loved the clarinet solos,” said Giacinto. “It soothed me so much… It’s rich tone and beautiful sounds… it gives me the goosebumps.”
It is hard for him to pick a favorite tune to play, because he knows more than a hundred by heart.
“I know I can play genres, classical, jazz… jazz pop fusion,” he said.
And how long it takes to memorize a song varies.
“It depends on the difficulty level, but usually two or three listens,” said Giacinto.
That’s right – just two or three listens, and he’s got it!
And while we’re all still in awe at how talented he is, he’s still amazed by the popularity he’s gained so quickly.
“It is wild,” said Giacinto. “I was not expecting this.”
He shared the thrill of it all – living out his dream.
“Yeah, because my family grew up listening to sports,” he said. “My mom used to play basketball, high school and through college… my brothers currently play football.”
And so, Giacinto said this was his chance to get out there and do his part.
For others out there aspiring to play?
“If they try and put the effort in, they got this,” he said.
Giacinto is encouraging you to live out your dream, too.
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