Croton-on-Hudson Mom Pursues Her Musical Passion
Bianca Mancinelli doesn’t need a lot to feel content.
“The sun’s out and I’m happy,” said the Croton-on-Hudson mother of three, 40, who recorded her first album, “Never Satisfied,” in September. “Every day that I can do this is a blessing.”
Mancinelli was born in Italy and resided in Rome until she was five before relocating to New York City. She lived there until 2003, when she moved with her family to Westchester County.
A trained astrophysicist, she said she began to realize she found that career unfulfilling about five years and moved to her other passion: music.
“Up until about 35 or 40, you’re kind of living with a borrowed identity. And then you kind of go through this self-questioning process,” she said.
Mancinelli said her reinvention has proven to her “there’s life after 40” — a message she said she tries to stress to women who’ve “fallen into that trap.”
“Sometimes I want to shake them and say, ‘Hey, you’re still alive, you’re vital, and vibrant, and you need to celebrate that,’ ” she said. “It’s like, ‘Look, I;m still singing, I’ve had a change of careers, no you’re not dead at 40, you can still have a vibrant life.’ ”
At 6 p.m. on Sunday, June 10, Mancinelli will perform at the Rockwood Music Hall in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. On August 2, she’ll perform a show at the Winery at St. George in Mohegan Lake.
She said she appreciates the quietness of Croton-on-Hudson — a nice break from the hustle and bustle of New York City.
“For me, I’m kind of in the boondocks,” she said. “Certainly, the quietness and solitude of it is very supportive of creativity. It’s really beautiful where I am.”
She describes her music as a blend of jazz and R&B, though she said she’s gotten comparisons to everyone from Laura Nyro to Joni Mitchell.
“Some of it’s sexy and kind of sassy and kind of tongue-in-cheek,” she said, adding that she enjoys bantering with her audience at live gigs. “There’s this funky R&B thing, there’s blues, there’s a little bit of jazz overtones. I love rock, so that’s in there.”
Mancinelli said she’s grateful for the support she gets from her family, particularly from her husband.
“He sits in the audience and I know that, no matter what I’m feeling onstage, I just need to find his face in the audience and all is right with the world,” she said.
Though Mancinelli’s not sure when she’ll release a second album — though she’s excited by the idea, saying “The ears go up, ilke, ‘Second album?!’ ” — she says she’s grateful she followed her heart and pursued her passion by changing careers.
“When I’m sitting at my piano writing, I’m so grateful that the muses are still coming to visit me,” she said, smiling. “I’m blessed.”
For more information on Mancinelli, visit her website at www.biancasgroove.com.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.