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Alissa Musto is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. As a child she won piano competitions while placed in older divisions and debuted on the national series ''
America's Most Talented Kid ''America's Most Talented Kid'' is an American television series that premiered on NBC on March 28, 2003. In each round, three age groups (3–7, 8–12, 13–16) of talented children would perform songs, dance numbers, magic (illusion), magic, a ...
'' at nine years old. She is best known for being crowned
Miss Massachusetts The Miss Massachusetts competition is a scholarship pageant put on annually by the Miss Massachusetts Scholarship Foundation, Inc. The winner of the pageant receives the title of Miss Massachusetts and represents the state of Massachusetts at th ...
2016 and competing at the 2017
Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 18 and 28. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is judged on competition segments with scoring percentages: ''Priva ...
Pageant, where she placed in the top 15.


Early life

Growing up in Massachusetts, Alissa Musto started studying classical piano at five years old, inspired by her father, Billy Musto, a professional pianist. Performing pieces by Mozart, Beethoven and Bach, Musto won several piano competitions, talent shows and was featured on local television and news programs including NBC's "Spotlight On the Student Artist". To help her combat stage fright, Musto's father took her to nursing homes where she would regularly perform for the residents. In February 2005, at the age of nine, Musto made her debut on national television, ''
America's Most Talented Kid ''America's Most Talented Kid'' is an American television series that premiered on NBC on March 28, 2003. In each round, three age groups (3–7, 8–12, 13–16) of talented children would perform songs, dance numbers, magic (illusion), magic, a ...
''. She performed a medley of
Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
and
Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American pianist, singer, and songwriter. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock 'n' roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis m ...
. Upon returning home from the show, Musto won several large regional talent competitions including New England Performs, Rhode Island's Got Talent and ''Talent Quest'' TV Show. Juggling a rigorous academic schedule along with her musical endeavors, Alissa received national recognition as one of four nationwide artists to be sponsored by Music & Arts Center with new musical equipment and scholarships as part of their "Find Your Voice" competition, "Piano Act of the Year" in the Wonderworld TV Golden Ribby Awards, top 3 in the Music On & Up Showcase grand finale, top 10 (out of 45,000 entires] in KidzBop KidzStar USA and a nomination for "Female Vocalist of the Year" in the 2011 Limelight Music Awards. Musto became a spokesperson for the environmental organization, Project GreenSchools. As a "Green Rocker Ambassador", she was a featured performer on several New England tour dates at schools, fairs and other venues. Additionally, Musto wrote the program's theme song, which she was invited to perform at the Massachusetts State House, where she was presented with a citation from the Massachusetts House of Representatives presented her with a citation. Until high school, Musto attended
St. Mary Academy – Bay View St. Mary Academy – Bay View is an all-girls Catholic school, serving girls and young women from pre-school through grade twelve. Bay View is located in Riverside, Rhode Island. It was founded by the Religious Sisters of Mercy in 1874. It is loc ...
, an all-girls, Catholic school, where she was the pianist in the orchestra. She then attended the
Providence Country Day School The Providence Country Day School (often abbreviated to the initials PCD) is a co-educational independent school founded in 1923. Located in East Providence, Rhode Island, United States, it serves 375 students in grades PreK through 12. The s ...
, where she was a member of the jazz ensemble and captain of both state-championship winning tennis and mock trial teams. Dubbed "Rising Stars of Jazz", Alissa's high school jazz quartet was selected to open for trumpet legend,
Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, and music instructor, who is currently the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has been active in promoting classical and jazz music, often to young ...
at the
Veterans Memorial Auditorium (Providence, Rhode Island) Veterans Memorial Auditorium (The VETS; formerly VMA) is a performing arts theater in Providence, Rhode Island. Construction began in 1928 but was delayed by the Great Depression. The theater was finally completed in 1950. Noted local architect ...
.


Original music

On January 5, 2015, Musto released her debut album, ''What We Saw From the Piano Bar'', the same day her biggest inspiration,
Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...
, released his debut album in 1973. Immediately following the release, her single “Black Flak” beat out dozens of artists in the MusicToVideo contest and was featured on radio shows and blogs nationally, including SiriusXM radio. One of six participants from over 4,300 submissions, she was also selected for the House of Blues Bringing Down the House Class of 2015 and chosen as the winner of the Justine Magazine Talent Search and Needham Music Awards. After successfully completing the program, Musto was invited to serve on the Music Forward Foundation Alumni Advisory Board and contribute to the Foundation's compilation album. On March 15, 2018, Musto released an acoustic EP entitled "X Post Facto". In addition to being featured on numerous radio shows, blogs and podcasts, the project earned her a nomination for "Songwriter of the Year" in the 2019 New England Music Awards.


Notable performances

Alissa has performed on stages across the northeast and beyond including the
House of Blues House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers (film), The Blues Brothers''. The ...
, the
Hard Rock Cafe Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a chain of theme restaurant, theme bar-restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos, hotels and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll ...
,
Foxwoods Foxwoods Resort Casino is an integrated resort owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation on their Indian reservation, reservation located in Ledyard, Connecticut. Including six casinos, the resort covers an area of . The casino ...
Resort & Casino, the Rhode Island Convention Center, the Wang Theatre, Boston's prestige hotels, restaurants, universities and events for Fortune 500 companies, charities and political candidates. She has maintained long-term weekly residencies in the region's premiere venues and is a preferred entertainer within New England's top agencies. She has built a local following as a cast member in the popular Point Street
Dueling pianos Dueling pianos (also known simply as "sing-along") is a form of entertainment, usually on stage with two grand pianos, each played by a professional player who sings and entertains; humor and audience participation are prevalent. Usually these type ...
show, Rhode Island's only rock and roll piano show, and through her weekly piano bar sing-along at the historic Jacob Wirth Restaurant, Boston's second oldest restaurant. From May–October 2017, Alissa was a guest pianist in the Ocean Liners: Glamour, Speed, and Style exhibit at the
Peabody Essex Museum The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts, US, is a successor to the East India Marine Society, established in 1799. It combines the collections of the former Peabody Museum of Salem (which acquired the Society's collection) and th ...
and performed on 1935 baby grand piano that once graced Normandie's Deauville suite. As a performer for Billboard On board, the pop piano show aboard
Holland America Holland America Line N.V. (HAL) is an American cruise line operating as a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc. Founded in 1873 in Rotterdam, Netherlands as the Netherlands-America Steamship Company (NASM), the company operated regular transat ...
’s luxury cruise ships, and a resident guest entertainer for
Princess Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for ...
Cruiselines. Alissa has dazzled audiences while sailing throughout Europe, the Mediterranean, Mexico, Hawaii, Alaska, Central America, the South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand.


Pageantry


Miss Massachusetts 2016

On July 2, 2016, at the Hanover Theatre in
Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...
, Musto was crowned
Miss Massachusetts The Miss Massachusetts competition is a scholarship pageant put on annually by the Miss Massachusetts Scholarship Foundation, Inc. The winner of the pageant receives the title of Miss Massachusetts and represents the state of Massachusetts at th ...
2016 by outgoing Miss Massachusetts 2015, Meagan Fuller, beating out 24 other contestants. In addition to the title, Musto won over $12,000 in scholarship money and additional awards for her talent and community service accomplishments. As Miss Massachusetts, her activities included public appearances across the state of Massachusetts. Several times throughout her reign, Musto received heightened attention due to controversial statements on
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
, including her sarcastic responses to mean tweets following the live
Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 18 and 28. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is judged on competition segments with scoring percentages: ''Priva ...
telecast.


Miss America 2017

Musto was Massachusetts' representative at the
Miss America 2017 Miss America 2017, the 90th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Sunday, September 11, 2016. The event was broadcast by ABC in the United States, the first in the network's newest agreement to car ...
pageant held in
Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...
, on September 11, 2016 with a platform of "Changing Keys - Connecting Kids with Keyboards". Musto placed in the top 15 finalists, being eliminated after the swimsuit competition and earned a $4,000 scholarship award.


Miss Massachusetts World 2020

In 2020, Musto was named as Miss Massachusetts World 2020 and was crowned by outgoing titleholder Rachel Miller.


Miss World America 2020

Representing
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
, Musto placed in the Top 5 at Miss World America 2020. She also earned the Beauty with a Purpose and Talent awards.


Other media

In 2022, Musto competed on the second episode of the USA Network reality competition series '' Snake in the Grass''. She was also a contestant on Season 1 of the Fox game show '' We Are Family''


Philanthropy

An active supporter of music education, Musto dedicated her year of service as
Miss Massachusetts The Miss Massachusetts competition is a scholarship pageant put on annually by the Miss Massachusetts Scholarship Foundation, Inc. The winner of the pageant receives the title of Miss Massachusetts and represents the state of Massachusetts at th ...
to continuing the music education efforts she implemented as Miss Tri-County 2015 and Miss Cambridge 2016: bringing music programs into at-risk schools and speaking to students and community leaders throughout the Commonwealth about the benefits of arts education. Alissa has also volunteered with numerous arts and education organizations including the
Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five (orchestras), Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in ...
, Girls Rock!,
Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
Reading Buddies, CityArts! and Headstart. Her platform, Changing Keys, connects unused pianos with students and schools in at-risk communities and was selected for the Harvard Legal Entrepreneurship Project, the Club Passim Iguana Music Fund grant and the Miss America Community Service scholarship.


Personal life

When not traveling, Musto resides in the
South End, Boston The South End is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, United States which is bordered by Back Bay, Chinatown, Boston, Chinatown, and Roxbury, Boston, Roxbury. It is distinguished from other neighborhoods by its Vic ...
neighborhood of
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. She earned her Master of Music in Music Business & Entertainment Industries from the
University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...
Frost School of Music Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music is the music school at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. From 1926 to 2003, it was known as University of Miami School of Music. Academics and programs The University of Miami's Frost ...
and her academic work has been published in the Berklee Music Business Journal. Musto is a
pescatarian Pescetarianism ( ; sometimes spelled pescatarianism) is a dietary practice in which seafood is the only source of meat in an otherwise vegetarian diet. The inclusion of other animal products, such as eggs and dairy, is optional. According to res ...
. She is of Lebanese heritage.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Musto, Alissa Living people 21st-century American singers Musicians from Providence, Rhode Island American child musicians American women pianists Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American pianists 21st-century American women singers