Rockville Centre singer cheers up customers

Singer Frank Scafuri, a Rockville Centre resident, didn’t wait for an audience to come to him this holiday season. Instead, he went where the people were — shopping at Trader Joe’s in Oceanside in preparation for the holidays.

He set up a microphone, speakers and a keyboard for his keyboardist beside him, right by the checkout counter. As people waited on line, they stood in awe of his tender, gentle voice. Some recorded the performance on their phones.

One video of Scafuri singing “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)” was posted to YouTube shortly after. After he sings, customers clap and cheer. One even exclaims, “Wow!”

The video received 17,500 impressions on Twitter the night it was posted. It also has more than 2,000 views on YouTube.

Scafuri is no stranger to Christmas music — his Sinatra-esque voice lends itself well to it, and he released his own original song, “A Small Town Christmas,” last year. He recorded the song with world-renowned jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli.

Scafuri has been a professional singer for more than 50 years. He has sung in choirs and worked as a musical director in various places on Long Island, including conducting a choir at the Sandel Senior Center.