By ARIELLA MONTI
The D'Auria-Gupta boys made their television debut when they sang "America the Beautiful" at the U.S. Open on August 27. Gaetano, 12, triplets Carmine, Francesco and Marconi, 10 and seven-year-old Leonardo were among 20 children that sang during the big match.
"It was a lot of fun!" said Gaetano. His brothers nodded excitedly in agreement.
Performing in front of a large audience isn't new for the D'Auria-Gupta boys. They sang in front of 2,000 people at their martial arts tournament in 2005, but this televised event was no comparison. "Before we started I was a little nervous but then we went on and I felt good," said Francesco.
"We were thrilled," said their mother Maria D'Auria of how she and her husband Rom Gupta felt when they saw their boys sing. She said that the organizers at the U.S. Open were very good and accommodating to her children as well as the other performers. "They [the organizers] did everything possible for them to be successful," she said.
Leonardo said the most exciting part was giving out autographs after their performance. Francesco agreed, saying that he enjoyed the loud applause from the packed arena. Within hours the family could catch their performance on the Internet. "It was very exciting to see us on the Web so early," said Marconi.
The boys have been singing together for the past six years and practiced for three months to perfect the patriotic song for their debut. They rehearsed daily and met with a voice coach once a week. "Since we're brothers, we blend well," said Carmine.
Along with signing, the boys enjoy playing the piano as well as other instruments, like the violin and cello. Former Long Beach residents, all the boys can be seen running around their parent's new Rockville Centre home playing a game they call Sasquash. For the boys, who are home schooled, other interests include sports, building with Legos and reading.
Each brother hopes to continue singing as a family, but wants to keep music in their lives even if one goes his separate way.
Comments about this story? AMonti@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 282.
