MassLive recently asked readers to identify people who are leaders from the LGBTQ+ community throughout the state, working to make a difference in their own area of interest, be it politics, education, business or the arts.
Profiles of these leaders will be published through the rest of February. These are people our readers have identified as inspirational, who may be doing good acts for their communities. They are being recognized for their accomplishments, leadership and commitment to inspire change.
Giuliano D’Orazio (Courtesy photo)Courtesy photo
Giuliano D’Orazio
Age: 31
Community: Worcester
His story: For Giuliano D’Orazio, being an artist, in his words, “is to make things.”
The Worcester-based musician is a rock ‘n’ roll artist who moved to the city with his parents in 1999, graduating from Burncoat High School in 2010 and graduating from Berklee College of Music in 2016 with a degree in performance with a concentration in voice, and a minor in philosophy, according to The Faces of Worcester in 2022.
Making music has been his dream job, to create art that “feels authentic to me: music I would listen to, events I would want to attend,” he told MassLive. D’Orazio’s aim with writing and producing songs is to “resonate with others and become a meaningful part of their own lives.”
Identifying as queer, he also strives to find venues and teams to work with that are conscious of creating a safe, welcoming and affirming space for the LGBTQ+ community, he said.
“I know how vital it is for queer folks to feel belonging in a variety of spaces, and I am often reminded that the Massachusetts live music scene, especially rock ‘n’ roll, is not guaranteed inclusive,” D’Orazio said. “When I can create that music and those spaces, I consider my work successful.”
Rock music was his freedom to express himself, “being loud and unapologetic in my own liberation,” he told MassLive. He was exposed to so much music growing up, and performed in theatre when he was young. Both shaped him into the artist he is today.
“When my work connects in that way, it’s affirming and motivating to keep forging this path,” he added.
When The Faces of Worcester asked if he could sit down and have lunch with anyone, he said it would be with musician and co-leader of The Beatles Paul McCartney.
“He’s living history,” D’Orazio said in 2022. “The Beatles are the original archetypes of the rock singer-songwriter profession. They changed the game and redefined what it meant to be a performer of contemporary, popular music. Paul’s energy and creativity has always been at the top of my list of inspirations.”
That same year D’Orazio released his debut album, simply called “Giuliano.” The musician “attacks each song with exuberance and soul, and that gives the album a lot of its freshness, as do his rich, expressive vocals, but there’s also something in the way he frames the album’s narrative through a matter-of-fact queer perspective that makes even familiar rock tropes seem new,” Worcester Magazine wrote.
In his words: “Don’t create for some pre-determined audience. Don’t create art you think someone else is going to like, don’t try to please anyone else. Listen to the masters of the craft, the ones who’ve made work that has stood the test of time – don’t just try to recreate what’s hot today. Make things to your own taste, art you would want to consume.”
We’re always open to hearing about more inspiring people. If you’d like to suggest someone else who should be recognized, please fill out this form.
