Video 1: On Air TV during the Week of the 2022 Indianapolis 500. Cory before the record attempt with Mario Andretti.  

Video 2:  The World’s Most Versatile Racing Driver in History, Mario Andretti, drives around the already Guinness Record Breaking accordionist Cory Pesaturo, at the World’s Most famous racetrack, The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, to probably break a record for the fastest land speed, a musician has ever given a performance at.

Video 3: Cory Pesaturo performing with the late Joey DeFrancesco.

Cory said that as soon as he got to know Mario Andretti, he asked him about establishing a world record for playing the accordion in the back of the 2-seater race car Mario Andretti drives at IndyCar race weekends. Mario agreed immediately after having fun playing with Cory (you can watch them singing the Italian National Anthem together on YouTube), but first had to measure the cockpit to see what size of accordion Cory could use. There was so much involved in organizing this event logistically speaking, including getting permission from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the two-seater program, Roger Penske himself, IndyCar, and the insurance companies of all of these. Cory, with his usual connecting personality, was able to achieve this. He always fancies looking for whatever has never been done. 

Cory Pesaturo (“CPez”) has won a trio of international competitions, for acoustic, digital & jazz accordion. He is also a accordion graduate of the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.  In 2017, Pesaturo became a Guinness World Record Holder, as RedBull® flew him to Austria to break the Marathon Accordion Record, in which Cory played for over 32 hours.  His performances at all 3 of his international competition successes were played on accordions that were not his, and were almost completely improvised; both aspects being unheard of in the accordion world.  Cory has given 5 TEDx Talks, an EG Talk, and 2 Google Talks about the accordion, its history, and music topics. 

Pesaturo’s extensive resumé includes appearances at the White House for President and Mrs. Clinton on 4 different occasions, starting at age 12, and 8 other appearances for the Clintons.  On one of those occasions, he became the youngest person to ever perform at a State Dinner, that for the President of Hungary.  Some TV appearances include the Late Show with David Letterman, performing with Johnny Depp, CBS’s Let’s Make a Deal, and NBCs That’s My Jam with Jimmy Fallon.  Pesaturo has also appeared on nationally televised programs in New Zealand, Canada, Italy, Tunisia, France, and Finland.  He has judged accordion competitions across 6 continents, in addition to other music competitions, and currently gives masterclasses at various universities throughout the US and Europe on Accordion and Improvisation, including his own “CPez Academy”. 

Along with improvisation, Pesaturo is known for his extensive versatility, playing 15 different genres from Klezmer to French, Balkan to Funk, Tango to Rock, Italian to Electronic.  More known as a Jazz Artist, he has earned the respect of those such as Quincy Jones and Wynton Marsalis, and recorded with John Patitucci and George Garzone.  For his Classical side which is lesser known, a win in a concerto competition at 16 years old gave Pesaturo the rare opportunity to perform with the Brockton Symphony Orchestra as a featured soloist, where he became the youngest accordionist to ever solo with a symphony orchestra in the US.  He has since performed with the Boston Symphony, and Boston Pops under John Williams. 

Pesaturo is also heavily involved and respected with the weather and motor sports worlds as well.  He composed the Official list of records set by the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, and has done reports on Winter Seasons for the US which have been featured on Accuweather.com and others.  In sports, he has written columns for car magazines such as MESH, sports blogs for sites like Bleacher Report, and has collaborated with members of the Red Sox on the Fenway 100 Album.  His music has been played on Formula 1 broadcasts on NBC, FOX, Velocity, and additionally has an ongoing musical relationship with 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston.   

Summer (June through August) Highlights:
– NAMM Music Convention Played with now late Joey DeFrancesco 
– Pittsburgh Music Festival  
– Salinas Italian Festival  
– CPez & Elden Kelly Live Again Concert  
– Detroit Music Festival  
– Mt. Wilson (LA) Classical Music Series Concert with Leah Zeger  
– Vibrato’s Jazz Concert (LA)  
– Museum of Making Music, by the NAMM Organization, in Carlsbad, CA   (Picture Provided)   
– Special Guest with the LA Accordion Orchestra  
– Monterey Car Week Events
– Cotati Accordion Festival Headliner  
– Cape Cod Music Fetival  
– Boston Italian Festival  

Fall Upcoming Events:  
– WeStar Chinese Concert in Boston, MA  
– Seattle San Geannaro Music Festival  
– Special Guest with Bernie Dressel Big Band in LA    
– Salt Lake City Italian Festival  
– Milwaukee Festa Italiana  
– San Jose Music Festival  
– Kingston NY Music Festival  
– Columbus Day Festival at the North Shore  
– Birdland Jazz Club in NYC  
– Phoenix Music Festival  
– US Grand Prix F1 Events in Austin, TX  

Photo: President of NAMM, former President of Roland, Dennis Houlihan.  After Cory’s solo concert at the NAMM Museum of Making Music, all audience members were given sunglasses by the Museum before Cory came out on stage as a surprise to get into CPEZ Mode! 

For further information: cory@corypesaturo.com