Age: 57
Hometown: Rochester
Current residence: Rochester
Occupation: Director of marketing for Poder 97.1 FM
Many terms can be used to describe Victor Antonetti Jr. He’s the founder of a community hub with the Avalon, a former dance studio-turned-event venue on State Street. Geared toward Rochester’s Latinx population, the venue hosts everything from birthdays to small concerts.
He serves as director of marketing for Rochester’s first 24-hour Latin radio station, Poder 97.1 FM. He’s also an accomplished musician himself, playing piano in the family band, Orquesta Antonetti, through which he has collaborated with Grammy Award-winning artists.
More than anything, Antonetti is a proud father. His daughter, Isa Antonetti, made her Broadway debut in “Buena Vista Social Club” this past year, and when the musical was in a three-way tie for most nominations (11 total), the Avalon hosted the family’s Tony Awards party.
“We did the red-carpet Tony thing. We had like 40 people and food,” Antonetti said. “It was like the Tony experience, so that was very cool.”
Music runs deep in the Antonetti family. He described his youth as fueled by music. Antonetti’s father moved to Rochester from Salinas, Puerto Rico in 1956 at the age of eight and later founded Orquesta Antonetti. It became a family affair, made up of Antonetti’s brothers and uncles. First focused on salsa, the band branched off into various other forms of Latin music.
“My brothers, my cousins, we all grew up in music,” Antonetti said. “Even now, people would come to my house and my daughter’s constantly singing, and they’d ask, ‘Is this all day?’ and I’d say, ‘Yeah,’ but we’re so used to it.’”
Orquesta Antonetti played at the Lilac Festival in May, and they are regular performers at the International Plaza on North Clinton Avenue.
Rosa Martinez has known Antonetti for about 30 years and describes him as one of her best friends. A singer herself, she’s performed with him over the years.
“He’s a world class musician, and I don’t think that people understand the magnitude of his contribution to the arts fully until you hear him on stage,” she said. “There’s countless bands that are out here, but [with] his sound, you can tell the difference.”
Martinez described Antonetti as a true community leader, someone who is not seeking the limelight, but uses his influence to make a mark. That extends from music — pulling in acts from abroad that otherwise might skip over Rochester — to organizing food drives during the pandemic.
“I am happy to say that he is one of the most genuine, hard-working, selfless people ever,” Martinez said.
Antonetti’s work has not gone unnoticed. In 2022, he was awarded Hispanic Business Person of the Year by the Rochester Hispanic Business Association.
Rochester’s scene for salsa, merengue and Latin jazz is small, but Antonetti sees it not wanting for talent. He described the musicians in the city as being as good as anywhere else in the world. Getting great music in Rochester is not the issue, but rather getting people to look to the city for great music.
“A lot of the musicians here are top notch,” he said. “Sometimes the musicians here get frustrated, but I’m like, ‘Imagine this band in Mexico, or Peru or Puerto Rico. We would be playing every night.’” orquestaantonetti.com
Gino Fanelli is a reporter for WXXI/CITY.
This article appears in Dec 1-31, 2024.
