Charly Chiarelli

Calogero (Charly) Chiarelli (born October 2, 1948) is a Canadian writer, storyteller, actor and musician.

Born in Racalmuto, Sicily, Chiarelli grew up in the industrial north end of Hamilton, Ontario. He has a Master's degree in Social Work from Carleton University; also degrees in Psychology from McMaster University and Linguistics from the University of Toronto.

As a storyteller Charly Chiarelli is best known for his one-person plays, Cu'Fu and Mangiacake, directed for theatre by Ronald Weihs. A filmed performance of Cu'Fu, Mangiacake and Brutta Figura directed by Gemini Award winner, Dennis Beauchamp, were first aired on May 31, 2000 on Bravo! and has been re-aired periodically. Chiarelli has also written a libretto for a symphony called The Birds Beyond, which has been performed by the Kingston Symphony and the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, with music composed by Juno Award winner John Burge. Charly Chiarelli created children's works entitled Ho Ho Hum and Once Upon a Pizzeria. Chiarelli was inducted in 2003 into the McMaster University Alumni Hall of Fame – along with inductee notables like Martin Short, Dave Thomas and Eugene Levy. As a Jazz and Blues harmonica player, Chiarelli has contributed to recordings and live performances as well as creating his own musical works. Charly's newest piece, Sunamabeach, was debuted at the Pearl Company in his hometown of Hamilton starting in March 2009, also directed by Ronald Weihs.