Dominic Chianese Will Sing and Talk of ‘Checkered Career’ at N.Y.C. Show (Exclusive)

Dominic Chianese is armed with stories from his life on film, TV and the stage — and he’s ready to take fans on a journey of his career.

The Sopranos star, 94, is set to perform at The Town Hall in New York City on June 30. Dubbed Dominic Chianese: One Night Only, the actor not only plans to regale the audience with musings of his famous friends like Al Pacino or the late James Gandolfini, but he’ll also show off his singing skills, which were heard on The Sopranos.

“The stories, they come out, and the songs, they sort of portray the stories, too,” he exclusively told PEOPLE. “I’m talking about all the beautiful mentors I’ve had all these years, wonderful mentors, colleagues in the business, especially Pacino and people like that, and the film directors.”

“I played a lot of authority figures, lawyers, judges, criminals. I played priests,” he continued. “It’s a wonderful career. It’s a very long career, a checkered career.”

Most known for his Emmy-nominated portrayal of Corrado “Uncle Junior” Soprano — one of the few characters who wasn’t “whacked” on the HBO show — Chianese is an accomplished singer, having released two albums, including Ungrateful Heart, a collection of Italian songs.

“I like to sing live, but Stevie Van Zandt taught me that you can really sing with your heart and let it out in the studio. He taught me that, so when we did Core ’ngrato, and [Sopranos creator David Chase] said, ‘We’re going to use that,’ that made me realize in that recording, you can let it all out in a recording studio,” Chianese said, referring to the song he sang in the season 3 finale. “I thought you had to be pure like Bing Crosby in the old days, but you can let it out.” 

Chianese’s grandfather, an immigrant from Naples, Italy, taught the actor how to sing when he was young. The Godfather II star “absorbed” the music he heard. 

“He really sang from the heart, and for years as a child, I would listen to him,” Chianese said of his grandfather. “His music came from the heart, and singing wasn’t about talent or even the voice. It was the way I did it.”

Chianese’s career path almost took a different route, as his revealed that his father always wanted him to become a teacher, which he was for a year and a half. 

“It didn’t work out because they wouldn’t let me teach my way. They gave me a curriculum that was so foreign to my students,” he said. “I loved teaching. I would’ve stayed. I was 35 at the time, but I couldn’t. They wouldn’t have me do it my way, and so I had to leave.”

“I believe in teaching. I love children, but you can only teach what you believe. I always think about those kids. They’re 65 years old now. Maybe one of them will come to the show, and they’ll remember me. I would love to see them,” Chianese said.

Tickets for Dominic Chianese: One Night Only are available here.