Woodinville Man Turns to Music Career After Retiring from Microsoft

By Sarah Biggerstaff

In a quaint Woodinville neighborhood, a retired Microsoft partner is fulfilling his lifelong dream and enjoying the music of life. When he retired from a 20 year career at Microsoft, George Santino dove straight into a second career as a jazz musician.

Last month, he released his debut album, Come Fly With Me, a collection of 12 Frank Sinatra covers performed in his own unique crooner style. The first single off the album, "That's Life," reached number one on Amazon.com's hot new releases in Swing Jazz. The title track off the album, "Come Fly With Me," has also hit number one.

This month Santino debuted a music video for the title track, which is available online at http://georgeasantino.com/. George A. Santino is a Seattle-area singer, writer and motivational speaker who is making the most of his second career by embracing his passion for performing and storytelling. Recently retired from a fulfilling career at Microsoft, George has left the rat race for the Rat Pack.

In addition to music, George is working on his memoirs which tells his story of getting knocked down multiple times but always getting back up. Born in Philadelphia, PA to a family struggling to provide and growing up in a housing project where poverty and violence had a profound effect on his upbringing, George learned early on that he had to work hard to get ahead; he has a uniquely American story to tell. Santino will be performing at The Space Needle's 50th Anniversary Closing Festival on Saturday, September 8, 2012.