Born in Rochester, NY, Tony grew up in a family of musicians, and began performing at age 5. Outside of singing in church and community theater, he also started off by putting on benefit concerts to support The Red Cross and local food pantries. (Click here for a throwback to 7 year old Tony...) At age 10, Tony moved to Bloomington, IN. During this time, he continued his career as a boy soprano, performing in a wide variety of productions; including work with Indiana University Opera Theater, iTheatrics, Opera Kansas, and Cardinal Stage Company. He even got mentioned by name in Opera News' review of IU Opera Theater's production of "Benjamin Britan's A Midsummer Night's Dream"; in which Charles H. Parsons wrote, "The child fairies were a competent band, led by a strong-voiced Cobweb (Tony Ponella)."
Then came the opportunity that brought Tony to NYC: Michael Feinstein's Great American Songbook Vocal Competition. After being the first runner up in 2012's competition, Tony jumped into the world of jazz and cabaret. He moved to NYC at age 16, taking advantage of the opportunity to perform in lineups with star performers, including Michael Feinstein, Liza Minnelli, Marilyn Maye, Jim Caruso, LaTanya Hall, and Sylvia McNair; and performing at venues including Feinstein’s at Loews Regency, Birdland Jazz Club, and 54 Below.
As his time in NYC continued, Tony also appeared in a variety of theatrical productions, including Off-Broadway Productions "Dragon" & "Judy: A Tribute"; as well as on the National Tour of "A Charlie Brown Christmas", playing the titular blockhead.
During the pandemic, Tony participated in "Music of Memory", founded by Charlie Brown co-star Aiden Cleary; performing in virtual concerts for those in isolation. Quarantine also presented the opportunity to explore other disciplines; leading to Tony becoming the editor of Harriet Tubman Effect's "Edify Justice Advocate" podcast, working as a writer on 2 scripted series produced by Nicole Johnson, producing/hosting his own nerdy podcast "The Fandom Handbook", as well as further developing his skills in the TTRPG space, playing and running games of Dungeons and Dragons.
Today, Tony lives just outside NYC in Newark, NJ with his girlfriend Marissa Flores, and their cat Rogue. There, they enjoy playing board games, finally returning to movie theaters, and ordering buffalo chicken pizza on Friday nights.