The Art and Life of Alex Caldiero

Alex Caldiero, 76, of Utah, passed away from a heart attack on Feb. 9, 2026

We are devastated to hear about the passing of local poet Alex Caldiero, who suffered a heart attack days ago. Born in Italy as Alissandru Francesco Caldiero in 1949, he was 76 years old at the time of his passing. He attended Queens College, where he served as an apprentice to both a renowned sculptor and an Italian poet-bard. Even after moving to America, his Italian roots remained an integral part of his identity, and he co-founded Arba Sicula, the society for the preservation of the Sicilian language and traditions. After converting to the LDS Church, which he had since separated from, Caldiero moved to Utah in 1980 and lived there for the remainder of his life. Caldiero was a Senior Artist in Residence at Utah Valley University, where he spent his time not only lecturing on but bringing the humanities to his students, organizing important events like the Happenings in the Humanities, in which local artists came to speak to students about their craft. When he was not teaching, he was fully immersed in the many disciplines he mastered, including poetry, intermedia art and “sonosophy,” a term he coined that combines poetry, sound and philosophy. In 2010, Caldiero starred as the subject of a documentary entitled “The Sonosopher: Alex Caldiero… in Life, in Sound,” which followed his life from Sicily to New York to Utah, exploring his journey toward carving out his unique niche. Caldiero pulled inspiration from the avant-garde movement, even proving himself a capable enough artist in this field to make his way into the Dictionary of the Avant-Gardes. Caldiero worked closely with Theta Naught throughout his career, collaborating with them to release the album Sound Weave in 2006. Caldiero received many awards, including the Best Poetry Award from the Association for Mormon Letters. 

SLUG was lucky enough to showcase what made Caldiero special more than once, dating back to 2009 when we posed the question, “Alex Caldiero: Poet or Wizard?” In this article, he revealed he “longed to be remembered for his life’s work and art.” Our only wish is that we would not have to remember him so soon, but his work and art will indeed never be forgotten. Just last year, we got the chance to chat with him about his dedication to the revival of beat literature. Every five years since 1995, Caldiero recited one of his idols, Allen Ginsberg’s poem “Howl for Carl Solomon.” When asked what he would like listeners to take away from this poem, his answer was hope. “Hope may be one of the things that Pandora’s box still has in there,” he claimed. “We all would have been goners without that little thing that was left.” It is with sadness, but also with hope that we look back on Caldiero’s legacy and know that his brilliant work will live on after him.

Visit thesonosopher.com to learn more about the art and life of Alex Caldiero. A celebration of life will be held by his family Sep. 26, with more details to be released at a later date. 

Read the interviews SLUG was blessed to have with Caldiero:
Alex Caldiero: Poet or Wizard?
Alex Caldiero’s Final Recitation of Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl”