A son of art in every sense of the word, Giancarlo del Monaco‘s personality and charisma make him one of the most brilliant and evocative theatre directors. The longevity of his extraordinary career, centred on the definition of “innovator in the sign of tradition”, as he himself summarises it, is crowned with the most prestigious successes and awards that would make a parent of Mario del Monaco’s stature proud. Despite having experienced great traditions, the Maestro does not disdain the idea of a “refreshed” theatre. As he himself expressed during one of his recent productions: “Theatre should not be violated, it should be cleansed, always renewed through new ideas that must be connected to music, to opera […] The new must be respected because it is part of the renewal of the show. The show must renew itself or it dies. Theatre is not a museum: a museum houses great masterpieces, but they are stationary and of their time, whereas theatre is something that evolves every day, every year, every decade”. The energy he puts into his work, the frankness of his ideas, and his life dedicated to theatre “also in the name of my father and mother”, as he loves to repeat, is the driving force behind the Academy. His exquisite willingness to support its projects offers students great opportunities for growth and success.

A living memory of his brother Mario, Cav. Alberto del Monaco worked in the management of RAI for forty years. This did not prevent him from taking an active part in the extraordinary life of the famous Tenor and personally knowing many glorious Artists of the golden age of Opera. Passionate and eager to make his own contribution by putting his fortunate experience at the service of young people, he immediately did his utmost to make this happen. His meeting with Cristiana De Sidi sealed their common desire to help quality artists emerge in the world of entertainment. Today he passes the baton on to his grandson Giancarlo, while still following the activities of the Academy. A pupil of Carmen Sylvia Neumann, Cristiana De Sidi, after an initial theatrical experience, soon pursued her vocation for teaching, to which she has dedicated herself for almost twenty-five years. Perfecting her repertoire as a dramatic soprano with historical names of Opera, a devotee of the sensorial method -supported by the effective insights of her own personal experience- combined of course with the scientific knowledge that makes her decisive also in dealing with male voices, as well as in shaping Del Monaco’s singing style in its correct explication and implementation, she teaches not only traditional Belcanto, but also romantic singing, dealing particularly with dramatic voices, all with meticulous attention to the details learned from the great Artists of the past. With Alberto del Monaco as a talent scout, united in their common desire to support Opera talents, they have immediately worked in favour of young people, always offering them the opportunity to meet important agents for free, by organizing auditions on several occasions throughout their long friendship.

A student of Maestro De Sidi and today her skilled colleague, Giancarlo Mari, a lyric tenor, soon followed in his teacher’s footsteps with a passion for teaching. Despite his young age, he demonstrated great competence, perfected through over a decade of study and thousands of hours of practice. During and after attending the conservatory, debuting in the role of Rodolfo (“La Bohème” by G. Puccini) and being chosen by Cesare Scarton for the lead role in the recovered “I portentosi effetti della Madre Natura” by G. Scarlatti, he immediately began his teaching activity, acquiring the title of Estill Master (Estill Voice Training). He has gained great mastery in handling voices from the basics, always brilliantly solving often significant technical problems. Highly appreciated abroad, in high demand and admired in his masterclasses (Mexico, Argentina, Spain, …) he enjoys the esteem of authoritative experts and teachers who follow his work with interest.

THE SCORE IS THE CODE WITH WHICH THE COMPOSER GRANTS ACCESS TO HIS GENIUS: ONLY THE BEST MASTERS CAN DECIPHER IT. OUR MASTER IS MASSIMILIANO TISANO

Pianist, composer, conductor and teacher professor of conservatory, provided with an extraordinary sensitivity that translates into rare intuition in both piano and orchestral accompaniment, Maestro Massimiliano Tisano began his piano studies with Massimiliano Damerini, composition with Eduardo Ogando and Stefano Bracci, and conducting with Donato Renzetti. He later attended Pierre Boulez’s courses in Lucerne, embarking on an extensive concert career while also taking on many roles as a conductor. As a composer, in 2014 he achieved great satisfaction when his “Tango para mi juventud” for guitar and string quartet was premiered by Adriano Walter Rullo – to whom the piece is dedicated – at the Stockholm Concert Hall, during the inaugural concert of the Italian presidency semester in Europe. The piece, in its version for guitar and string orchestra, was also performed in Düsseldorf and Cologne by Adriano Walter Rullo and the “Solisti Aquilani”. In 2021, he composed the original music for the theatre production ‘Heroides vs Metamorphosys’ by Manuela Kustermann and Cinzia Merlin staged at the Teatro Vascello in Rome. Since 15 January 2024, the short film ‘Salvacuore’ by Daniele Mezzasalma, for which he composed the soundtrack, has been available online on digital platforms. He has performed with prestigious soloists such as Mariolina De Robertis, Luciano Giuliani, GeorgMoench, and Angelo Persichilli. In 2019, he conducted Luciano Berio’s “Folk Songs” at the “Festival Musica sull’Acqua” in Colico (Lecco) performed by Alda Caiello. Famous actors such as Paolo Poli and Mattia Sbragia have collaborated in concerts he has directed. Among the most famous names with whom he collaborates for concerts as pianist are Amarilli Nizza, Fabio Armiliato and Angelo Veccia. He has also participated, as a pianist, in several masterclasses, including those of Rosa Feola, Elizabeth Norberg-Schulz, Anna Vandi, Tito Schipa Jr. and Giancarlo del Monaco. He is the artistic director of the ‘Formello Chigi Festival’ and teaches Piano Accompaniment at the ‘Ottorino Respighi’ Conservatory in Latina. A reference figure as répétiteur of the Academy, he works alongside the Maestros with the accompaniment of the students during in-person lessons, concerts, masterclasses, and performances, perfecting their score reading. He also gives complementary piano lessons for singers, and oversees the specific course for accompanying pianists, which he himself suggested to promote the integration of such professional figures into the world of the performing arts.

IT IS NOT WE WHO OPEN THE BOOKS, BUT THE BOOKS THAT OPEN US

Often considered by students to be challenging, boring, or difficult, and at worst useless, theoretical subjects are instead the grammar of music, without which it cannot be performed properly. They should not be considered secondary to singing, as there is a real possibility that this may preclude a job offer, especially if one wants to join a professional choir. In short, having a beautiful voice is not enough. For the Academy students who need to learn solfeggio, harmony, or practise sight-reading, our Sergio Dragone, both a teacher and a founding member of the Association to which the Academy is linked, provides support. He began studying piano at a very young age under the guidance of Maestro Angela Gallaccio-Valente and then continued at the Benevento Conservatory under the guidance of Maestro Mariarosaria Pannone. Here, he participated in various masterclasses, performing in concerts as a solo pianist, as well as in chamber music ensembles. He began studing Singing with baritone Francesco Landolfi and mezzo-soprano Monica Carletti, and later at the Frosinone Conservatory with Professor Daniela Valentini, taking part in various opera productions organised by the institution. This time as a tenor, he took part in several concerts, leading to opera roles performed on numerous tours in theatres in Germany and Switzerland. In collaboration with the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, he was chosen as a tenor soloist to perform the main roles in the operas offered by the Neapolitan theatre for the Luetec University’s ‘Operaevviva’ project, with lecture-concerts at the Circolo Ufficiali della Marina. For several years, he has participated as a choir artist in international tours of ‘Final Fantasy’ in major European theatres and auditoriums. He is a permanent chorus artist at the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago and the Teatro Verdi in Pisa, and participates in various concerts and opera productions in the theatres of Jesi, Piacenza, Lucca, and Arena di Verona. His degree in Opera Singing and then in Vocal Chamber Music, obtained with top marks at the Conservatory of Benevento, was crowned by the world premiere performance of the complete works of Don Salvatore Vitale, a man of culture and great artistic sensitivity, author and composer of numerous valuable poetic and musical works. Thanks to his good deeds, Don Salvatore Vitale has been recognised as deserving of the request for the introduction of the cause of Beatification and Canonici, giving Sergio one of his greatest professional satisfactions.

If we cannot explain the miracle -which in our case is phonation- it is because we don’t know its essence. Fortunately, science comes to our rescue and, combined with method and finally with art, brings out the professionals. It is imperative for young aspiring singers to properly consider that empirical teaching is not sufficient when it comes to solving technical problems which instead require the intervention of an instructor. This instructor, by applying a method based on the control of the structures that produce the singing voice, therefore valid and usable for all, makes the future singer aware and capable of mastering their own instrument to the point of being able to teach others the same management. One may be born already gifted with a propensity for singing without knowing any mechanical difficulties, but even in this case, it is necessary to combine natural talent with the ability to control the various structures, not only for the best artistic result, but also to adopt the healthy habit of applying the vocal hygiene rules that every good singer should absolutely follow. In the light of all this, the contribution of Dr Lina Sellari cannot be omitted from our educational path. Graduated with honours in Medicine and Surgery, specialised in Otolaryngology, she works in paediatric and thermal otolaryngology, clinical phoniatrics, and rehabilitation.As a specialist consultant at outpatient, music and thermal institutions, she is a speaker at top-level national and interregional ENT congresses. She has also been a board member of the AIOLP (Italian Association of Freelance Otorhinolaryngologists) and organises seminars on scientific otorhinolaryngological information. Lecturer of the master’s degree on “Paediatric Dysphonias” at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, she is a pillar of our Association. She participated as a speaker in the conference entitled “Vocal Technique in Opera Singing between Empiricism and Objectivity” which inaugurated the Mario del Monaco Academy. Her invaluable collaboration is of great support for the care and complete preparation of the Academy’s students, as well as for the practical demonstrations carried out with the cooperation of Giancarlo Mari, which are extremely useful in explaining the functions of the vocal instrument.

EXPRESSIVE FUNCTIONS: THE ARTIST’S PERSONAL STYLE

You might believe in reincarnation if one day you meet a young man who talks to you about music, composers, and singers as if he were one of those glorious (and feared!) loggionists from the golden age of Opera come back to life. Creator of content for cultural dissemination via social platforms, Francisco Alejandro Uzziel Navarro Alcántara began this activity by making YouTube videos and mini-documentaries about Opera and lyrical singing. He is currently also a promoter of Belcanto on Instagram in collaboration with Maestro Giancarlo Mari, with whom he offers demonstrative content mainly for educational purposes. Having joined the Mario del Monaco Academy team, he contributes by participating in its projects and promoting their dissemination.

Since 1985, the experience gained and enriched by constant updating have made his style simple, functional, yet original, Luca Zangrilli can deservedly boast the title of Graphic and Web Designer. Dealing with multiple issues and types of work, he is absolutely capable of offering a comprehensive image and communication service. Fascinated by his way of building strong and coherent visual identities, by the taste and sensitivity demonstrated in his immediate intuition of our points of view, which he has magnificently translated into high-level work, we could not fail to make him an effective member of the team with great satisfaction.