his native town
"Un dě all'azzurro spazio guardai profondo,
e ai prati colmi di viole, pioveva l'oro il sole
e folgorava d'oro il mondo;
parea la Terra un immane tesoro,
e a lei servěa di scrigno il firmamento."
(from "Andrea Chénier")
The Voice of tenor Giovanni Consiglio instantly commands attention. The tone is free and solidly supported from the rich middle voice to the refulgent, seemingly effortless high B's and C's. Comparisons to Lauri-Volpi and Gigli are not hyperbole, but rather indications that this is singing that shares a lineage with some of the greatest exponents of the vocal art.
Born in San marco Lacatola (Foggia), Consiglio studied with a local teacher before, at a very young age, going into the service. He served in Africa, fighting at Al Alamain among other battles, and was a prisoner of war in Egypt for two years.
Back in Italy at the end of 1945, he resumed musical studies at the Conservatory of Naples, San Pietro a Maiella. In 1949 Maestro Franco Patané hired him to sing two performances of Cavalleria Rusticana at Teatro San Carlo. He next moved to Argentina, where he had one-year contract for a Buenos Aires radio program singing Italian arias.
This quickly led to engagements at the Teatro Colon and various other Argentinian theatres, singing La Traviata, Lucia di Lammermoor, Tosca and Il Trovatore. In 1955, he returned to Italy for further performances and began three years of study with famed La Scala tenor Francesco Merli.
On June 13, 1958, he stepped off the cruise ship "Constitution" and entered the American music scene in New York. First, eight days after his arrival, was Aida at Triboro Stadium. Subsequent performances included Trovatore in New Orleans and Boheme, Carmen, Aida, Rigoletto, Pagliacci and other roles in Providence, Dallas and other cities.
Returning to South America, he toured Venezuela, Colombia and Mexico with Tosca, Butterfly and other operas. Back in the United States, he made his Carnegie Hall recital debut (under Columbia Management) on April 22, 1959. From 1962 to 1967, he was a lead tenor for the Cincinnati Opera and the New York City Opera. He then joined the faculty of Philadelphia's Academy of Vocal Arts and began his own voice studio in Manhattan. He also assumed administrative responsibilities, first as Artistic Director of the Connecticut State Opera in Stamford (1978-1983) and then as founder and director of his own opera company in New Jersey (1984-1992).
Over the years, Giovanni Consiglio shared the stage with such noted colleagues as Magda Olivero, Leyla Gencer, Licia Albanese, Zinka Milanov, Gabriella Tucci, Lucine Amara, Eileen Farrell, Jerome Hines, and Sherrill Milnes. Probably his foremost interpretation was of Canio in Pagliacci a role he sang more than 300 times. Today, he continues to teach at his private studio in Manhattan. More than 50 years after his debut, Giovanni Consiglio retains the extraordinary fullness and beauty of tone and phrasing that have made his singing so memorable throughout his career.