Giovanni Consiglio International Competition | Camerata Bardi Vocal Academy

TEATRO GRATTACIELO and CAMERATA BARDI VOCAL ACADEMY are proud to present the first edition of the

Giovanni Consiglio International Competition.

The Giovanni Consiglio International Competition Subscriptions are closing tonight, August 20th at 12:000pm. We are thanking everyone who has entered our competition and we wish a big Toi Toi!

Sorry, entries for the competition are closed.

Giovanni Consiglio (1923-2012) was an Italian tenor born in Foggia, Italy. He sang primarily in South America and the U.S. in cities such as San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, Washington. New Orleans, Florida and New York. Giovanni was a leading Tenor at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Argentina before coming to New York. He had a hugh following and had his own radio program for four years there, singing Opera arias, Italian and Spanish Songs. He made his Carnegie Hall recital debut on April 22nd, 1959. In the U.S. he sang the role of Canio in Pagliacci over 300 times. On October 1st, 2011 he was honored at Lincoln Center Library of Performing Arts and the day was declared, “Giovanni Consiglio Day” in New York City and other Boroughs.

Giovanni was a very kind, humble and generous man. He was gifted with an extraordinary, powerful and beautiful voice. He was esteemed and admired among voice specialists, colleagues and opera goers, and was considered a "vocal phenomenon".

He enjoyed a very successful career, not only as a Singer and Performer but also later as an Artistic Director, Founder and Director of his own Opera Company and an outstanding Master Vocal Teacher.

Giovanni also maintained a Vocal Studio through which many known singers have passed and until he became ill and made his transition, he dedicated his time exclusively to teaching, transmitting with great passion, his enormous technical and artistic knowledge to the younger generations.

“There is a special place in my musical memory for the unique and powerful voice of my tenor colleague GIOVANNI CONSIGLIO. During the years of his active career Giovanni possessed a tremendous facility for accessing the top register of his voice. His high notes had tremendous ring, projection, and emotional impact. Giovanni was a good friend to me throughout my career, a straight forward and sincere colleague.” Placido Domingo.

Teatro Grattacielo is unique in New York City. With full symphonic orchestra and chorus, soloists and repertoire that is first-rate (albeit unfamiliar), its concert-style performances have been an event that is dear to the hearts of operaphiles since 1994. For its 18th season, Teatro Grattacielo presented Italo Montemezzi's lyrical masterpiece, La Nave, adapted from the play by Gabriele d'Annunzio, which had not been seen in the U.S. since 1919, and which was performed by the Teatro Grattacielo Orchestra conducted by Maestro Israel Gursky, in a specially reconstructed version taken from the composer's manuscript. Teatro Grattacielo's mission is to promote the performances of those works in the Italian operatic repertoire that are rarely heard in the United States.

Teatro Grattacielo provides emerging artists and opera enthusiasts with the opportunity to become familiar with lesser-known repertoire and Italian performance style, thus promoting the expansion and appreciation of the Italian operatic tradition.

This year, in joint forces with Camerata Bardi Vocal Academy, an institution founded by businessman and philanthropist Enzo Pizzimenti that aims to promote and educate upcoming opera singers, We have launched together our very first Teatro Grattacielo Young Artists Program.

This year’s auditions will be held online and will award four prices:

Professional division
$2500
Camerata Bardi Vocal Academy prize
$1500
Scholarship division
a scholarship to study with a prominent teacher and an Italian Opera diction coach
$1000
Professional stage contract
Teatro Grattacielo and Camerata Bardi Vocal Academy will offer 2 contracts to upcoming performances in NYC
-
TIVAA (Tokyo International Vocal Arts)
Special Prize for a Japanese citizen.Includes Prize plus 6 payed individual coaching/lessons with the Camerata Bardi faculty.
$1000

The Giovanni Consiglio international competition will be done in two rounds.

  • In the first round you will submit a video with two Arias (or one Aria and one song) of your choice.
  • In the second round eight finalists will submit a second video with an aria chosen by the jury. Our jury will be comprised by estimated international opera singers, agents and casting directors (please see list below).

Rules and restrictions:

  • VIDEOS MUST BE RECENT, no more that one year old. (older videos won't be accepted)
  • Videos can be done with pre recorded track or with pianist.
  • Video can be from live performance, done in studio or at home.
  • Upload your video on YouTube and post it as either Public or Unlisted. Judges will not be able to review your video if it’s private.
  • Citizenship: No Citizenship limits.
  • Applications must be received no later than August 20, 2020.
  • Age limit: 40 years old (contestants born after 01/01/80)

Repertoire guidelines:

FIRST ROUND: For the first round you must submit two Arias or one Aria and one Song of your choice. At least one of your pieces must be in Italian language. Between September 5-10, 2020 the jury will hear all video submissions and will choose 8 finalists. Chosen singers will be notified by email on September 11, 2020.

SECOND ROUND: The eight finalist will be asked to submit a second video from the list of arias submitted on the Application. Videos must be submitted no later than September 20, 2020. Winners will be announced on September 23, 2020. Every finalist will receive $100 to pay for his video expenses.

Application fee

A non-refundable application fee of $30.00 US must accompany the application. No video will be accepted until the fee is received.

Required material:

  • Application completed
  • Current Bio, one page in Word or txt.
  • Video. You will email us your videos via WeTransfer, Dropbox or YouTube unlisted link.
  • Proof of online payment
PLEASE TAKE A MINUTE TO READ OUR VIDEO SHOOTING GUIDELINES

Jury:

  • Fabio Armiliato, Tenor, Metropolitan Opera , Teatro Alla Scala
  • Kostis Protopapas, Conductor, Artistic Director Opera Santa Barbara
  • Alexander Fernandez, Opera Nacional de Chile
  • Karen Slack, soprano, Washington National Opera, Chicago Lyric
  • Lewis Ehlers, Agent, Robert Lombardo and Associates, NY
  • Ken Benson, Agent, Ken Benson Artists, NY
  • Vincent Monteil, Conductor, Music Director of the Opera Studio at Opera National du Rhin
  • Sandra Hormozi, Agent, Encompass Arts
  • Stefanos Koroneos, Baritone, Artistic Director Teatro Grattacielo and Camerata Bardi Vocal Academy
  • Joseph Rescigno, world renown conductor
  • Israel Gursky, Conductor, Music Director Teatro Grattacielo and Theater Bremen, Operalia
  • Jorge Parodi, Conductor, Music Director Opera in Williamsburg, Director of Senior Opera Theater Manhattan School of Music
  • Filippo Ciabatti, Conductor, Music Director Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra
  • Paola Antonucci, Soprano, Teatro Regio di Torino, Teatro Regio di Parma
  • Arthur Levy, voice teacher Mannes School of Music
  • Francesco Anile, Tenor, Metropolitan Opera , Teatro Alla Scala
  • Howard Watkins, Assistant Conductor Metropolitan Opera
  • Neal Goren, Founder and Artistic Director Catapult Opera and Gotham Chamber Opera, Mannes School of Music

Questions:

Questions regarding the Competition may be addressed to : Stefanos Koroneos, Artistic Director Teatro Grattacielo and Camerata Bardi Vocal Academy at: teatrograttacielo@yahoo.com

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