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MARCELLO GIORDANI FOUNDATION

Inauguration Speech – May 7, 2010

We are here tonight to celebrate one of the most important events of my career, and perhaps of my entire life.  This day marks the realization of a deeply felt desire, at this stage of my career, to share with others the knowledge gained through years of study and experience on the opera stage, and to make a meaningful contribution to the future of opera.  It is also a rare opportunity to “pay my debt” by helping struggling and talented artists the way others have helped me in the early stages of my career.

Since I first decided to embrace the singing career, I always felt this was a mission for me more than a job. I have always thought God has given me this gift to share it with others. Sharing is everything for a performing artist.

If you keep your gift to yourself, this gift will not do any good to you or the others. If you don't share the gift of a voice, you will not feel any joy in having  that voice. What makes your gift special is the recognition of the people that can be touched or enriched by it.

I grew up in a small Sicilian town called Augusta, close to Bellini's birthplace, the beautiful city of Catania. My parents were normal hard working people who didn’t have enough money to pursue higher education. They liked music but they never expected that their son could one day make a living by singing.  I wouldn’t be here today without my father’s encouragement and support.  My parents discovered my voice listening to me singing at a friend’s wedding, and, despite my mother’s misgivings - she would have preferred  that I choose a “real job” – they decided to let me “follow my heart”. 

It was not always easy. I can recount numerous stories, some of them funny, some others will tell you of the courage you need at the beginning to pursue your dreams and stick to the plan. I vividly remember that day that our neighbors came and talked to my parents about offering them some financial help in case they needed to put their son in the asylum, because all that “loud screaming” was not normal for a 12 years old.
I also recall that after my first round of professional engagements, I would go back to my hometown and run into friends and relatives. Where have you been? They would ask. I have been singing around. I would reply. This would usually be met by a look of confusion followed shortly thereafter by: Yes, but when will you get a real job?

However I have been lucky enough to often run into supportive people that recognized my talent and urged me to continue on the singing path, at times offering me much more than simple praise or words of encouragement.

Later on in my career my father realized that without his encouragement and the moral and financial help of all the people who believed in me and helped at the beginning as I was struggling to make a career, I would have never made it.  He made me promise that one day, if I became successful, I would use my privileged position to help other young and talented singers who where struggling to achieve what I had achieved.  It's only fair - my father said - to give back to others what has been given to you.

This day, I'm proud to say, has come, and here I’m in front of you all to honor a promise I made to my father and to pay homage to all the mentors that have helped me with their time and generosity throughout my life. This is the first big lesson a singer learns: no matter how talented you are, you will never go anywhere without the support and the generosity of others.

Why a foundation and why now?  There are a number of reasons for it.  First of all, being still at the height of my career, I’m able to make a difference by showing the young singers how to use their voices and develop a solid technique with master classes, vocal training and mentoring.  Through the foundation, I will also have the opportunity, once they are ready, to present them for auditions, introduce them to agents and musical experts, and make sure that their talent is recognized.  I also plan to organize events – both concerts and operatic productions – where they can appear on the stage with me and get the exposure they need to foster their career.

It is also an important part of the Foundation’s mission to recognize the fundamental contribution of Italian composers to this amazing art form.  One of the reasons why I have the deepest respect and admiration for giants like Richard Tucker, Leonard Warren or Robert Merrill is that, as Americans, they had to work twice as hard to master their language skills and to learn the Belcanto style that enabled them to compete with their Italian colleagues. The result is that you listen to Tucker and his style sounds more Italianate than some other contemporary Italian tenors. Why? Because he not only had a deep knowledge of the language, but he appreciated the culture, he spent time in Italy with his family, met people, immersed himself in the history and tried to understand the mentality of that country, so that he could have a better understanding of Opera and ultimately of what he was singing.

I know that my mission as an artists and as a man will not be fully accomplished if I don’t make every effort to contribute to the preparation of tomorrow’s great singers not only with example but with concrete actions.  Next year I will celebrate the 25th anniversary of my career, and I feel that the time is right to start passing on all I have learned during these 25 years on the opera stage to a new generation of singers.
To this end, the Foundation intends to create grants toward a 2-week training in Italy where the young singers, especially Americans, can come in direct contact with the Italian cultural and musical environment, and improve their language skills and their understanding of the Italian operatic repertoire.

These objectives cannot be achieved without the support and assistance of individuals and institutions in both the US and abroad.  If it's true that one is born with a talent, it is also true that one needs to work hard and to make enormous sacrifices to make one’s talent blossom and, what’s more, one cannot do it alone.  The support of others is as necessary to a singer’s development and success as his or her own efforts and desire to succeed.