ANTONIO MAGNO, Tenor

Professional singer born in Murcia, Spain. He studied Music Theory, vocal technique, Solfeggio, Harmonics, Piano and Chamber Music. He graduated with a specialty of Singing in The Music Conservatory of Murcia. He also acquired the teachings of the italian technique from Professor Mr. Ginés Torrano, direct disciple of the great tenor Giacomo Lauri-Volpi. He took Master Classes and musical improvement courses with distinguished singers and personal trainers from New York (Bill Schuman, member of the voice faculty of AVA ), in Sicilia (Marcello Giordani), La Havana (Gladys Puig), Madrid (Manuel Cid), Valencia (Ana Mª Sánchez, Francisco Valls), Cordoba (Yolanda Vigil) and Murcia (Ginés Torrano, Rubén Amoretti).

He performed Classical Theatre plays such as Menaechmi ( The Brothers Menaechmus), by Plautus or Les Misérables, by Alain Boublil y Claude Michel Schönber, in The Broadway Musical, where he played the main character Marius . He sang as the principal tenor the Rigoletto Operas (as Duke of Mantua) and La Traviata (as Alfredo) by Verdi; L'Elisir D'Amore (as Nemorino) by Donizetti; Marina (as Jorge) by Arrieta, Don Gil de Alcalá (as Don Gil) by Penella; and Zarzuelas ( Spanish lyric-dramatic genre also called Spanish Operetta) such as La Tabernera del Puerto (as Leandro) by Sorozábal , Luisa Fernanda (as Javier) by Moreno Torroba, and El Dúo de La Africana (as Giuseppini) by Fernández Caballero, etc.

Until the present day he sang in more than two thousand concerts in Spain, Cuba, Brazil and Argentina, many of them broadcasted in TVE (Spanish TV) and other international channels. He carried out several charity concerts and performances, playing in outstanding places such as Mella Theater (Havana); Alberto Maranhão Theater (Natal); Spanish Embassy (Salvador de Bahía); Cosquín Festival (Cosquín); Palau de la Música (Valencia)...etc.

He sang as a member of the lyrical choir Intermezzo, in The Great Theatre Liceu of Barcelona, Réquiem by Dvórak and the Operas Simon Boccanegra by Verdi and Die Meister Singer von Nürnberg by Wagner; Turandot in the Opera Palace of La Coruña and Rigoletto by Verdi, Jenufa by Janácek, Der fligende Holländer by Wagner and Andrea Chènier by Giordano in the Royal Theatre of Madrid.

Besides his work at the Theaters, he taught modern and lyrical singing during six years in Lucentum, La Lira and Santa Cecilia Music Academies, as well as a Master Class in Euterpe International School of Music.

Among others he has an album edited by the RTVE label; with the Spanish American music band Parrandboleros, two video clips and four compact discs. As for awards and artistic merits, it is worth to mention he represented Spain in the International Festival of Havana 2002; winner of three first prizes singing as tenor soloist in Murcia Joven Contest in 1996, the International Contest of Habaneras and Polyphony in 1998, and the International Contest of Serenades in Torrevieja (Alicante) in 2002.

In 2004 he sang in several choir and orchestra concerts as tenor soloist the Messe de Minuit H.9 by M. C. Charpentier, conducted by Mr. Agustín Sánchez. He sang composer H. Purcell pieces at the International Young´s Orchestras Festival with the Amadeus Orchestra of Kishinev (Moldavia), conduced by Mr. Daniel Fedorean. The same year he participated in the First Culture Regional Forum, where representing the lyrical murcian community, he demanded the reintroduction of the Higher Grade of Singing in the city Music Conservatory. Motivated by his goal of the lyrical diffusion, he founded the Lyrical Group Tenores which received large positive reviews after their first performance in the National Romea Theater of Murcia in February 2005, also being qualified as “ the most prominent regional performer ” in the Cajamurcia´s International Culture Festival.

Likewise, Antonio Magno is cofounder of the Art and Lyric XXI Association, presented in July 2006 along with the Symphonic Orchestra of the Region of Murcia, in front of the Cathedral Temple and conduced by Mr. José Miguel Rodilla, in a tribute concert to murcian composer Manuel Fernández Caballero.

In July 2006 General and Artistic Directors of the National Lyric Theater of Cuba, Mr. Adolfo Casas and Mr. Valentí Figueredo, invited him to sing in the famous Lecuona Sala of Havana´s Great Theater, at the very same place where Caruso did back in 1920. After an outstanding performance, broadcasted by the national television, he was congratulated by both directors, the Scenic Arts National Council and the Ministry of Culture “for his contribution to the Cuban Cuture and Lyrical Art”.

He is a member of the jury of the singing contest “Stars of Murcia” from 2007. That year he joined the Artists Producer and Agency Opera Konsert, playing the main role in the most important operas and zarzuelas, such as "La Infanta de los Bucles de Oro" , reopened in April 2008 in Palau de la Música of Valencia, one piece specifically created for an audience of children by Professor Serrano from which there is no recording and was not played since 1915, taking back the early s. XX tradition of presenting zarzuela plays for children written by the gender greatest authors. In January 2009 he was also elected for the national opening of Pinocchio opera by the Italian composer Natalia Valli, playing two of the main roles at Víctor Villegas Auditory of Murcia, with music conduced by Professor Rodilla in the presence of O.S.R.M. and the scene director Curro Carreres. As a member of the Musical Theater Company of Spain he goes on national tours with Broadway Musicals and his own didactic productions, combining tales, singing and plays for all audience enjoyment of the lyrical magic.

Among his last performances its worth to mention his debut in Il Tabarro opera playing the main role of “Luigi” in Bari, Italy, as a part of the Mediterranean Opera Festival, conduced by the Artistic Director Giuseppe Monopoli, advisor Giovanni Caruso and Mº Daniele Belardinelli.

In June he will sing D. José (Carmen by G. Bizet) in the Theatre Compac from Madrid, Spagna.

REVIEWS

•  “His performance was very appreciated in the lyrical concert he gave together with the Cuban soprano Pilar Pausada and Professor Juan Espinosa´s piano accompaniment. The audience that filled the Ernesto Lecuona Sala at the Havana´s Great National Theater on 28 th July was very pleased with his artistic performance” Adolfo Casas (Theater General Director)

•  “Antonio Magno showed an interpretative maturity that, together with the beauty of his tone, delighted the large audience [...] artistic characteristics absolutely unquestionable [...] ” Enrique González Semitiel.

•  “His performances along several pieces were admirable, with diverse styles from Massenet or Gounod to the napolitan masterpiece “O sole mio" [...] The large audience applauded insistently” Conrado Navalón Vila.

•  “Everyone, absolutely everyone, was amazed by the excellent opera and zarzuela pieces, among others, with which the prestigious tenor Antonio Magno captivated us, [...] Antonio Magno was truly awesome, he literally shocked us creating in the audience an unleashed fervor that made people jump out their sits to applaud the tenor while they acclaimed him with eager “bravo”. Pedro Adán Ruiz-Erán Vivancos (Cultural Magazine Culturocio 1/2009)