MARIO FRANGOULIS Biographical Note

Mario Frangoulis is an international tenor with the ability to sing everything from a rock anthem to an operatic aria. He attended London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama to study acting and singing. During his studies, he was discovered by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, who is referred to by the New York Times as “the most successful, influential and powerful producer of our time.” Mackintosh immediately hired Frangoulis upon his graduation to play the coveted role of Marius in Les Miserables in London’s West End. Soon thereafter, he was invited by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber to play the role of Raoul in Phantom of the Opera to great acclaim.

It was during this time, while completing his studies at Guildhall, that Frangoulis discovered the operatic side of his voice. As a winner of the Maria Callas scholarship, and the Pavarotti competition, he found himself on a path to Italy to study opera with the world famous Carlo Bergonzi.

Upon the recommendation of one of his mentors, the legendary mezzosoprano Marilyn Horne, Frangoulis went to Rome to audition for the acclaimed tenor Alfredo Kraus who was performing with Nicola Rescigno (Maria Callas’ favorite conductor). Both were impressed. Frangoulis became the only private student the late Kraus ever accepted. They traveled all over the world, with Frangoulis studying and learning while Kraus performed. This intensive daily training cultivated Frangoulis’ solid vocal technique and good high notes, both hallmarks of Kraus’ style. He continued his studies at the Julliard School of Music in New York under the guidance of Dodi Protero, solidifying his skill as a vocalist and musician.

Despite his intensive training, Frangoulis is anything but a conventional operatic singer. He won the role of Tony in West Side Story at Milan’s La Scala for the New Millennium. He has played roles from the King and I with Barbara Cook, and Alfred Drake from Kiss Me Kate in the film De Lovely, performing the song “So In Love” with world-famous singer Lara Fabian, to lead roles in ancient Greek plays such as The Birds by Aristophanes and epic roles such as Achilles and Prometheus.

In the late 1990s, Frangoulis began a recording career with Sony Classical. Between 1999 and 2011 he completed fifteen international recordings with his first major Classical Crossover debut in 2002 with “Sometimes I Dream.” He has held top positions on Billboard’s Classical Crossover charts (with Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban) as well as on international charts, and consistently gained gold and platinum status in Greece.

Frangoulis is best known for his powerful and charismatic live performances. He sings in English, Spanish, French, Italian, German and Greek and loves to blend multiple styles (opera, pop, rock, folk, soul/R&B, world). He has performed with artists from Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras to Lara Fabian, Natalie Merchant, Madeleine Peyroux, Justin Hayward, and Sarah Brightman. In 2012 he recorded the last song Robin Gibb wrote, “Daybreak” from the orchestral work he co-wrote with his son R.J. Gibb, The Titanic Requiem, and performed it live for the first time with the Boston Pops and Maestro Keith Lockhart.

As Mario says, “Ultimately, I believe that our lives and purpose should be about preserving what is good in this world – striving for peace and compassion – and doing this through music and an undying commitment to love… You have to show your personality, your character, and most of all your truth… You have to express the hopes of your soul, and that’s what my music is about… That is the number one thing I do… It’s simply about what it means to be human.”

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