Antonio with Former Secretary Of Defense William Cohen

after his singing engagement at the Positano Ristorante in Bethesda MD 2005

 

Biography

“I am an American Soldier. As an American Soldier/Musician my mission is to serve as a musical ambassador of the American combat soldier, instilling pride in our troops, promoting a spirit of patriotism within our Nation, and sharing a universal vision of Peace, Liberty and Freedom through music.”
— Antonio Giuliano SFC USA

American Tenor Sergeant First Class Antonio Giuliano received his musical education from PJC (Pensacola Junior College) and the College of Music at Loyola University in New Orleans. He has appeared in opera, concerts, and recitals throughout the United States and Europe. As a member of The United States Army Chorus since 1988, SFC Giuliano has represented his country as a soloist to packed houses and standing ovations worldwide. He has performed for heads of state, kings and queens and presidents worldwide and served as soloist at the funeral services for President Ronald Reagan in Simi Valley, CA singing an A Cappella rendition of "Amazing Grace" President Reagan's favorite hymn.

The 1992-93 season marked his Italian debut in Como, Italy, at which time he was invited to study with the Great Post-War Italian Tenor, Franco Corelli at his home in Milan. The late tenor Franco Corelli compared the young Giuliano with Mario Lanza.

Giuliano has sung the leading tenor roles in many mainstage operas such as Rodolfo in La Bohème, Il Duca di Mantova in Rigoletto, and Manrico in Il Trovatore, Alfred in Die Fledermaus and Nemorino in Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore. In New York he sang Il Barbiere di Siviglia with the National Lyric Opera, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor with the New York Repertory Opera, Rodolfo in Verdi’s Luisa Miller with Opera Nova. In 1995 SFC Giuliano sang the lead tenor role of Giovanni in the European Operatic Premiere of La Contessa Dei Vampiri by American composer David Clenny and under the musical direction of Maestro Stephen Simon, founder and conductor of the Washington Chamber Symphony. He later sang Giovanni in the Kennedy Center, Washington DC and in Puerto Rico at the Conservatorio De Musica.

On the Concert stage, Giuliano has performed recitals with piano and orchestra throughout the U.S. including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, a CHILDREN’S BENEFIT RECITAL in Washington, D.C., a GALA CONCERT with Orchestra in Atlanta, GA and as the featured tenor soloist in an OPERA GALA CONCERT singing Arias, Duets with the PAUL MADORE CHORALE & ORCHESTRA in Salem Massachusetts. He also sang the tenor solos in productions of the VERDI REQUIEM, the MOZART REQUIEM and HÄNDEL’S MESSIAH under the direction of Maestro J. Reilly Lewis as well as the tenor solos in MOZART’S MASS IN C and the BACH’S MAGNIFICAT.

In the Baltimore/Washington Metropolitan area he has appeared with the Fairfax Symphony, the Arlington Symphony, and the McLean Symphony under the direction of Maestro Dingwall Fleary. Nationally, in 1999, SFC Giuliano was featured on CBS EVENING NEWS’ "EYE ON AMERICA" with Dan Rather in a feature story of an Opera Singer in The US ARMY. In the 2000-2001 Season, he performed the SHYLOCK, OP. 57 by Gabriel Fauré for Orchestra and Tenor solo with The National Gallery of Arts Orchestra and Carl Orff’s CARMINA BURANA with The Alexandria Symphony.

SFC Giuliano has represented his country in uniform by singing private recitals for the former Secretary of State Madaleine Albright and her guest of honor Archbishop Dimitrius of Greece. During 2000 he was the personal soloist to the Secretary of Defense William Cohen and Mrs. Janet Cohen. On numerous occasions at the request of The Secretary of Defense and Mrs. Cohen, he performed private recital’s for their distinguished guests to The United States, including Ministers of Defense from Italy, Chile and for the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI on his first visit to the US.

In October, 2000, SFC Giuliano received accolades for his beautiful a cappella rendition of the National Anthem on ABC's Monday Night Football in front of 85,000 spectators. He was also asked to sing the anthem by the Washington Redskins organization, representing the United States Army.

At the request of Secretary and Mrs. Cohen, SFC Giuliano cut a dashing figure in his Army Dress Blue as a featured soloist in a USO SALUTE to BOB HOPE and JACK VALENTI at the Beverly Hills Hilton for their Hollywood guests, Jack Valenti, Steven Spielberg, Mickey Rooney, Kirk and Michael Douglas, Angie Dickinson, Cuba Gooding Jr. Ms. Connie Stevens, and many other Hollywood legends. On February 14, 2001 - Valentine’s Day, he was asked personally by Secretary Cohen to perform a private recital of Serenades and Arias as a surprise gift to his wife, Mrs. Janet Cohen, on their fifth wedding anniversary.

Later that year, he was featured as the guest soloist with The United States Coast Guard Concert Band, commemorating Christopher Columbus Day, in October in New London, CT, singing famous Italian arias and love songs. He also presented a Live Concert entitled “’AVE MARIA’ - A Sacred Recital in Memory of September Eleventh” to help funds for the Pentagon Relief Fund.

On January 6, 2002, SFC Giuliano represented The United States Army and The United States Army Band by singing the National Anthem at The Washington Redskins and Arizona Cardinals Football Game. Mr. Giuliano began his 2001-02 season with a TRIBUTE TO MARIO LANZA CONCERT TOUR in Virginia and Florida, beginning his tour in Florida at the Ashmore Fine Arts Auditorium in Pensacola, performing his trademark Italian Arias and Love Songs, and ended it in the Washington DC area, accompanied by the City of Fairfax Band and Fairfax Symphony Orchestra. He completed his Washington DC area Lanza Concerts with The Alexandria Symphony Orchestra in The Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center in Alexandria, Virginia.

In March 2002, Giuliano made his Romanian National Opera debut in Bucharest, singing the leading tenor roles of Il Duca di Mantova in Rigoletto and Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor. Before departing from Romania, SFC Giuliano was invited to the American Embassy in Bucharest to a dinner in his honor hosted by Ambassador Michael Guest and his staff and was asked to give a private Recital prior to dinner. SFC Giuliano proudly accepted the invitation and, although away on personal leave from his military duty, he performed the recital in his Dress Blue Uniform as a representative of the United States and The United States Army in the presence of the Ambassador’s guests with great success!

After returning to the United States, Giuliano’s April 2002 schedule included performing as tenor solo in Verdi’s Requiem at the National Cathedral in Washington DC with the National Cathedral Choral Society, and performing a Recital for the Dedication and Grand Opening of The Blair Arts Center at the Bullis School in Potomac MD. During the same month, he was also featured in a U.S. Army Band-sponsored recital for the student body and faculty of The Heights Boys Catholic School in Potomac, MD and at a concert celebrating Neapolitan Love Songs, presented by The United States Army Band at Ft. Myer, VA.

In May 2002, SFC Giuliano was the featured guest soloist with the Georgetown Chorale and Orchestra, once again, singing classic Italian love songs and arias to benefit The Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic of Washington DC. Later that year, in November, the U.S. Army Band featured SFC Giuliano’s performance of “O Sole Mio” at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall NYC. In December, Giuliano sang the tenor solos in Händel’s Messiah and J.S. Bach’s Cantata BWV 140, “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme” with the McLean Symphony.

At the request of the president of the United States Tennis Association, Mr. Alan Schwartz, SFC Giuliano represented the US Army by singing the Star-Spangled Banner at the Federation Cup in Washington DC and the U.S. Open Tennis Championships in New York, June and August 2003. On 17 Sept. that same year, SFC Giuliano performed the National. Anthem at the National Archives for the Rededication of the “Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom” (where the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, for the first time in history, will be on permanent display for all visitors to view); at this same function, President George W. Bush gave the official Address.

– Giuliano’s 2004 performances have included the tenor solo in Puccini’s “Messa di Gloria” with the New Dominion Chorale and Orchestra, Alfredo in Verdi’s “La Traviata” with Opera Bel Canto in Washington DC, a recital in Jacksonville, FL.

His ever-growing popularity and extraordinary energy explains the reason his schedule of events is mind-boggling. He has appeared with nearly every instrumental ensemble in or near the Greater Washington DC area, most recently with The McLean Symphony, under the direction of Dingwall Fleary in a Tribute to Mario Lanza June 2004 featuring Arias and Neapolitan Love Songs.

The 2004 season also included his performance as the tenor soloist in the Petite Messe Solennelle by Rossini with Opera Bel Canto in Washington DC. In June 2004, The Washington Post praised the "fluid, clarion voice" of Antonio Giuliano in Opera Bel Canto of Washington’s production of La Favorita. It was the world premiere of a new critical edition of Donizetti's grand opera in the French style, performed in Italian. The new edition compiled by Maestro Sparacino in collaboration with William Ashbrook and sponsored by Fondazione Donizetti of Bergamo, Italy, restores many of the original elements lost over the years. In December 2004, SFC Giuliano sang Il Duca di Mantova in Opera Bel Canto’s production of Verdi’s Rigoletto.

Over this last year, in April, SFC Giuliano made his debut in the role of Elvino in Bellini's La Sonnambula with the Opera Bel Canto of Washington. On July 9, 2005 Giuliano made his debut singing the role of Radamès in a Concert Performance of Verdi’s Aïda with the Baltimore/Washington Metropolitan Repertory Opera. Up through the end of the year, in Oct, Giuliano will perform a recital in Charlotte NC at the Providence Baptist Church. During the same month, he will perform two recitals for PJC (Pensacola Junior College) as a fund raiser, and will perform another at the LAKE OF THE WOODS CHURCH, Locust Grove, Virginia.  In November and December, Giuliano will perform in one of his favorite roles - as Edgardo in Donizetti’s Masterpiece, Lucia di Lammermoor with the Opera Bel Canto of Washington.  Into the next year, SFC Giuliano will perform a recital in January at the Trinity United Methodist Church in McLean, VA. 

Giuliano recently recorded a new CD in Sept & Oct 2005, the title of which is “A Classical Soldier's Musical Journey,” featuring songs and arias by Scarlatti, Bononcini, Pergolesi, Bellini, Verdi, Liszt, Tosti, Cilèa, Brodszky, Cardillo, Bixio, Falvo, Leoncavallo, and many others in Tribute to Mario Lanza & Luciano Pavarotti.

In addition to his musical talent and interests, SFC Giuliano has been a competitive amateur bodybuilder since his early 20’s, winning the Title of runner-up Mr. Pensacola and Best Poser in the Gulf Coast Bodybuilding Championships1984 and 1985. He plans to compete in the Potomac Cup Drug Free Bodybuilding Championships, Northern VA next summer (2006.)

He continues his voice studies with Dr. Donald G. Wiggins of New York, an association he has maintained since 1990. Antonio resides in the Washington DC area with his lovely wife Isabella and their German Shepherd Dog, Gucci. His website is www.antoniogiuliano.com.