Cyprian Consiglio, O.S.B. Cam., is an American composer, musician,

Camaldolese The Camaldolese Hermits of Mount Corona () are a Catholic Church, Catholic monastic order of pontifical right for men founded by Romuald, St. Romuald. Its name is derived from the Holy Hermitage () in Camaldoli, high in the mountains of Tuscany, ...

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

and

Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in common English usage ''priest'' refe ...

. He is noted for his musical work to support the practice of

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, "discursive thinking", achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not judging the meditat ...

. He is the author of four books.

Life

He was born in 1958 as Phillip Daniel Consiglio and grew up near

Joliet, Illinois Joliet ( ) is a city in Will County, Illinois, Will and Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, located southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County, Illinois, Will County. It had a population of ...

. He later spent many years living in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

, where he worked as a professional musician, performer (guitarist and vocalist), arranger and producer. During his time in Phoenix, AZ, he also worked as a music teacher at St. Jerome's Catholic Elementary School and the connected Parish, while in the role of Liturgical Minister. Consiglio began his recording career in his early twenties, and has since gone on to record numerous collections of original music in a wide variety of styles. Though much of his early work was in Catholic liturgical music, much of his latest work incorporates styles and sacred texts from a wide variety of cultures and spiritual traditions. In 1992 Consiglio was admitted as a candidate of the Camaldolese Hermitage of the Immaculate Heart (better known as New Camaldoli) in Big Sur, California. In 1998 he earned a

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

from St. John Seminary in Camarillo,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and was ordained a

in July of that year. He has spent a considerable amount of time studying both Eastern and Western spirituality, particularly under the influence of Bede Griffiths. After his monastic formation and ten years living at New Camaldoli Hermitage, he re-located near

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz (Spanish language, Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the largest city and the county seat of Santa Cruz County, California, Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population ...

, and lived ten years in a hermitage where he spent about half of his time on the road performing concerts, and teaching or leading retreats mainly on the topic of the Universal Call to Contemplation. He made regular trips to India and other Asian countries, "learning and teaching." In the fall of 2012 he resumed living at New Camaldoli. In July 2013 Consiglio was elected the

prior The term prior may refer to: * Prior (ecclesiastical), the head of a priory (monastery) * Prior convictions, the life history and previous convictions of a suspect or defendant in a criminal case * Prior probability, in Bayesian statistics * Prio ...

of the hermitage after the previous prior, Robert Hale, O.S.B. Cam., informed the community that he was stepping down. Consiglio was installed as prior on July 20, 2013, and reconfirmed for another six-year term at the end of January 2018. He ended his term in January, 2024 and returned to his work in music, writing and interreligious dialogue.

Partial discography

* ''Lord of Field and Vine'' (NALR/Epoch Universal, 1983) under name Daniel Consiglio * ''There Is A Light'' (NALR, 1992) under name Daniel Consiglio * ''Behind and Before Me'' (OCP, 1996) * ''As One Unknown'' (OCP, 1998) * ''In the Heart of the Desert'' w/ John Pennington (OCP, 1999) * ''Awakening'' w/John Pennington (Equilibrium, 2002) * ''Lord, Open My Lips'' (OCP, 2003) * ''The Song of Luke'' (Equilibrium, 2004) * ''Wait, My Soul, In Silence'' w/Laurence Freeman, O.S.B. (MedioMedia, 2005) * ''Compassionate and Wise'' (Equilibrium, 2006) * ''Echo of Your Peace'' (MedioMedia, 2008) * ''My Soul's Companion'' (independent, 2010) * ''ec*stasis'' (independent, 2012) * ''The Circle Turns'' with Animas Ensemble (2022)

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

Official website 2021 archive

OCP publications bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Consiglio, Cyprian 1958 births Living people People from Joliet, Illinois Camaldolese Order St. John's Seminary (California) alumni American male composers 21st-century American composers American Roman Catholic writers Catholics from Illinois 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American Roman Catholic priests