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

Camaldolese The Camaldolese Hermits of Mount Corona ( la, Congregatio Eremitarum Camaldulensium Montis Coronae), commonly called Camaldolese is a monastic order of Pontifical Right for men founded by Saint Romuald. Their name is derived from the Holy Hermita ...

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

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 layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...

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

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally cal ...

. He is the author of two 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, southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the cit ...

. He later spent many years living in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) 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 1 ...

, where he worked as a professional musician, performer (guitarist and vocalist), arranger and producer. 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 Big Sur () is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast of California between Carmel and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. It is frequently praised for its dramatic scenery. Big Sur ha ...

. In 1998 he earned a

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an 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 practice.

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

from St. John Seminary in

Camarillo Camarillo ( ) is a city in Ventura County in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 70,741, an increase of 5,540 from the 65,201 counted in the 2010 Census. Camarillo is named for brothers Juan an ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

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 Bede Griffiths OSB Cam (17 December 1906 – 13 May 1993), born Alan Richard Griffiths and also known by the end of his life as Swami Dayananda ("bliss of compassion"), was a British-born priest and Benedictine monk who lived in ashrams in Sou ...

. After his monastic formation and ten years living at New Camaldoli Hermitage, he re-located near

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz (Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 62,956. Situated on the northern edge of Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz is a pop ...

, 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 Prior (or prioress) is an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders. The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first". Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior. In abbeys, a prior would be l ...

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.

Partial discography

* ''There Is A Light'' (NALR, 1992) * ''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)

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 religious writers Catholics from Illinois 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American Roman Catholic priests