Mario Frangoulis
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Mario Frangoulis (; born 18 December 1966 ) is a
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
vocalist, famous for his refined
tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...
vocals. Born in
Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...
, Frangoulis after his three-decade long career has established himself as a critically and commercially acclaimed recording artist and vocal performer in Greece and neighbouring countries. His initial rise to international prominence came with his hit song "Vincerò, Perderò" and his rendition of the song " Nights in White Satin". Discovered by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, Frangoulis has made his official theatre debut as
Marius Pontmercy Marius Pontmercy () is a fictional character, one of the protagonists of Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel ''Les Misérables''. He is a young student, and the suitor of Cosette. Believing Cosette lost to him, and determined to die, he joins the revoluti ...
in ''
Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...
'', and later performed in ''
The Phantom of the Opera The Phantom of the Opera may refer to: Novel * The Phantom of the Opera (novel), ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (novel), 1910 novel by Gaston Leroux Characters * Erik (The Phantom of the Opera), Erik (''The Phantom of the Opera''), the title char ...
'' and the rendition of '' Grease''. He has recorded songs in Italian, Spanish, English, French, and Greek, and is fluent in all five languages.


Biography


Early life

Frangoulis was born in 18 December 1966 in
Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...
(now Zimbabwe). When he was four years old he was sent to
Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
,
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
to live with his maternal aunt Loula and her husband George. The couple adored him and Frangoulis considered them as his parents.Mario Frangoulis The Neo-Classical Artist – Biography
At the age of eight Frangoulis began singing in various choirs, and at the age of eleven he played the part of
Issachar Issachar () was, according to the Book of Genesis, the fifth of the six sons of Jacob and Leah (Jacob's ninth son), and the founder of the Israelites, Israelite Tribe of Issachar. However, some Biblical criticism, Biblical scholars view this as ...
in a school production of
Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...
's ''
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' is a sung-through musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice ...
''. Other school theatrical performances included the Master of Ceremonies in ''
Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...
'', and Tony in ''
West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...
''.


Musical and theatrical studies

When Frangoulis was six years old, he started violin lessons, which he continued for twelve years, receiving a first prize when he was as young as fourteen. He graduated from the Conservatory in 1984, and although he did not further his violin studies, this particular musical training assisted Frangoulis with his operatic studies later in life. Frangoulis studied acting at the
Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a music school, music and drama school located in the City of London, England. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz al ...
in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. In 1988, during his final year, he played Puck in
A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...
, a production in collaboration with the
Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...
for the Arundel Festival. Frangoulis played the lead in the James McConnel/ Kit Hesketh-Harvey musical ''Orlando'', where he was spotted by
Cameron Mackintosh Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh (born 17 October 1946) is a British theatrical producer and theatre owner notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "t ...
who after an audition offered him the part of Marius in the West End production of ''
Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...
'' at the Palace Theatre (1988–1989) under the direction of
Trevor Nunn Sir Trevor Robert Nunn (born 14 January 1940) is an English theatre director and lyricist. He has been the artistic director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal Haymarket. He has dir ...
. Also in 1989, Frangoulis, who had never studied classical singing, received the Maria Callas Scholarship for Opera. After finishing ''Les Misérables'', Frangoulis moved to Italy where he studied with tenor Carlo Bergonzi at the Verdi Academy in Busseto, graduating six months later. After a successful audition with conductor Nicola Rescigno and the renowned tenor Alfredo Kraus, Frangoulis moved to Rome in 1990 and became Kraus' first private student, traveling with him around the world to study vocal techniques and repertory.


Career and further studies


1990 to 1995

In 1991, Frangoulis was invited by Andrew Lloyd Webber to star as Raoul in '' Phantom of the Opera'' at Her Majesty's Theater. The same year, he appeared alongside
Montserrat Caballé María de Montserrat Bibiana Concepción Caballé i Folch or Folc (12 April 1933 – 6 October 2018), also known as Montserrat Caballé (i Folch), was a Spanish operatic soprano from Catalonia. Widely considered to be one of the best sopranos ...
,
Samuel Ramey Samuel Ramey (born March 28, 1942) is an American operatic bass. At the height of his career, he was greatly admired for his range and versatility, having possessed a sufficiently accomplished bel canto technique which enabled him to sing the mu ...
and the British Youth Opera in the charity gala "Serenade to a Princess" at the
Whitehall Palace The Palace of Whitehall – also spelled White Hall – at Westminster was the main residence of the English monarchs from 1530 until 1698, when most of its structures, with the notable exception of Inigo Jones's Banqueting House of 1622, ...
, celebrating the birthday of
Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William, ...
. In 1992, Frangoulis moved to The United States to continue his operatic studies. With his mentor's
Marilyn Horne Marilyn Berneice Horne (born January 16, 1934) is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer. She specialized in roles requiring beauty of tone, excellent breath support, and the ability to execute difficult coloratura passages. She is a recipient ...
, suggestion and with the help of the Onassis Scholarship, he completed a three-year long program of vocal courses at the
Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...
of Music, in New York City as well as studying with soprano Dodi Protero. In 1992, Frangoulis also traveled to
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
, where he performed in an Opera Gala celebrating the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America, hosted by Sir
Peter Ustinov Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, director and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits for much of his career. Ustinov received #Awa ...
. Appearing artists for this event were as well: Montserrat Caballé, Dmitri Hvorostowski, Julia Migenes-Johnson, Dennis O'Neil, Rita Hunter and the late Alfredo Kraus, with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and chorus conducted by Robin Stapleton, in the presence of His Majesty Juan Carlos of Spain and HM Queen Sophia, and HRH Prince Andrew of England. In the summer of the same year, along with stars of the Greek National Opera, he sang at the Athens Concert Hall in an opera gala dedicated to the memory of
Maria Callas Maria Callas (born Maria Anna Cecilia Sophia Kalogeropoulos; December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano and one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised ...
. In the summer of 1993, Frangoulis returned to the role of Marius as he starred in a touring cast of Les Misérables, at the Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. In 1994 he was the first Greek to become a finalist in the Luciano Pavarotti International Competition.


Career


1995

In 1995, Frangoulis returned to London to play the role of Lun-Tha in the
Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their musical ...
musical ''
The King and I ''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the childr ...
'' during the Covent Garden Festival. This highly acclaimed performance received great comments from a number of newspapers including the Times and ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
''. He also sang the title role in the musical Yusupov in Oxford as well as Johnny in "Sail away" (Savoy theatre in London). In 1995 he participated in the recording of Bernard J. Taylor's rock opera ''Nosferatu the Vampire''. He also sang as a
Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...
alumnus in the Tenth Anniversary Concert of the show at the Royal Albert Hall.


1996

In the summer of 1996, Frangoulis made his debut at the theater of Herodes Atticus, by the
Acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens ...
, in an evening dedicated to the great memory of
Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...
, with the Orchestra of Colours ( a symphony orchestra created by Greek composer
Manos Hatzidakis Manos Hatzidakis (also spelled Hadjidakis; ; 23 October 1925 – 15 June 1994) was a Greek composer and theorist of Greek music, widely regarded as one of the greatest Greek composers of all time. He was one of the main proponents of the " Ént ...
), singing excerpts from musicals such as ''
West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...
'', ''
Candide ( , ) is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled ''Candide: or, All for the Best'' (1759); ''Candide: or, The ...
'', and ''
Our Town ''Our Town'' is a three-act play written by American playwright Thornton Wilder in 1938. Described by Edward Albee as "the greatest American play ever written", it presents the fictional American town of Grover's Corners between 1901 and 1913 ...
''. The following September he returned to the Odeon to play the role of
Orpheus In Greek mythology, Orpheus (; , classical pronunciation: ) was a Thracians, Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet. He was also a renowned Ancient Greek poetry, poet and, according to legend, travelled with Jason and the Argonauts in se ...
in the ''Orpheus Liturgy'', an oratorio that it was broadcast on Greek television. This marked the start of his collaboration with Greek composer Yannis Markopoulos – also transcribed
Giannis Markopoulos Yannis Markopoulos (; 18 March 1939 – 10 June 2023) was a Greek composer. Biography Early life and education Yannis Markopoulos was born in 1939 in Heraklion, Crete. Born into one of the old families of the island — his father was an atto ...
. He reprised the role of Lun-Tha in a concert version of the musical with the
BBC Symphony Orchestra The BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO) is a British orchestra based in London. Founded in 1930, it was the first permanent salaried orchestra in London, and is the only one of the city's five major symphony orchestras not to be self-governing. The ...
conducted by Wally Harper, with Barbara Cook and his 1996 return to the London cast of ''Les Misérables''.


1997–1998

In February 1997, due to his mother's serious illness, Frangoulis returned to Greece. There he joined Athens' theatrical scene, notably through his playing Billy Kracker in
Kurt Weill Kurt Julian Weill (; ; March 2, 1900April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer active from the 1920s in his native country, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for hi ...
's '' Happy End'' with the Karolos Koun Art Theater, directed by George Lazanis, the Lead Bird in
Aristophanes Aristophanes (; ; ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek Ancient Greek comedy, comic playwright from Classical Athens, Athens. He wrote in total forty plays, of which eleven survive virtually complete today. The majority of his surviving play ...
' comedy '' The Birds'', directed once more by George Lazanis which was performed in almost every major ancient amphitheater of Greece, such as
Epidaurus Epidaurus () was a small city (''polis'') in ancient Greece, on the Argolid Peninsula at the Saronic Gulf. Two modern towns bear the name Epidavros: ''Palaia Epidavros'' and ''Nea Epidavros''. Since 2010 they belong to the new municipality of Epi ...
, Sparta, Filippoi and many more. In September 1997 he was offered the leading role of Danny Zouko in the musical '' Grease'', directed by David Gilmore. Once more, it was a great success with the Greek media and a great start of Frangoulis's popularity with the Greek public. The same season, he appeared in late night shows in the prestigious music hall "Iera Odos", alongside the Greek star George Dalaras, singing popular Greek, Italian and Spanish songs. This production toured Greece and Europe as well (London, Paris, Brussels, Helsinki, Munchen, Berlin, and Frankfurt) very successfully and it turned out to be the best-selling CD (by EMI Greece), which soon after went platinum. Representatives of Sony Music heard Frangoulis in one of these shows and they arranged him to be introduced to Peter Gelb, the head of Sony Classical. The result of this introduction was, the signing of an exclusive contract for 2 CDs and 3 CDs optional, enabling Frangoulis to start an international recording career at the highest level. His collaboration with prestigious Greek composers continued with his appearance in the May 1998 Herodes Atticus Theater performance of Mikis Theodorakis' "Axion Esti", a musical rendition of the historic poem "Axion Esti" as well by Nobel prize winner
Odysseas Elytis Odysseas Elytis (; , pen name of Odysseas Alepoudelis, ; 2 November 1911 – 18 March 1996) was a Greek poet, man of letters, essayist and translator, regarded as the definitive exponent of romantic modernism in Greece and the world. He is one ...
.


1999

In the spring of 1999 he made his first solo show at the Ieura Odos Music Hall with songs from all over the world, with the participation of Deborah Meyers.They were an overnight sensation, and these appearances were followed by a hugely successful concert tour in Greece and Cyprus the following summer, playing in various venues of 2.000 – 10.000 audience. His first solo album "Fengari erotevmeno" ("Love stricken moon"), a live recording of the show, a double CD by Sony, Greece (with kind permission of Sony Classical), was an immediate best-seller, thus winning him his second platinum album (both in Greece and Cyprus) in two years. .Mario Frangoulis The Neo-Classical Artist – Discography


2000

In July 2000, Frangoulis was the first Greek tenor to perform at
La Scala La Scala (, , ; officially , ) is a historic opera house in Milan, Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as (, which previously was Santa Maria della Scala, Milan, a church). The premiere performa ...
, in Milan as Tony in ''West Side Story''. In August, he sang the title role in Yannis Markopoulos' '' Erotokritos'' at the Herodes Atticus theater, and returned to the same venue, later that month for a solo recital there, to celebrate his ten years anniversary as a professional performer on stage. The repertoire included Greek and international songs. This great production was recorded to a CD and very successfully was toured all over Greece. Frangoulis was invited by the composer
Mikis Theodorakis Michail "Mikis" Theodorakis ( ; 29 July 1925 – 2 September 2021) was a Greek composer and lyricist credited with over 1,000 works. He scored for the films '' Zorba the Greek'' (1964), '' Z'' (1969), and '' Serpico'' (1973). He was a three-ti ...
to perform in the ''Machi tis kritis'' concert at the Kallimarmaro amphitheater in a tribute to those who lost their lives in the
Battle of Crete The Battle of Crete (, ), codenamed Operation Mercury (), was a major Axis Powers, Axis Airborne forces, airborne and amphibious assault, amphibious operation during World War II to capture the island of Crete. It began on the morning of 20 May ...
.


2001

At the beginning of 2001, Frangoulis took part in a charity opera gala at the Athens Concert Hall, along with stars of the Greek National Opera. That May, he was one of the leading artists in an evening called ''Viva Verdi'', a tribute for the centenary of the composer's death, given at the Novaya Opera of Moscow. This concert also took place in Cyprus the following month. In the summer of 2001 he made his debut in ancient Greek tragedy, played
Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, myth, Dionysus (; ) is the god of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre. He was also known as Bacchus ( or ; ...
in a touring production of
Euripides Euripides () was a Greek tragedy, tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to ...
' ''
The Bacchae ''The Bacchae'' (; , ''Bakkhai''; also known as ''The Bacchantes'' ) is an ancient Greek tragedy, written by the Athenian playwright Euripides during his final years in Macedonia, at the court of Archelaus I of Macedon. It premiered posthumou ...
'', also performed at the Herodes Atticus Theater, in Athens. In October of the same year, Frangoulis was one of the leading performers in the international production ''Bravo China'' alongside
Nana Mouskouri Ioanna "Nana" Mouskouri ( ; born 13 October 1934) is a Greek singer and politician. Over the span of her career, she has released an estimated 450 albums in at least thirteen languages, including Greek language, Greek, French language, French, ...
and famous Chinese artists Liu Huan and Huang Ying, at the Herodes Atticus theater where he performed in both Greek and Chinese.


2002

In March 2002, Frangoulis gave a concert with Deborah Myers at the Athens Concert Hall, singing songs from well-known films. In July of the same year he appeared at the Lycabettus Theater in Athens, for the launching of his first international album 'Sometimes I Dream', and in
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...
as well, in a concert with Justin Hayward of
The Moody Blues The Moody Blues were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in May 1964. The band initially consisted of Graeme Edge (drums), Denny Laine (guitar/vocals), Mike Pinder (keyboards/vocals), Ray Thomas (multi-instrumentalist/vocals) and Clint W ...
, a performance that included ' Nights in White Satin' This performance was recorded and released on a DVD. In October, Frangoulis began a grand tour around Europe, the US and Asia in order to promote his new album 'Sometimes I Dream'. In November, his new DVD "Sometimes I Dream" was broadcast on
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
in The United States. At the end of the year, Frangoulis appeared with the Greek singer Maria Farantouri, in the Millennium Festivities on New Year's Eve under the Acropolis in Athens.


2003

On 30 January, Frangoulis was invited by the Athens 2004 Olympic Games committee to give a concert at the Athens Olympic Stadium. In March he made his first appearance at the Greek National Opera, where he sang opera arias and duets as well as songs and duets from various musicals with soprano Elena Kelessidou. In June of that year he appeared at the Ulriksdal festival,
Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
, accompanied by the Swedish Symphonic Orchestra. In August 2003 he performed at the
Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
Festival. With the Moscow New Opera soloists, chorus and orchestra, he made a hugely successful tour of different cities in Russia and Cyprus, singing arias and duets in a concert with sets and costumes, called "Tribute to Maria Callas" in which he interpreted, among others, Verdi's ''
Otello ''Otello'' () is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on William Shakespeare, Shakespeare's play ''Othello''. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, first performed at the La Scala, Teatro alla Scala, M ...
''.


2004

On New Year's Eve, Frangoulis welcomed the year of 2004 with the Mayor of Athens in an outdoor performance in Syntagma Square, which was broadcast live all over Greece and by satellite all over the world. Also taking part in that concert were Greek stars Alkistis Protopsalti, Konstantinos Markoulakis, Dimitris Papadimitriou as well as the
Gipsy Kings Gipsy Kings (originally Los Reyes) are a musical group founded in 1979 in Arles, France. The band, whose members have Catalans, Catalan heritage, play a blend of Catalan rumba, flamenco, Salsa music, salsa, and Pop music, pop. They perform mos ...
. In April he appeared in an evening of celebration in honor of Danai, a Greek singer very famous in the 1930s, where he sang an unusual repertoire for him, songs by Attic, Hairopoulos, and others. On 11 May, he sang at the Herodes Atticus Theater in a concert for the 550 years of the Great School of the Greeks (a famous Greek institution in Istanbul then Constantinople). The songs were all by Mikis Theodorakis with the Greek Radio Television Symphony Orchestra. The first part included symphonic songs in various languages (Greek, Italian, German, English, French and Chinese) and in the second part, "Axion esti" with Konstantinos Markoulakis as narrator and Frangoulis in the role of the Popular Singer. On 22 May, at the 57th Cannes Film Festival, he attended the world premiere of the film '' De-Lovely'', based on the life of Cole Porter, and starring Kevin Klein. Frangoulis played the part of Alfred Drake, a Broadway star of the 1960s, and he sang the duet ' So in Love' from ''
Kiss Me, Kate ''Kiss Me, Kate'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and a book by Bella and Samuel Spewack. The story involves the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew'' and the conflict on and off- ...
'', with Lara Fabian. After the showing of the film, he took part to a concert, with some other artists of the singing cast of the film (Robbie Williams, Nathalie Cole, Elvis Costello, Alanis Morissette, Diana Krall). In July and August, his second foray into the Greek tragedy: the leading role of
Achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus () was a hero of the Trojan War who was known as being the greatest of all the Greek warriors. The central character in Homer's ''Iliad'', he was the son of the Nereids, Nereid Thetis and Peleus, ...
in the lost Aeschylus trilogy '' Achilleis'', recently reconstructed from fragments of
Aeschylus Aeschylus (, ; ; /524 – /455 BC) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek Greek tragedy, tragedian often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek tragedy is large ...
verses, completed with verses from Homer's "''
Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; , ; ) is one of two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odyssey'', the poem is divided into 24 books and ...
''" in a translation of Ilias Malandris directed by Nikos Haralambous, with the Cyprus Theatrical Organization, with prestigious co-stars such as Despina Bebedelli, Dim. Kafkaridis and Jenny Gaitanopoulou. In August, Frangoulis also took part in the final concert of the Torch Relay at the Athens Olympic Games. In this event he performed the song 'Here's to the Heroes' for the first time which was shown as part of the UK's BBC Songs of Praise Olympics Special. In 17 September he took part at the Opening Ceremonies of the
2004 Summer Paralympics The 2004 Summer Paralympics (), the 12th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Athens, Greece, from 17 to 28 September ...
in a front of more than 70 hundred people at the
Athens Olympic Stadium The Olympic Stadium of Athens "Spyridon Louis, Spyros Louis" (, ''Olympiakó Stádio Athinón "Spýros Loúis"'') is a sports stadium in Marousi, in the north section of Athens, Greece. With a total capacity of 75,000, it is the largest sports v ...
. On 1 October, he deepened his relationship with jazz with an appearance at the Herodes Atticus theater, shared with soprano Barbara Hendrics, singing songs such as "
Mack the Knife "Mack the Knife" or "The Ballad of Mack the Knife" () is a song composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht for their 1928 music drama ''The Threepenny Opera'' (). The song tells of a knife-wielding criminal of the London underworld n ...
", "Unforgettable", "When I Fall in Love", "My Baby Just Don't Care for Me" and "Les Feuilles Mortes", " I Get a Kick out of You",
Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became Standard (music), standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway the ...
's "You're the Top" and "So in Love", finishing with " Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye". He then flew to Japan where, on 11 October, he gave a concert at the Bunkamura Orchard Hall with the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Shuya Okatu and soprano Maki Mori. He sang songs from "Sometimes I Dream", as well as "O Sole Mio", "Granada", excerpts from Theodorakis' ''Canto General'' and the "Brindisi" from '' La traviata''. In November, he was in the United Kingdom for eight concerts with soprano
Hayley Westenra Hayley Dee Westenra (born 10 April 1987) is a New Zealand classical crossover singer. Her first internationally released album, '' Pure'', reached number one on the UK classical charts in 2003 and has sold more than two million copies worldwide ...
. In November 2004 Frangoulis' second international album '' Follow your Heart'' was released.


2005

During the months of February and March he was in the US for his first American tour of 28 cities with pianist Jim Brickman and Ann Cochran, to promote his album. In April he took a break to give concerts in South Africa (Sun City), with Vicky Sampson. Then he continued his tour visiting Canada, Los Angeles, San Francisco. On 20 May, he gave his first solo concert in the US, at the New York City Center, with guest artist soprano Liza Vroman. This was followed by two other concerts. One at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in Baltimore, Maryland and another one at the Sheldon Hall in St. Louis, Missouri. In June he performed at a black-tie event at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Arts Center in
Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
. In July, Frangoulis performed his first concert in
Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
, a sold-out outdoor concert under the auspices of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. He spent the rest of the summer in Greece for his usual concert tour around the country, culminating with the "Music of the Night" concert held in October at the Herodes Atticus theater accompanied by the New Opera of Moscow Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Later that month, he took part in Plácido Domingo's concert in Cyprus, featuring Kallen Esperian, accompanied by the Cyprus State Symphony and the Moscow New Opera Symphony Orchestra.


2006

His second successful tour in The United States and later international with a number of solo concerts: *7 January – Solo concert in honor of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in
Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
, Florida at the Sun Dome, with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and the Archdiocesan Metropolitan Youth Choir * 6 & 7 April – Horatio Alger Award Ceremony Washington, DC *10 June – Fundraising Gala Event – Sharon Wilson Center, Brookefield, Wisconsin *9 April – Cincinnati, Ohio – Yellow Ribbon Scholarship Fundraising Event *6 May – Solo concert at the Detroit Opera House in Detroit, Michigan *16 June – Solo Concert – Sanders Theater – sponsored by the Greek Institute at Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts. * 24–28 June Greek Concert tour (Piraeus, Athens, Thessaloniki etc.) *30 June – Private Gala Event – Baalbek, Lebanon International Music Festival's 50 years anniversary *2 July, his second concert in Turkey, at the Harbiye outdoor theater in Istanbul *October: at the Herodes Atticus theater, "Tribute to Mario Lanza" concert. *October: debut Concert in Chicago with the Chicago Symphony at Orchestra Hall and at the Landmark Theater in Richmond with the Richmond Symphony.


2007

Frangoulis completed his new album ''Amor Oscuro'' (''Skotinos Erotas''), dedicated to the Spanish poet and dramatist
Federico García Lorca Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936) was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27, a g ...
. In April he performed with Elena Kelessidi and the Baltimore Opera Company orchestra at the Lyric Opera House in
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
and in October he returned to The United States for a concert in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. In December, Frangoulis released another album: "Passione" a collection of songs that
Mario Lanza Mario Lanza ( , ; born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza ; January 31, 1921 – October 7, 1959) was an American tenor and actor. He was a Hollywood film star popular in the late 1940s and the 1950s. Lanza began studying to be a professional singer a ...
performed.


2008

Frangoulis toured in the United States leg of
Sarah Brightman Sarah Brightman (born 14 August 1960) is an English classical crossover soprano singer and actress. Brightman began her career as a member of the dance troupe Hot Gossip and released several disco singles as a solo performer. In 1981, she made ...
's " The Symphony World Tour".


2009–2011

Frangoulis had various appearances in great Athenian and other Greek venues in those two years. He was invited by the Special Olympics Committee to take a major part on the opening ceremony of the event in June 2011. Since he loves and adores children, Frangoulis gave a compassionate, loving and warmhearted performance, presenting a song from his new third international album ''Beautiful Things'', which was first released in a place that occupies a very special spot in Frangoulis' heart: the country of Greece. The album was released in November 2011. It was released in the United States and the rest of the world in winter of 2012.


2012

Frangoulis had a successful appearance with the
Boston Pops Orchestra The Boston Pops is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in light classical and popular music. The orchestra's current music director is Keith Lockhart. Founded in 1885 as an offshoot of the Boston Symphony Orc ...
and Hayley Westenra at Symphony Hall in Boston the month of June. He continued his summer with a multi-city tour in his native Greece where he concluded it with his first official concert of ''Beautiful Things'' album, in a majestic night under the August blue moon, at the Herodes Atticus Theater in Athens, Greece.


2014

In 2014 Mario Frangoulis performed with the acclaimed Norwegian soprano Sissel at a concert on Friday 5 September at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Greece. This concert, "Sing Me An Angel" was held in aid of the Non Profit Organisation "I Live For Me" and it was made for broadcasting on American television in 2015, on PBS. They performed several duets like "
You Raise Me Up "You Raise Me Up" is a song composed by Rolf Løvland with lyrics by Brendan Graham. It was first recorded by Secret Garden, in collaboration with Brian Kennedy. Although the original version was not a major hit, the song has since been rec ...
", "
Smile A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile. Among humans, a smile expresses d ...
" and " What A Wonderful World".


2016

In 2016 Frangoulis recorded a duets album in
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
with Greek singer George Perris titled "Kivotos" which included covers of popular Greek art songs from the 80s and 90s. The album peaked to #3 in the Greek Album Charts.


Charity work

Frangoulis has sung in about forty charity galas, such as the Red Cross Annual Ball, held at the Grosvenor House, several galas organized by the Greek foundation Elpida, a charity dedicated to the cure of children who suffer from cancer in Athens, Greece and many others worldwide. As a producer full of loyalty and kindness, Frangoulis has organized charity shows and concerts for children in need, such as the one for the Michael S. Polemis Foundation. *2002:
José Carreras Josep Maria Carreras Coll (; born 5 December 1946), better known as José Carreras (, ), is a Catalan operatic tenor from Spain who is particularly known for his performances in the operas of Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini. Born in Barcelona, ...
International Leukemia Foundation gala concert in Leipzig, Germany with Plácido Domingo, Harry Belafonte, Sarah Connors and others. *March 2003: charity concert for Action Aid with soprano Elena Kelessidou at the National Greek Opera *September 2003:
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
concert during the International Conference for the Cultural Management of World Heritage Cities,
Rhodes Rhodes (; ) is the largest of the Dodecanese islands of Greece and is their historical capital; it is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, ninth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Administratively, the island forms a separ ...
*December 2004: "Refugee Voices; a concert for Darfur" – concert in aid of the children of
Darfur Darfur ( ; ) is a region of western Sudan. ''Dār'' is an Arabic word meaning "home f – the region was named Dardaju () while ruled by the Daju, who migrated from Meroë , and it was renamed Dartunjur () when the Tunjur ruled the area. ...
held at the
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
, London *April 2005: Concert for the Horatio Alger Association at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. *26 January 2005, following the tsunami devastation in Southern Asia, Mario Frangoulis participated in a fundraising concert, held by the National Television of Greece, in support of the children which lost their families in the disaster. *October 2006: concert in Chicago with the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891, the ensemble has been based in the Symphony Center since 1904 and plays a summer season at the Ravinia F ...
for the benefit of Chicago's Hellenic Museum and Cultural Center *November 2007: Give Us Your Poor, a benefit concert for the homeless in Boston at The Strand theaterGive Us Your Poor :: Concert
He also appears on a compilation album of the same name. *April 2012: Concert for the Horatio Alger Association at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C..


Discography

Personal discography: Live DVD: *''Sometimes I Dream'' live in concert DVD *''Music of the Night'' live CD/DVD in PAL format (12/2006) *''Mario Frangoulis Live with the Boston Pops'', Keith Lockhart Appearances in other albums: *Apple/Full WS Sub ''Apple'' (1980) A DVD of the movie. Two idealistic folk singers take up residence at a decadent artists' colony run by a sleazy svengali, only to revolt against his bourgeois values. Campy cult fare, with "futuristic" production values that wear the indelible stamp of the 1980s' New Wave. *Bernard J. Taylor: ''Nosferatu the Vampire'' (in the role of Jonathan) *Giannis Markopoulos: Ana-ghennisi: apo tin Venetia stin Poli (sings two songs) *"Con te partiro" Single with George Dalaras *George Dalaras: ''Dalaras in Iera Odos'' (duets with Dalaras) *Cole Porter: ''De Lovely'' (18 October 2004) (Soundtrack of the film; sings the duet "So in love" with Lara Fabian) *Jim Brickman: ''Grace'' (2005) ("Ave Maria" with Jim Brickman) *Various Artists: ''Bravo Act II'' (2006); features artists such as
Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...
,
Kiri Te Kanawa Dame Kiri Jeanette Claire Te Kanawa (; born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron, 6 March 1944) is a New Zealand opera singer. She had a full lyric soprano voice, which has been described as "mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced". On 1 December ...
,
Hayley Westenra Hayley Dee Westenra (born 10 April 1987) is a New Zealand classical crossover singer. Her first internationally released album, '' Pure'', reached number one on the UK classical charts in 2003 and has sold more than two million copies worldwide ...
,
Sarah Brightman Sarah Brightman (born 14 August 1960) is an English classical crossover soprano singer and actress. Brightman began her career as a member of the dance troupe Hot Gossip and released several disco singles as a solo performer. In 1981, she made ...
, Il Divo and Amici Forever (Frangoulis sings track 3, "Adagio") *Various Artists: ''Give Us Your Poor'' (2007) (sings "Feels Like Home") *''Carpe Diem'' duet with Sarah Brightman (2008); ''A Winter Symphony'' CD Album *"Stis Gis tin akri" duet with George Perris (2008); ''Perno Anasa'' Album


References

* Larkin, Colin; John Martland (1999). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Stage and Film Musicals. London: Virgin in association with Muze UK Ltd. . *Rosita Sokou (2006) "O Marios kai go" Athens: Kastaniotis.


External links


March 2011 interview on Classical-Crossover
*Porter Anderson (6 June 2005)
"Mario Frangoulis' 'Garden' in spring, A debut in New York, a new CD in Athens"
CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frangoulis, Mario 1967 births Living people Greek tenors Juilliard School alumni Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Singers from Athens Rhodesian people of Greek descent