Episode 77 Michael Fabiano

My conversation with world-renowned tenor Michael Fabiano covered his many passions, from his remarkable operatic career to his devotion to music education, believing the arts can be a great catalyst for success in life.

He spoke to me from Reggio, Calabria, his family’s homeland in southern Italy where he was singing in a special performance of Adriana Lecouvreur at the Teatro Francisco Cilea. He has performed in opera houses throughout the world, including the Metropolitan Opera, Paris Opéra and Teatro alla Scala.

We discussed his upbringing, both in Montclair, New Jersey, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he attended Benilde-St. Margaret’s School in St. Louis Park. There he was a champion debater, a skill he believes served him well in his operatic career, teaching him fundamentals of communication and performance. He went on to study vocal performance at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater and Dance, graduating in 2005. He recalls his good fortune to study under the famous tenor George Shirley.

Michael devotes his personal time to ArtSmart, a non-profit organization he co-founded with baritone John Vicardi. Its mission is to transform the lives of students in under-resourced communities across the United States through tuition-free music lessons and mentorships with paid professional artists. It now thrives in nine American cities including New York, Philadelphia, Seattle and San Francisco, and some rural communities.

Its website is www.artsmart.org, to learn more about this important organization.

Besides music, Michael is a fanatic for aviation and baseball. He’s been a baseball umpire since the age of 14, having devoured the official MLB rule book. And 10 years ago he earned his private pilot’s license and he enjoys flying on his days off. We had much to discuss during this fascinating conversation!