Giorgio Fornasier

Giorgio Fornasier has loved classic music and opera since he was a child and in 1988 he started studying classic singing becoming an appreciated tenor under the guidance of the soprano Pamela Hebert and other invaluable teachers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1990 Giorgio formed a first Ensemble of Sacred Music with the brothers Roberto Antonello (organ) and Michele Antonello (oboe). They performed significant concerts like the Easter Concert in the Parish Church of Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1990 and a tour of concerts in United Kingdom with a special performance made at Norwich Cathedral on 4 September 1993. In June 1994 they were chosen to perform a concert at the prestigious Basilica dei Frari in Venice and in September 1994 they performed a concert at the St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Toronto (Canada) with great success.

Video of "Bizet’s Agnus Dei del Bizet in Cortina"

The Domenico Zipoli Ensemble was founded in 1995 by the same artists following a meeting Giorgio had with Maestro Luis Szaran in Paraguay. They became specialised in the exclusive repertoire of music of the Jesuitic Reductions in South America (1609 – 1767). To perform this particular and unique music the Ensemble enlarged the group to embrace other artists with a prestigious personal curriculum as soloists or together with important orchestras in Italy and abroad.

Giorgio Fornasier sang as soloist at the premiere of “San Ignacio’s Vespers” by Domenico Zipoli, which was presented for the first time in Italy in Rimini on 26 August 1997. In October 1998, he sang the same music in a tour of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) with concerts in many cities including the prestigious Igreja da Sagrada Familia in Porto Alegre. On 18 March 1999, Giorgio, together with the “Domenico Zipoli Ensemble” sang at an extraordinary Conference and Concert presented by Maestro Luis at Santuario del Giglio in Prato, the native town of Domenico Zipoli. On 20 September 1999 he sang as soloist in a concert at San Giusto Cathedral in Trieste.

The following recording is very interesting and even curious as it presents a particular musical piece performed at the Parish Church in Bom Principio (Brazil) on 24 October 1998. It is an Ave Maria composed by Julio Posenato from Porto Alegre in "Talian", which is the dialect emigrants coming from the Venice region spoke when they arrived in Brazil at the end of 1800. The interpreters are: Veronica Vascotto (soprano), Giorgio Fornasier (tenor), Roberto Antonello (organ), Michele Antonello (oboe).

audio file of "Ave Maria in Talian"

Maestro Luis Szaran invited Giorgio to perform as soloist at a concert of Domenico Zipoli’s music in Asunción (Paraguay) on 11 December 1999, and to present a CD of that music recorded in Italy. On 16 December 1999 Giorgio sang as soloist Mozart’s Requiem with the Symphonic Orchestra of Asunción (OSCA), conducted by Luis Szarán.

On May 6th, 2000 Giorgio Fornasier sang as soloist, together with Domenico Zipoli Ensemble and the Choir Acadenia Ars Canendi conducted by Luis Szarán, an historical concert of music of the Jesuitic Reductions at the Jesus Church in Rome where Domenico Zipoli was organist before sailing to South America and becoming a Jesuitic Missionary. On 30 September 2000 Prato, the native town of Zipoli organised a special concert in the Saint Francis Church under the title “The Domenico Zipoli heritage”.

On 30th November and December 1st, 2000 Giorgio sang as soloist the 9th Symphony of Beethoven with Choir and Symphonic Orchestra of Asunción (Paraguay) conducted by his friend Luis Szarán.

On 28 December 2001 Giorgio was invited in the town of Encarnación (Paraguay) to become godfather to the young Philharmonic Orchestra of Itapúa during its first official concert in the Cathedral, during which he performed also some solo pieces and then joined together with a young local soprano.

Fornasier performed many other concerts in Europe, in Lucerne (Switzerland), Munich (Germany and Rome. In August 2002 he sang as soloist during a concert high on the Dolomites Mountains at Rifugio Chiggiato.

Video "Chiggiato"

To celebrate 450 years after the death of Saint Francis Xavier, Giorgio and his Ensemble were invited to sing and play during a Solemn Mass celebrated at Jesus Church in Rome and broadcast worldwide by Vatican Radio on 14 December 2002.

On November 6th, 2003 he sang as soloist “The Crowning Mass” by Mozart in Asunción in Paraguay together with some of Puccini’s arias accompanied by the Symphonic Orchestra conducted by Luis Szarán. Giorgio Fornasier performed further concerts in 2004 together with the Domenico Zipoli Ensemble and the Choir “Academia Ars Canendi” at Duomo in Conegliano and in the prestigious Tempio Monumentale di San Nicolò in Treviso.

In 2004 Giorgio performed various concerts together with the same group of artists especially in Udine and Romont near Friburg in Switzerland In September 2004 he performed as soloist in concerts at the ancient San Apollinare Nuovo church in Ravenna, at Saint Ignatius Church in Rome and at the Parish Church of S. Agata dei Due Golfi near Sorrento.

On 18 October 2004 Giorgio Fornasier together with the Domenico Zipoli Ensemble performed a special concert in Rome to the President of the Republic of Paraguay during his official visit to Italy. He presented the concert in Spanish.

On 6 February 2005 the Community of Sant’Egidio asked Fornasier and the Domenico Zipoli Ensemble to perform a special Concert at Santa Maria in Trastevere Church in Rome to celebrate their 37th Anniversary. On 21 March 2005 Giorgio Fornasier and the Domenico Zipoli Ensemble performed the premiere of the music opera “Mater” at the Basilica Santa Maria delle Carceri in Prato with the participation of the soprano Edda Dell’Orso, the unforgettable voice of Ennio Morricone’s sound tracks movies.

Audio file "da Mater"

In May 2005 Giorgio Fornasier and his group together with Maestro Luis Száran made a long tour of concerts in Germany in famous churches in Nurnberg, Dresden, Cologne and Mannheim. On 10 June 2005 they were invited to perform a musical workshop and Concert at the United Nations Palace in Geneva (Switzerland) where Giorgio sang as soloist and presented the workshop in English. The day after they performed a very successful concert at the prestigious Victoria Hall. In November 2005 Giorgio Fornasier organised a tour of concerts in Paraguay for the Domenico Zipoli Ensemble and the Choir Academia Ars Cenendi who had privilege to sing and play within the ruins of the Jesuitic Reductions and at Asunción Cathedral.

In April 2006 Giorgio Fornasier and his group performed very successful concerts at the Jesuitenkirche in Innsbruck (Austria), St. Michael Jesuitenkirche in Munich (Germany), St Ignatius Jesuitenkirche in Prague (Czech Republic) and at Petrus Canisius Jesuitenkirche in Vienna (Austria).

Audio file "Hic Vir"

This European tour of concerts ended in Switzerland on 11 November 2006 at Franz Xaver Jesuitenkirche in Lucerne and on 12 November 2006 at the Liebfrauenkirche in Zurich.

With this last concert Giorgio Fornasier decided to close his official professional activity and career as tenor.