Mark Janicello

Mark Janicello
Mark Janicello in 2008
Born	Mark Steven Janicello November 3, 1962 (1962-11-03) Brooklyn, New York, USA
Occupation	Actor, singer, author, producer, director, painter
Years active	1984 ─ Present
Website
http://www.markjanicello.net

Mark Janicello (born November 3, 1962), is an American tenor, actor, painter, author, director, and producer.

Janicello is a well-known musical performer in the German-speaking countries of the world. Besides starring in musicals, Janicello has taken part in numerous operas, operettas, galas and concerts. He has made numerous commercials, a computer game, and has many television and film appearances to his credit. He has also released many cast recordings and solo CDs.

Childhood

Mark Janicello was born in Brooklyn, New York. His first stage appearance was at the age of 4 as a soloist in his grandfather Joseph's Assembly of God Church in Bensonhurst, New York. At 9 years old, he wrote and illustrated his first children's book The Cloud Family. When he was 11, as part of a school assignment about the Spanish explorer, he wrote, produced, directed and starred as Christopher Columbus in his fifth-grade class's production of The World Is Round. Janicello discovered his talent for drawing and painting as a small boy. After a few months of private art lessons, he soon began drawing photo-realistic portraits in pencil of famous celebrities.

Early career

Mark's professional debut was 1983 in Theater West Virginia's long-running productions of Honey in the Rock and Hatfields and McCoys in Beckley, West Virginia. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1984, with a Bachelor of Music Degree. In 1985, Janicello completed a one-season stint in the extra chorus of the New York City Opera performing in Verdi's Attila with Samuel Ramey and Puccini's Turandot with John Frederick West. Those performances made him a union member (AGMA) and they were instrumental in Janicello's decision to pursue an operatic career. Mark's first New York Times review was for his performance as Raoul de Gardefeu in Christopher Alden's experimental production of La vie parisienne at Opera at the Academy where he co-starred opposite soap-opera star Felicity LaFortune. Janicello's performances as Detleff in Romberg's The Student Prince in Carousel Dinner Theater Ravenna, Ohio secured his Membership in Actor's Equity Association, which then led to a starring role as Rosillion in the Papermill Playhouse Production of Lehár's Die lustige Witwe with Tony Award-winning actress Judy Kaye.

Moving between the worlds of classical and popular music, in 1987, Janicello auditioned and became one of original members of New York City's MTA program Music Under New York. With MUNY, he began to appear on a regular basis in subway stations all around metropolitan New York as well as in Grand Central Station. His performances at the subway station on 125th Street and Lexington Avenue, led him to audition for Amateur Night in Harlem's Apollo Theater. His two appearances were well-received, and he was invited by NBC to appear in the first season of their new talent-contest Showtime at the Apollo, which was guest-hosted by Bill Cosby. This was Mark's first national television appearance.

Mark won a grant from Licia Albanese's Puccini Foundation and in addition to a cash prize, was also awarded private voice lessons with Franco Corelli. He later studied with pianist and conductor Ted Taylor as well as with coloratura soprano, Elizabeth Cole and Wagnerian Soprano Margaret Harshaw during her summer master classes at Westminster College. Harshaw was so taken with Janicello's singing that she invited him for private lessons with her in Bloomington, Indiana's IU. During the last 3 years of her life, Janicello was coached in the Italian operatic repertory by Alberta Masiello. Masiello was known for her coaching work with acclaimed soprano Maria Callas among others.

Janicello's operatic debut was as Pinkerton in Puccini's Madama Butterfly produced by Opera Northeast. He followed that with starring roles as the Caliph in Kismet and the American premiere production of Rossini's opera Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra, in which he sang Leicester. Janicello continued to sing in the NY Subway and was discovered in 1990 by Eve Queler who invited Mark to perform in Donizetti's Roberto Devereux with which he made his Carnegie Hall Debut. Diverse operatic roles followed including Cavaradossi in Tosca, Il Duca in Rigoletto and Cassio in Otello. Janicello honed his comedic skills while performing for 2 seasons with Ira Siff's comedic opera troupe La Gran Scena Opera with whom he also made his Town Hall debut. Janicello's Gran Scena character -- Mario Costa-plenti -- was a parody of Franco Corelli.

International attention

In 1992, Kentucky Fried Chicken launched a nationwide search for the best street performer in America with their contest the KFC Musical Feast. Bo Diddley was one of the three judges. Regional auditions were held in 5 American cities, New York City among them. Janicello entered and won the New York Regional Contest, which was held in Times Square. Two days later in Grand Central Station, Janicello was awarded $15,000.00 by first singing Recondita armonia from Puccini's Tosca dressed like Bon Jovi. He then removed his long coat, and in a skin-tight black leather costume, performed a number of his own creation combining It's Now or Never and the Italian folksong O Sole Mio, changing his singing and performing styles back and forth, between Elvis Presley and Luciano Pavarotti. In the week following the contest, Janicello's success was reported in more than 1700 newspaper articles worldwide. In addition to the prize money, Janicello appeared at The Grand Ole Opry; on NBC's The Today Show as well as on many other international, national, and regional television and radio programs. Janicello's appearance on The Today Show also led to his invitation to join the International Opera Studio of the Zurich Opera House.

Actor

As a student at UNC-G, he began a 14-year working relationship with acting teacher William C. Wendt, a proponent of Stanislavski's Method Acting. Between his musical engagements, he privately studied with Wendt in his New York studio, while actively pursuing work as an actor. He became a member of the Screen Actor's Guild working as a day player in the Anne Bancroft film 84 Charing Cross Road. A notable appearance included the Ken Ludwig comedy Lend Me a Tenor at the Olney Theater, where he took on the role of Tito Morelli. Morelli a.k.a. Il Stupendo was, like Mario Costa-plenti, a parody of Franco Corelli. Janicello also performed with Ensemble Studio Theater as 'The Narrator' in a new production Angelina; Fedotik in the Dramatist Guild's production of Three Sisters; and as Amiens in a production of Shakespeare's As You Like It in the Judith Anderson Theater Off-Broadway. Since moving to the Netherlands in 2003, Janicello has appeared in numerous commercials on Dutch television, as well as doing voiceover and synchronization work for industrial and documentary films.

Musical Author/Producer/Director

In 1995, Janicello teamed up with Elvis composer Ben Weisman, for a concert of Weisman's film music for Elvis during the first Cinemusic Festival in Gstaad, Switzerland. The concert was a rousing success. Buoyed by the success in Gstaad, Janicello decided to work as a producer for the first time with Elvis: The Hollywood Years—The Music of Ben Weisman which was successfully presented in May 1996 in the Kongresshaus Zurich.

Weisman was so impressed with Janicello's interpretations of his songs, that he gave him the last unreleased Elvis song, "Will You Still Be There". Will You Still Be There was released in February 1997 in Germany on TeBiTo Records. Ben Weisman travelled to Europe to help Janicello promote Will You Still Be There. Janicello's recording led to him being cast as Elvis Presley in Stadttheater Klagenfurt's production of Elvis: A Musical Biography. This proved to be his breakout performance throughout German-speaking Europe. His TeBiTo recording contract (including "Will You Still Be There") was later bought by BMG Ariola Austria which then re-released "Will You Still Be There" as the B-Side of Janicello's 1997 EP Can't Help Falling in Love With You.

Janicello followed the 1997 musical Elvis with the first of his self-written productions, The Chamaleon Concert, in Vienna's Theater AKzent. Based upon the success of Chameleon Janicello wrote, produced, directed and starred in Be My Love: The Mario Lanza Musical which opened on October 7, 1999, the 40th anniversary of Lanza's death. Be My Love co-starred David Cameron as MGM boss Louis B. Mayer and American soprano Melanie Holliday as Kathryn Grayson. The musical used Lanza's own songs to tell the story of his life. A critical and commercial success, Be My Love gave Janicello the impetus to try and create his first completely original musical. In addition to his work as author, producer, director and star, for the first time, Janicello expanded his multi-talking by also working as co-lyricist with German playwright and lyricist, Rolf Rettberg. The result of this collaboration was the 2001 Viennese production of Charlie: A New Musical with music by Hungarian composer Belà Fischer. In 2004, Janicello presented Charlie in an all-new, English-language version in Amsterdam's Het Werkteater. He revisited his breakthrough role of Elvis Presley in another world-premiere, original production, Elvis: Die Show, sein Leben. This 2002 production was unique, because in contrast to many jukebox musicals, Janicello's Elvis was 60% Elvis Hits and 40% newly-composed songs for which Janicello was either (co-)lyricist, and/or (co-)composer. The 2002 Elvis re-teamed Janicello and David Cameron, this time with Cameron appearing as Elvis's manager, Colonel Parker. Elvis: Die Show, sein Leben premiered in Vienna's Theater AKzent in September 2002 and toured Germany, Switzerland and Austria before finishing its initial run in June 2003 in Munich's Deutsches Theater Munich.

Janicello is currently in the pre-production phase for two further original musicals: Cloud Number 9, a musical for children based on the book The Cloud Family that he wrote as a 9-year old boy; and The Great Caruso about the legendary tenor Enrico Caruso.

Painter

In 2002, Janicello renewed his childhood interest in the graphic arts and began painting. Since 2003, he has had 8 exhibitions in Vienna and Steyr, Austria; in Amsterdam; Diemen and Haarlem, The Netherlands as well as in Bayreuth, Germany. His painting of Diana, Princess of Wales titled One More Diana, Please was included in the 2007 book Diana in Art by Mem Mehmet, (Caxton Publishing Group, UK). His portrait of Elvis Presley entitled The King Laughs will be included in the forthcoming book Elvis in Art by Roger Taylor (Caxton Publishing Group, UK; publication in Winter 2008)

Author

Janicello's Autobiography "Naked in the Spotlight" is being published by the Ibera Verlag in Vienna (ISBN 978-3-85052-100-0). The book will be released throughout German-speaking Europe in March. Janicello's 2011 CD Single "Push It Now" will be released simultaneously with the book throughout German-speaking Europe. The single will be released separately from the book in BeNeLux. "Push it Now"has music by Grammy-Award Winning Producer Georg Luksch and Mark Janicello, with lyrics by Mark Janicello. Luksch, together with producing partner Peter Rauhofer, are better known as the Remixing Team Club 69

Charitable work

In 1992, Janicello began work with Music for All Seasons. With MFAS he gave concerts in prisons, children's hospitals and old age homes. After moving to Europe, Janicello continued the work begun with MFAS, singing in prisons and hospitals all over German-speaking Europe. He has worked with German Red Cross and the Austrian Charity Licht ins Dunkel among many others. His performances were well-received by the elderly, the inmates, children and patients alike and garnered Janicello unexpected media attention.

Selected musical engagements

• 1987 Showtime at the Apollo, NBC TV, with Bill Cosby (Host) first national TV appearance
• 1988 La vie parisienne, Long Beach Opera Production in Hollywood and Opera At The Academy, NYC, as Raoul de Gardefeu
• 1989 Outreach Program, The Metropolitan Opera, as the Tenor
• 1989 Madama Butterfly, Opera Northeast US Tour as Pinkerton
• 1990 Kismet, Opera Northeast, US Tour as Caliph
• 1990 Die Fledermaus, Pennsylvania Opera Theater, as Alfredo
• 1990 Outreach Program", The Metropolitan Opera, as the Tenor
• 1991 Roberto Devereux, Opera Orchestra of New York, Roberto (Young Artist Performance); Lord Cecil (Carnegie Hall)
• 1991 The Merry Widow, Papermill Playhouse as Camille de Rosillion
• 1992 Elisabetta, Reghina d'Inghilterra, Leicester, Opera Northeast US Tour (American Premiere)
• 1992 KFC Musical Feast, $15,000 Prize Winner "Best Street Performer in America"
• 1992 KFC Musical Feast at The Grand Ole Opry
• 1992 Tosca, Augusta Opera as Cavaradossi
• 1992 Tosca, Virginia Opera as Cavaradossi
• 1993 La Gran Scena Opera, Netherlands Tour as Mario Costaplenti
• 1993 La Gran Scena Opera, Town Hall, NYC as Mario Costaplenti
• 1994 La Gran Scena Opera, Hamburg, Germany as Mario Costaplenti
• 1994 / 1995 International Opera Studio, Zurich Opera House
• 1995 Der Kaiser von Atlantis, Opernhaus Zurich, as Harlekin/Soldat
• 1995 Cinemusic Festival, Gstaad, Switzerland "The Music of Ben Weisman" as Elvis Presley
• 1995 - 1996 Die gottliche Kirmes, Stadttheater St. Gallen, (German-language Premiere) as Doufi
• 1996 The Music of Ben Weismann, Tonhalle, Zurich, Switzerland as Elvis Presley
• 1996 The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Amadeus Festival, Vienna as Doctor S.
• 1996 Crossing Brooklyn Ferry, Sussix Festival (World Premiere) as Narrator
• 1996 Nuit des Hommes, World Music Festival, Copenhagen, (World Premiere) as Mann
• 1997 Die goettliche Kirmes, World Music Festival Copenhagen, as Doufi
• 1997-1998 Elvis: A Musical Biography, Stadttheater Klagenfurt, Wiener Metropol and European Tour as Elvis
• 1998 The Chamaelon Concert, First Solo Show in Vienna
• 1998 City of Angels Musicalsommer Amstetten, as Jimmy Powers
• 1999-2000 Be My Love: The Mario Lanza Musical, World-premiere production in Vienna (author, producer, director and Mario Lanza)
• 2000 Orpheus in der Unterwelt, Tour of Japan as Orpheus
• 2001 Charlie: A New Musical, World-premiere production in Vienna (author, producer, director, lyricist and Charlie)
• 2001-2002 Victor/Victoria, Landestheater Salzburg as King Marchand
• 2002-2004 Elvis: The Musical, World-premiere production in Vienna (author, producer, director, lyricist and Elvis) and European tour
• 2004 Charlie: A New Musical, English language production in Amsterdam (author, producer, director, lyricist and Charlie)
• 2005 Die lustige Witwe, Dutch touring production as Danilo
• 2005 Die Csardasfuerstin, Dutch touring production as Edwin
• 2006 Der Zarewitsch, Open-Air production in Germany as Zarewitsch
• 2006 Die verkaufte Braut, Open Air production in Germany as Hans
• 2006 La traviata, Musikfestival Steyr as Alfredo
• 2007 Orpheus in die Unterwelt, Oper(n)Air Festival as Orpheus
• 2007 Elvis Goes Classic, European Concert Tour
• 2008 La Notte Italiana, European Concert Tour
• 2009 Night of the Italian Tenros, Concert Tour Switzerland
• 2009 Be My Love: A Tribute to Mario Lanza, European Concert Tour
• 2010 Lebende Rock Legende, European Concert Tour
• 2010 Die lustige Witwe, Wiener Operettensommer production as Danilo

Discography

• 1996 Crossing Brooklyn Ferry, by composer Graham Todd, World-premiere Recording (UK Only)
• 1996 Unchained, EP
• 1996 Classics, EP, famous opera arias for tenor
• 1997 Will You Still Be There, Single, World-premiere recording of the last unreleased Elvis Song from Ben Weisman
• 1997 Can't Help Falling in Love With you, EP from "Elvis: A Musical Biography"
• 1998 Du bist das Herz der Welt fuer mich, Single (Duet with Hanne Haller)
• 1999 Be My Love EP - from the world-premiere musical "Be My Love: The Mario Lanza Story"
• 2000 Deep In Your Soul, Single
• 2001 Charlie: A New Musical, World-premiere Cast Recording in German
• 2001 Right Now, Single from "Charlie: A New Musical"
• 2001 Amazing Grace, American gospel songs
• 2001 Time Stands Still, Single
• 2002 Great Big Mama, Single
• 2002 Endless Love: LIVE in Concert
• 2002 ELVIS: THE MUSICAL, World-premiere Cast recording
• 2003 Rubbernecking, LIVE EP from "Elvis: The Musical"
• 2003 The Christmas Song(s), EP, Christmas album
• 2003 I can't make you love me, EP, famous love songs
• 2004 Charlie, World-premiere Cast Recording in English
• 2004 Traummelodien, famous tenor arias
• 2004 Musical Man, famous songs from musicals in English and German
• 2004 Butterfly, famous pop songs in English
• 2005 Georgia on my mind, EP Tribute to Ray Charles
• 2008 La notte Italiana, Italian operatic arias and Italian-inspired folk and pop songs (in Italian, Spanish and English)
• 2008 Listen, EP
• 2009 Great Big Mama, CD Single - New Remixes (Dutch Market Only)
• 2011 Push it Now, CD Single - (March 2011)

External links and sources

• Biography of Mark Janicello, on the official web site of Mark Janicello.
• Mark Janicello's official web site
• Mark Janicello Fanclub (German)