Tosca (singer)

Tiziana 'Tosca' Donati is an Italian singer and actress, born on 29 August 1967 in Rome.

She began her artistic career in the small theatre company of Checco Durante, a piano bar in her home town. Her career was then launched by Renzo Arbore in a television broadcast “Il Caso Sanremo” with Lino Banfi.

In 1989 she sang the song “Carcere ‘e mare” (Prison of Sea) for the title-track of the film “Scugnizzi” directed by Nanni Loy.

In 1992 she released her first album eponymously named “Tosca” and she took part in the Sanremo Festival as part of the youth category with the song “Cosa farà Dio di me” (What God shall do with me). In 1993 she worked on her second album entitled “Attrice” (Actress).

In 1996 she performed in several excellent collaborations: with Lucio Dalla she sang duet in the song “Rispondimi” (Answer Me), with Riccardo Cocciante she sang “L’Amore Esiste Ancora” (Love Still Exist), with Renato Zero she sang “Inventi” (You Think up), and finally with Ron she won the Sanremo Festival with the song “Vorrei Incontrarti Tra Cent’Anni” (I Want To Meet You In One Hundred Years). Afterwards, she released the “L’Altra Tosca” (The Other Tosca), an anthology of all her most significant duets. In the October of the same year she played the protagonist in “Il Carro Fantastico” (The Fantastic Cart)in the La Scala Theatre of Milan. Also in 1996, she performed the title-track to the movie Jane Eyre directed by Franco Zeffirelli.

In 1997 she participated in the San Remo Festival again with the song “Nel Respiro Più Grande” (In The Biggest Breath), written by Susanna Tamaro and set to music by Ron. In the spring of the same, she came out with her fourth album “Incontri e Passaggi” (Meetings And Passings) in which she performed songs written for her by Ennio Morricone, Chico Buarque de Hollanda, Ivano Fossati and others.

She won the Tenco plaque in 1997 as most outstanding performer.

In 1998 she performed the Italian dubbed the cartoon Anastasia together with Fiorello and plays the role of Milly, the main character, in the musical “Sette Spose Per Sette Fratelli” (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers) with Raffaele Paganini.

In 1999 she starts the collaboration with the Vatican taking part to several TV events in mondovision for the Jubilee. She is chosen to sing “Mater Iubilaei”, marian anthem of the Jubilee of 2000. In the May of the same year she performs for the first time the newborn prayer in the cave of Lourdes, so to become the first singer ever to perform inside it.

All along 2000 she travels around with “Musica Caeli”, a concert made up of never performed before sacred chants, in the biggest churches and cathedrals of the foreign capital, in front of the maximum religious authorities of these places. She performs Mater Iubilaei under the Holy door before the closing ceremony of Giovanni Paolo II.

In 2001 she debuts in the prestigious contest “Taormina Arte” playing the main character in the musical “Salvatore Giuliano” together with Giampiero Ingrassia under the director Armando Pugliese.

In 2002 she plays and sings in the show “Wozzeck, Lulu, la Morte e gli Altri” (Wozzeck, Lulu, the Death and the Others) partnering with Carla Fracci and with the direction of Beppe Menegatti, at the Opera Theatre of Rome. She also plays in one edition of “Monologhi della Vagina” (Monologues of the Vagina) directed by Emanuela Giordano.

In 2003 she makes her debut with the new musical “Notte In Bianco” (Night In White), of which she is also author, directed by Claudio Insegno, and associated to the coming out of her fifth CD “Sto Bene Al Mondo” (I Feel Good In The World).

Between the 2004 and 2005 she sings Roman songs in the show “Semo o Nun Semo” (We Are or We Are Not) of Nicola Piovani. Between 2003 and 2005 she performs in the role of Jenny of the spelonche in the “L’Opera Da Tre Soldi” (Three Cents Opera) from Bertold Brecht, together with Massimo Venturiello and again with him she performs Nadia in “Tango delle Ore Piccole”(Little Hours Tango), from Manuel Puig in the season 2004/2005.

In June 2005 she debuts in the Asti Theatre with the theatre-singing “Romana” tribute to Gabriella Ferri, the show is directed by Massimo Venturiello. She takes part to the production of the movie “Baciami Piccina” with Neri Marcoré and Vincenzo Salemme. In 2006 she gets the nomination to the “nastro d’argento” for the original song “Cielo e terra” (Sky and Land) of Pietro Cantarelli stretched by the soundtrack of the homonymous film. From 2006 to 2008 she played the part of Lucia in “Gastone” by Ettore Petrolini directed by [[Massimo Venturiello]]. In 2007 she takes part again to the San Remo festival with the song “Il Terzo Fuochista” (The Third Fireman) written by Massimo Venturiello and set to music by Ruggiero Mascellino. In the theatrical season of 2008-2009 she performs Gelsomina in the theatrical arrangement of “La Strada” (The Road) from Federico Fellini’s movie, the show was directed by Massimo Venturiello. In the season 2009-2010 and 2011 she performs on the stage with the theatre-singing “Musicanti” with Massimo Venturiello, which is also the director and writer of the show. In June 2010 is the protagonist voice in the composition of Marco Betta on libretto of Francesco Busalacchi “La corona di Tombacco”. Still in the same year she records a CD of Trentino, “Trentino Senza Tempo” (Trentino without time) with the Albiano’s band, directed by Marco Somadossi. In February 2011 she publishes the song “Il Bel Paese Degli Animali” written by Massimo Venturiello and set to music by Ruggiero Mascellino, song of protest against the dictatorships. In April 2011 she make her debut with the show “Il Borghese Gentiluomo” of Molière, Massimo Venturiello is again the director; the opera will be on stage in the seasons 2011-2012-2013. She takes part at the show “Italiane” in September 2011, at the theatre Argentina in Rome, with Maddalena Crippa and Lina Sastri. Emanuela Giordano directs the show. In the following October she debuts with her new theatre-singing “Zoom”, with the direction and writing of Massimo Venturiello and set to music by Ruggiero Mascellino.