Biography

Founded in 2008, it is now considered one of the most important opera and symphonic choirs in Italy; since its inception it has been directed by the bass Francesco Costa, Oscar della Lirica 2016, with the artistic direction of the soprano Giovanna Collica and the
presidency of the baritenor Alberto M. A. Munafò. The particular care of vocality and taste and the versatility of
components of the staff, allow you to deal with both the refined and demanding symphonic and sacred repertoire and the
robust traditional lyrical repertoire. Formed by Artists from Sicily and southern Italy, he is regularly enrolled in the
theaters present on the national and international territory with considerable success with the public and critics. Annually
realizes the “Premio Canticorum Sacerdos” (among the awardees Mons. Giuseppe Liberto and Mons. Marco Frisina) and the
“Sicanorum Cantica Award” (among the winners Fiorenza Cossotto, Marcello Giordani, Maria Dragoni, Luciana
Serra, Denia Mazzola Gavazzeni, Fioretta Mari, Domenico De Meo, Guia Farinelli Mascagni, Cesare Orselli, Dimitra Theodossiou, Pietro Ballo). Both events enjoy the appreciation of the Presidency of the Republic, the Senate, the Chamber of Deputies and the patronage of the Prime Minister. The intense concert activity is combined with the cultural one: in this sense an intense work of research, enhancement and
export of Sicilian art at national and international level as well as rediscovery of the most important authors, with the execution of lesser-known or unpublished works by P. Mandanici, P. Vinci, G. Pacini, V. Moscuzza, F. P. Neglia, V. Bellini (in particular “Zaira”, with the extraordinary participation of some interpreters of the cast of the world premiere of 1976). Di Zaira edited for the “Bellini Festival” the philological version, presented in Catania at the Greek-Roman Theatre in 2012. On the occasion of the opening of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops (2009), he performed at the Basilica of St. Peter st.C.V. in Rome before H. S. Benedict XVI in collaboration with the
Cappella Musicale Pontificia Sistina and was chosen for the theme song of the event, broadcast on RAI2. He collaborates with major charities and regularly gives concerts for their own purposes. He has participated in various events broadcast by the BBC, RAI, SKY, the Cannes Film Festival, in the film circuits in the world vision and has performed in the presence of High Ecclesiastical, Civil and Military Authorities. He was awarded – among others – the International Opera Award (Oscar della Lirica), The International Prize Sicily “Il Paladino” on the occasion of the fortieth anniversary, the Bellini Prize 2015, the Prize of the Academy of Fine Arts
Arti di Catania, Ambassador of Belcanto Award 2016. He has been directed – among others – by Donato Renzetti, Henning Brockhaus, Ralf Weikert, Grischa Asagaroff, Steven Mercurio, Muhai Tang, Peter Tiboris, Lü Jia, Giuliano Carella, Marius Stravinsky and has performed with José Carreras, Fiorenza Cossotto, Aprile Millo, Daniela Dessì, Sumi Jo, Gregory Kunde, Fabio Armiliato, Marcello Giordani, Sonia Ganassi, Giovanna Casolla, Alberto Gazale, Carlo Colombara, Denia Mazzola Gavazzeni, Piero Giuliacci, Alessandro Corbelli, John Osborn, Dimitra Theodossiou, Luciana D’Intino, Jessica Pratt, Alberto Mastromarino, Pietro Ballo, Svetla Vassileva, Amarilli Nizza, Elisabetta Fiorillo, Carlo Ventre, Roberto Frontali, Guo Shu Zhen, pop tenor Andrea Bocelli, Antonella Ruggiero. He collaborates with the “Settimana Internazionale di Musica Sacra di Monreale”, the Fondazione “Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana”, the Ente Luglio Musicale Trapanese, the “Bellini Festival”, “Taormina Arte”, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Macao International Music Festival, Harbin Grand Theatre, Tian Jin Opera House, Turkish National Philarmonic, Hangzhou Philarmonic, Macao Orchestra, Filarmonica Rossini, Oper Schenkenberg, Astra Theatre, Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. He has performed in productions of the Teatro Alla Scala in Milan, Teatro “Vincenzo Bellini” in Catania, Chicago Opera, Teatro Regio in Parma, Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, Teatro Regio in Turin. With Cavalleria Rusticana he baptized Daniela Dessì in her debut in the role. For the July Trapani performed the opera “Mercedes” in World Premiere in collaboration with the Teatro Comunale di Bologna; of this work was made a DVD produced by the same Institution. He has recorded for Warner Classic and Amadeus. In 2019 he performed with the well-known pop tenor Andrea Bocelli for the only Italian leg of his tour.
He inaugurated the Harbin Opera House, China, with a New Year’s Eve gala with the extraordinary participation of tenor José Carreras.
In the same year he performed Aida and La Traviata directed by Franco Zeffirelli and was awarded the Golden Opera Award “International Opera Awards – Oscar della Lirica” during an event broadcast by Chinese state TV in front of one and a half billion spectators.