Evans Tonon: Understanding our own voices is a lifelong effort

The Italian Tenors is a classical crossover vocal trio consisting of Evans Tonon, Luca Sala and Sabino Gaita. In their repertory, they have drawn a line between classical music, popular Italian and international standards.

They are soon to return back to Cyprus for two concerts under the summer sky of the most beautiful amphitheatres on the island.

In an interview with Phileleftheros, Evans Tonon reveals that the secret to the success of the “Italian Tenors” is self-deprecation.

MOTTO: “A voice can have an intrinsic beautiful quality, a tone that is like velvet, and that’s something natural, a gift. But if you can’t reach the hearts of your audience, you’re only half successful.”

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How did the Italian Tenors come about? Is there any connection or reference to the Three Τenors?

The Italian Tenors began their musical journey in 2012 in Germany under the label Universal Music. Evans and Sabino had met at Turin’s Opera House, where they were both performing. They shared a passion for mixing repertoires and exploring various performing possibilities. Then Luca joined, studying at the Milan Conservatory. So when they met their German producer the step to form The Italian Tenors was quite easy.

The connection with the Three Tenors is just in the concept, in trying to find more popular ways to present classical training and repertoire. We wouldn’t dare go beyond that, as they are legends who we look up to with great admiration. The musical selection we offer is also quite different, as we insist less on strict opera and explore more of the pop repertoire.

What is the key to a successful joint singing performance?

We believe the best secret to a successful joint performance is to have a lot of self-irony and the will to learn something from each other at every step, whether it’s during preparation/rehearsals, or even during a performance. As different as we are we have always tried to do that, and it has helped a lot. And we try to bring that irony on stage, where another secret is to always listen. Sincerely listen to the audience, to each other, to the music. Truly listening can make a big difference.

Besides friendly collaboration, do you experience healthy competition or even professional rivalry with each other?

We feel we are quite fortunate; we are so different that we feel very little competition. Our voices are very different, our artistic journeys and ambitions are different, and even our personalities are. As a result, we have never felt true rivalry; we all know that we bring something different to the group and we are happy with that.

Do you think that the desire for fame and recognition can overcome the passion for music and performance itself?

The risk is always there. In our case, two things help avoid that. First, being true to music is something very innate to classical training, we all feel strongly that music comes first. Also, having started this project when we were not so young, helps put things into perspective and know that things are always temporary.

Do you aim to challenge, or to surpass your vocal resources?

Understanding our own voices is a lifelong effort. And pushing the limit is always a temptation. But again, classical training teaches discipline, and the need to use well our tools, to preserve and respect them, whether it’s an instrument like a violin or our own, sometimes mysterious voices.

What do you enjoy the most about your job?

Surely feeling the response from the audience when we are on stage. There is nothing comparable to that connection. You have to work for it, as it doesn’t just happen. But when we feel that the audience is “with us”, that our singing and the spoken words create a link with those who come to see us, that’s just magical.

Do you also sing privately, e.g. in the shower?

For some reason, none of us is much of a singer outside the stage.

What makes a voice special?

A voice can transfer a lot of things: personality, emotions, technique, vocal skills. Learning to do that effectively requires acting on all those elements. But in the end, it’s all a matter of communication, and communicating effectively goes beyond pure skills and technique. A voice can have an intrinsic beautiful quality, a tone that is like velvet, and that’s something natural, a gift. But if you can’t reach the hearts of your audience, you’re only half successful. One example for all is Maria Callas, she made her voice beautiful because every note she sang, every word that came out of her mouth on stage was real, it was filled with truth and emotions. Of course, when you have a good technique, you have better control of your voice and can more easily transfer those emotions.

What do you need most to be authentic: a ‘bulletproof’ singing technique or the whole range of emotions at your disposal?

This goes back to the previous comment but there is probably no definite answer. Much depends on the expectations. In the classical world, audiences mostly expect an infallible technique, and then emotions possibly follow; while probably the pop music world is willing to overlook small weaknesses as long as you are able to “speak” to your listeners through the sincerity of your singing. Even between us three, there are different approaches here, we don’t really look at it the same way. But maybe it’s this combination that works well for us.

What do you think about the charge of elitism that is often levelled at opera and classical music?

On one hand there probably is some elitism in the world of opera, but it’s also true that much is changing nowadays. It’s changing in different ways and at different paces around the world, but it is. Even the operation with the Three Tenors was the fruit of modern times, the need to break boundaries, and bringing music to such diverse audiences, in unusual locations, broadcasted on television at that level, well, it surely was a way to do away with elitism, whether willfully or not.

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The Italian Tenors (From left to right: Sabino Gaita, Luca Sala, Evans Tonon)

Communication sponsors: Phileleftheros, in-cyprus.com

Read more:

The Italian Tenors in Cyprus for two concerts as part of the “10 Years Around the World” tour