IN REGARDS TO MY PREVIOUS ARTICLE ON "TED' GARGIULO, SOME OF YOU HAVE ASKED FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE MAESTRO. WHAT FOLLOWS BELOW IS AND EXCERPT FROM AN ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN THE MONTEREY HERALD. (Words appearing in italics have been added by Ivano.)
Born in New York City (December 19, 1915), Taddeo Luigi Gargiulo was the son of immigrant parents, Salvatore Gargiulo, a baker from Sorrento and Erminia Mascia from Castellamare di Stabia, Italy.
Amid the hardships of the Great Depression, Theodore discovered his passion for the piano and found a way to begin his studies. His talent and pursuit was rewarded with a scholarship to the Manhattan School of Music. Theory and harmony took its root and he was asked to join the National Youth Administration Symphony under the direction of Leopold Stokowski where he expanded his knowledge of orchestra and composition.
Twenty years later, in 1935, he received another scholarship from the New York Philharmonic Symphony Society and studied as a pupil of Rimsky-Korsakoff.
Teachers’ College of Columbia University was another stomping ground as he added vocal art to his accomplishments. Maestro Fritz Stiedry of the Metropolitan Opera embraced Theodore as his protégé. Here his passion grew deeper in the world of opera.
Subsequent years found Maestro Gargiulo performing as Music Director, Assistant Conductor and Conductor with opera companies such as The Miami Opera Guild, Wagner Opera Company’s National Tour, New York Opera Festival in Washington, DC, Cafarelli Opera in Cleveland, Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Columbus Symphony Orchestra in Columbus, Georgia, Connecticut Opera Association, Philadelphia Opera and the Cincinnati Summer Opera.
Theodore’s last international conducting tour included the the symphony orchestra of Ottawa, Vancouver and other cities in Canada. These orchestras provided accompaniment to the four hour silent film epic of the restoration of Abel Gance’s 1927 Classic “Napoleon” produced by Francis Ford Coppola.
He was chief music critic, reviewer and feature writer for the Columbus Leger/Enquirer newspapers for seven years and his article appeared in many publications.
The Gargiulo family came to Monterey in 1972. He organized the Peninsula Clarinet Quartet for the Monterey Museum of Art and established the chamber concert series, “Music in the Museum”
Theodore organized the Pan Cultural Orchestra of the Defense Language Institute (DLI). With Specialist Bill Zornes, Theodore wrote a pageant to celebrate the Army’s 208th Birthday Ball, “Music – the Great Motivator.”
In November 2001 Maestro Gargiulo received a lifetime achievement award at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The award was presented by The Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation.
Maestro Gargiulo was a prolific composer with a collection of art songs in various genres, symphonic works, chamber music, a wedding mass, and two operas. His opera Tryillias was accepted for consideration for a Pulitzer Prize in music in 2004.
On August 30th, 2006, Maestro Gargiulo wrote his last 101 measures – a musical setting of the Catholic Profession of Faith. “We believe in God the Father, The Almighty, the maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen……..”
"Our Father was a very rare, gentle soul who walked the earth. His spirit soars with love and passion which is expressed in the legacy of his music. and performances.. But, his greatest opus is the love of life he instilled in his family." -- The Gargiulo Family
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