Grand finale concert paying tribute to Mario Lanza is a labour of love for singer Tara

Now a professional singer, she grew up listening to his recordings with her family including her late father Frederick. She wasn’t alone in having fond memories of his music – mezzo soprano Tara set herself the task of putting Mario firmly back in the spotlight.

Almost four years ago, she began planning a musical tribute to the opera singer, whose life was tragically cut short at the age of 38, in 1959.

The concert, Be My Love, was held in September 2021 after being postponed twice due to Covid. It proved so popular that two further concerts were announced – the first of these, The Loveliest Night of the Year, took place in September 2022.

This year’s concert, Because You’re Mine, which is the final one in the trilogy will take place at the Dormston Mill Theatre in Sedgley on September 14.

“No one can compare to Mario Lanza,” says Tara. “As a little girl of four years old I listened to all his recordings with my father, who was an avid fan, and my aunts and uncles in the Black Country all had recordings which they would put on when we visited – everybody had a Christmas album,” she recalls.

Mario, who had Italian ancestry, was known for bringing opera to the people and as well as making more than 500 recordings between 1940 and 1959, he starred in Hollywood films including That Midnight Kiss and The Great Caruso.

“His music always lifted me and moved me. I describe Mario as being like a comet – his visit was so brief and his voice shone so bright, then he was gone.”

Staging a concert as a tribute to Mario had been a dream for Tara, who lived in Telford, shared with her father. “Before he passed away, he said to me ‘you will need an Italian tenor but where will you find one of those in the UK?’ He chuckled to himself and I knew he had set me a task.”

Tara’s search eventually led her to Italy and to tenor Simone Francesco Liconti, who agreed to travel from Bergamo to join her in paying homage to Mario.

Born in Milan, Simone studied music and singing at the Conservatory of Music G. Verdi and his career has seen him travel the world and perform roles including Mario Cavaradossi in Tosca and Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly.

“I presented the idea to Simone and he was very enthusiastic,” says Tara. “He said he was a great lover of Mario and it was the greatest honour for him.

“After the first concert, so many people asked if there would be another one so I promised them a trilogy of concerts.”

As a singer, who would usually only have to focus on her performance, planning the concerts has taken Tara out of her comfort zone.

But she says all of the hard work has been worth it to help ensure Mario’s memory lives on.

“It’s been an exhilarating, emotional and at times exhausting journey all in the name of Mario Lanza.

“Fundamentally, I’m a singer and a performer, that’s what I’ve done since I did my first public performance when I was 10 years old, but suddenly I was playing all these different roles.

“It’s entirely new territory for me so there have a been a few sleepless nights. There has been no sponsorship or external funding and I’ve taken risks that people in theatre without any backing wouldn’t dare to take.

“But you only live once and when you have a passion like this, it’s better to take the risks than be left wondering about what could have been for the rest of your life,” Tara tells Weekend.

Among her many duties is responding to ticket enquiries and she says she has been grateful for the opportunity to talk to fellow Mario fans.

“I think people have been surprised that I’m answering the phone when I’m the mezzo soprano performing in the concert. Normally, when you go to a concert, you wouldn’t speak to the performers.

“It’s been lovely to speak to people and have that connection with the audience. For me, it’s memories of Mario, and also memories of my dad and that’s really special to me.”

Because You’re Mine will include performances from Tara and Simone as well as music from pianist Ian Stephenson. It will be a celebration of Mario’s life told through a rich repertoire of popular songs and great operatic arias to include Because You’re Mine, Come Prima and Be My Love.

Although it will be the final concert in the trilogy, Tara says her work honouring the life of Mario will continue. She founded the non-profit organisation, The Legend of Lanza, which is dedicated to celebrating the singer’s career and bringing people together to share their passion for his work.

“It’s the finale of the concert trilogy but it’s certainly not the end of the dream. What we’ve done with these three concerts is prove that if you put Mario Lanza’s name up in lights, the people will come, in fact, they will run. My hope for this final instalment is that we can fill the theatre full of Mario fans one last time.”

Because You’re Mine – A Tribute to Mario Lanza will take place at the Dormston Mill Theatre in Sedgley on September 14. Tickets are available from seaty.co.uk/becauseyouremine or by calling 07957661222.