JOLE DE MARIA
“has given us… not only a new demonstration of her beautiful and colorful mezzo-soprano voice and her confidence as a singer, but has also endowed the character, with just a few strokes, with a sense of truth and depth.”
Mezzosoprano, she was among the winners of the Spoleto competition and sang a vast repertoire, from Cimarosa to Mascagni, in various theaters, including the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, the Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania, and the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, where she was re-engaged for all consecutive seasons until her move abroad.
During her tours, she performed at the Italian Opera Festival in Dublin, the Teatro San Carlos in Lisbon, the Cairo Opera House, as well as in Lugano, Belfast, Alexandria, and more. She gave concerts and performed operas on RAI-Radiotelevisione Italiana (recently released on CD) and on various European and overseas radio and television networks.
She was awarded numerous prizes (Opec), including the Beniamino Gigli, Maria Callas, Tito Schipa, Giacomo Lauri Volpi, Mario Del Monaco, and Gianna Pederzini Gold Plaques.
She was conducted by some of the most renowned conductors of the twentieth century in opera theaters: Vincenzo Bellezza, Tullio Serafin, Ottavio Ziino, Oliviero De Fabritiis, Alberto Erede, Francesco Molinari Pradelli, Armando La Rosa Parodi, Ferruccio Scaglia, Umberto Cattini, Franco and Giuseppe Patanè.
Distinguished music critics such as Alfredo Parente, Franco Abbiati, and Rubino Profeta spoke highly of her in the most prestigious newspapers.
A woman of great heart, she abruptly interrupted her artistic career in Italian and foreign opera houses when serious family problems forced her to move to Argentina, where she remained for seven years. During her time in Argentina, she sang on television and radio programs and continued studying with the perseverance and tenacity that were characteristic of her, gradually developing a technique that allowed her to transition from a mezzo-soprano to a light soprano— as documented in her later recordings— while maintaining the warmth and velvet quality of her timbre.
In 1967, during a brief visit to her parents in Italy, she took part in a concert at the Circolo Artistico in Naples for the 70th anniversary of its founding, organized by Ettore De Mura. Upon her return to Italy, she was no longer able to re-enter her world. She gave numerous concerts, accompanied on the piano by Maestro Rolando Nicolosi, organized by her second husband-manager, Silvano Nicolai, who was also in love with her voice.
In 2001, due to her husband Silvano’s health issues and the tranquility of the area, she moved to Galati Mamertino in the province of Messina. In the peace of the Nebrodi mountains, she continued refining her vocal technique and recorded the CDs: “Jole De Maria, un’ugola sette voci”, “Musica Sacra”, “Jole De Maria, un’ugola sette voci 2”, “Jole De Maria, un’ugola sette voci 3”, returning to Rome only for recordings. In 2004, shortly after Silvano’s passing, her illness began. Convinced by her sister Elena to leave Sicily, she moved to Tor Lupara in Fonte Nuova (Rome).
In 2005, she recorded “Successi internazionali”, and in 2006, “Romantico”. With the recording of her CDs, which she strongly desired and worked on until the last days of her life, she left a marvelous legacy of her voice.
She passed away on May 23, 2007.
In 2007, the opera Monte Ivnor, recorded for RAI in 1957, was released on CD, and the event “Homage to Jole De Maria, un’ugola sette voci”, organized by the Arcipelago Association and the Municipality of Fonte Nuova, was held in support of A.I.R.C. (Italian Association for Cancer Research).