This site was created by Derek McGovern and Lee Ann Ghajar in September 2010 to complement the long-running forum Mario Lanza, Tenor. It was launched on 31 January 2011 (the 90th anniversary of Lanza's birth). As with the Forum, our purpose is to honor the memory of Mario Lanza by providing informed discussion on his life, career and recorded legacy, and, at the same time, refute the many lingering myths about the man and his artistry. This is not your typical Lanza "fan site," however. While we unabashedly celebrate Lanza, we are not one-eyed in our enthusiasm, analyzing the low points as well as the highlights of his extraordinary life and legacy.
Our sparkling group of contributors hail from eighteen countries, and includes Australian-based singer, biographer and broadcaster Armando Cesari, author of Mario Lanza: An American Tragedy (Baskerville Great Voices Series, 2004) and a renowned authority on Lanza's life and career; New Zealander Derek McGovern, Ph.D., a South Korean-based university lecturer, writer and Lanza aficionado who contributed the CD liner notes to Mario Lanza: An American Tragedy and the 2004 BMG release Mario Lanza: Serenade/A Cavalcade of Show Tunes; Lee Ann Ghajar, a digital historian and Ph.D. candidate from Northern Virginia, U.S.A.; Muriel Agnello, a Maryland, U.S.A.-based writer; lyric tenor Vincent di Placido from Ireland; American tenor and health professional Tony Partington; former diplomat and Rome-based university director Emilio Iodice; Lou Abada, a retired human resources manager from The Philippines; electronics engineering technologist Michael McAdam from Canada; Jan Hodges, a classically trained former singer from Australia; former police officer and opera buff Gary Maidens of Canada; American research chemist and inventor Joseph Fagan; linguist and live opera enthusiast David Savage of the U.S.; Lanza memorabilia collector Susan Klee of Hungary and Germany; and researcher extraordinaire Stefanie Walzinger of Germany.
