Mario Lanza - Interview with Dick Simmons (1951)

During the month of January, Dead Tenors’ Society celebrates the 100th birthday of Mario Lanza! He was born Alfred Arnold Cocozza on January 31, 1921 in Philadelphia, the only child of Antonio Cocozza and Maria Lanza Cocozza. Freddie (as Lanza was known then) grew up listening to his father’s collection of Caruso records and in his teens was found to have an exceptional voice. He began singing in local amateur productions, debuting as Contino del Fioro in Ricci’s Crispino e la Comare in 1940. Following 18 months of lessons with retired soprano Irene Williams, a meeting with Serge Koussevitsky was arranged. Upon hearing the 21 year old singer (now calling himself Mario Lanza), the conductor offered him a scholarship to the Berkshire Music Festival in Tanglewood, MA. At Tanglewood, Lanza made his official debut as Fenton in Nicolai’s The Merry Wives of Windsor. Critics praised the tenor for his remarkable voice as well as his superb diction but warned that the young man needed to take time to cultiv