(NOTE: Go to http://www.franktenaglia.com/index.html to learn more about Frank Tenaglia and to listen to samples of his amazing voice.)
When I spoke to Frank Tenaglia by telephone for the first time last month, it seemed like I was talking to a guy I knew for at least a dozen years. Actually, it felt as if the person on the other line could have been one of the many young men I’ve run into hanging at the corner store, the park, or one of the Italian social clubs in my old neighborhood in Chicago. Like a slick boxer who waits on his opponent to make a move before racking up points with rapid counterpunches, Frank is a quick-witted, street-smart young man who’s armed with a swift answer for any question or comment tossed his way. It seems as if nobody is immune from getting his chops busted by Frank, but especially prone to a verbal shellacking are crooked televangelists, sport fans who get too excited, angry or sad over their favorite team’s most recent performance, and anybody who mistakenly refers to certain types of modern music as “art”. But hold off before you stick a label on Frank. Just when I thought I knew him inside and out, we began talking about Padre Pio and there was an instant change in his demeanor. You see, Frank and his family members are convinced that he would have died long ago had it not been for a miraculous healing that God worked through the prayers of this saint and Capuchin priest who suffered from the wounds of Christ in his hands, feet and side, a phenomenon known as the stigmata. Suddenly, Frank’s wisecracks gave way to humble words of gratitude as he remembered how Our Lord cured him when all hope seemed lost back in 1967.
FROM TWO BUNDLES OF JOY TO A BUNDLE OF NERVES
On January 22, 1965, Frank and Dorothy Tenaglia of Philadelphia were visited by the stork for the second time in eleven months with the birth of little Frank. Still thrilled over the recent arrival of their first son John, the couple felt blessed to give him a brother who was sure to be his best friend. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before the thankful parents’ joy was replaced by anxiety as they took notice of Frank’s tendency to cry after being fed and his lack of strength to suck his bottle. After several visits to the doctor and a set of x-rays, it was discovered that Frank had an enlarged liver and open intestinal malformation that made digesting food terribly uncomfortable for him. Eight weeks after his birth, Frank endured his first surgery to address the issue. This procedure calmed the situation for a time, but shortly after Frank turned two, a family friend, who also happened to be a physician, became concerned that the young boy was not yet making an attempt to speak, nor was he moving around much at age when most children are practically bouncing off walls. The Tenaglia’s were sent to a neurologist when it appeared that his cranium was enlarging at an unusually fast pace. After several appointments with the brain specialist, Frank’s father grew impatient and felt that the doctor was either incompetent or was sugarcoating his words to spare the family from something awful. Mr. Tenaglia called the neurologist’s office posing as a doctor himself. The news he received – that young Frank was hydrocephalic – caused him to faint on the spot in his office.
Hydrocephalus is a condition in which an excessive amount of fluid accumulates in the brain, commonly referred to as “water on the brain”. The “water” is actually cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which normally bathes the surfaces of the brain and spinal cord and exits back into the bloodstream. Its three main functions are to act as a cushion for the brain, to deliver nutrients to the brain while removing waste, and to flow between the cranium and the spine to balance the amount of blood in the brain. In the case of a person with hydrocephalus, the fluid is often blocked from exiting the ventricles, causing loosely connected bones to expand and resulting in an enlarged skull. This frequently leads to mental retardation, brain damage, and death.
The Tenaglia’s were presented with two options to treat Frank’s condition. The first alternative was for the young boy to receive daily massages to keep the CSF flowing through his body. The other, more common treatment was to divert the excess fluid by placing a synthetic tube, referred to as a shunt, into the ventricle. In this case, a hole would be drilled into Frank’s skull, into which the shunt would be inserted and installed between the brain and a major blood vessel that leads to the heart. The CSF would drain through the shunt into his bloodstream. While the latter procedure may have offered more hope in the long run, it also carried risks of complications in the future. For one, there was a chance a bacterial infection could set in, which would require antibiotics, drainage of pus from one of the incisions, or possibly the removal and replacement of the shunt. Far worse was the possibility that the shunt would become obstructed and unable to drain the CSF from the ventricles, resulting in critical pressure within the cranium which would cause headaches, vomiting, lethargy and blurred vision. This problem could be addressed temporarily by draining the fluid with a needle, but would, in all likelihood, require the removal and replacement of the shunt. The Tenaglia’s, devout Catholics who were praying for a miracle, chose to let Frank receive massages and to have his skull measured five times weekly to monitor his progress.
To make matters worse, Frank was virtually deaf. While assessing Frank’s inability to speak, it was found that he did not respond to sounds as a normal child would. He had been plagued by chronic ear infections and, for all intents and purposes, could not hear.
A RAY OF LIGHT IN THE OLD COUNTRY
Frank’s paternal grandparents were confident that the answer to the boy’s physical complications was back in the old country, specifically in San Giovanni Rotondo, a town in the province of Foggia in Italy’s Puglia region. Joseph Tenaglia, a native of nearby Vasto in the Abruzzi region, and his wife Margaret, who was born in Naples, made their way to the United States in 1923 and eventually met and married in Philadelphia. A year prior to Frank’s birth, Joseph and Margaret, while visiting their homeland, made a pilgrimage to San Giovanni Rotondo, which is situated on a plateau between Monte Calvo and Monte Nero. The village was the home of a Capuchin friary where St. Pio of Pietrelcina lived from 1916 until his death in September of 1968. As already mentioned, Padre Pio bore the wounds of Christ, thus attracting thousands of visitors to the area on most days. While there, Joseph and Margaret praised God for manifesting His power through this humble priest. They met with many people who had received miraculous favors through Padre Pio’s intercession and spoke with others whose lives were renewed after confessing their sins to him. Joseph, a skilled craftsman who worked wonders making cabinets and spiral staircases, was particularly close to his son Frank Sr., who helped him run the family business. He convinced his son to leave immediately for Italy to seek Padre Pio’s intervention.
Frank Sr. was accompanied to San Giovanni Rotondo by his cousin John, who lived in Vasto. They arrived at the church where Padre Pio was hearing confessions only to find themselves at the end of a line of hundreds of faithful pilgrims clamoring to seek help for their own needs. In a move that big Frank considered somewhat of a miracle in itself, they were granted access to meet Padre Pio by one of the Capuchin friars. Upon entering Padre Pio’s presence, his first words were directed at John, who considered the stigmatic priest to be a fraud. Padre Pio scolded him, “Get out and come back when you have been faithful to the Church and to your wife!” As John crept out of the church embarrassed for having the truth exposed, Frank Sr. stepped forward and entered the confessional. After expressing sorrow for his sins and being reminded by Padre Pio of several faults that he forgot to mention, Frank felt it was time to pour his heart out over his son’s health issues. Before he could utter a word, and without Padre Pio having had a chance to learn the slightest information as to why Frank sought his help, Frank was told, “Don’t worry about little Francis. He will be fine and I will always look after him.” The deep peace of Jesus Christ that He extended to His Apostles when He appeared to them on Easter Sunday evening suddenly came over Frank Sr. through the merciful words of Padre Pio. He had come to San Giovanni Rotondo ready to have a lengthy discussion with the saintly priest about his son, but somehow could only respond by saying, “Thank you”. Big Frank walked out of the church filled with hope, knowing that this man through whom God was working would be looking out for his son.
PADRE PIO COMES THROUGH
Frank Sr. returned to Philadelphia greeted by exuberant family members who told him that the buildup of fluid in young Frank’s brain had mysteriously slowed. Within two weeks of receiving Padre Pio’s blessing and to the amazement of his doctor at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, it was determined that young Frank would no longer need to receive massages, nor would he require a shunt to be inserted into his cranium. His doctor, unaware that Frank’s father had visited Padre Pio, told the family that God must have been looking after the young boy because the sudden halt of fluid buildup was a stunning turnaround that could not be explained medically. Frank’s cranium was no longer expanding at an alarming rate.
The next issue to be dealt with was Frank’s hearing. Doctors found that his loss of hearing stemmed from an infection due to the constant buildup of fluid in his ears, which was unrelated to the CSF backed up in his brain. There was a chance that the fluid, if not removed, might cement the bones in his ears together, causing permanent deafness. Frank would have to undergo a procedure in which a needle was inserted into his eardrum in order to suck fluid out of his ear canal through a syringe. After this action proved to be unsuccessful, with infections and fluid buildup continuing, Frank received myringotomy, a surgical procedure in which a tiny incision is created in the eardrum to relieve pressure and to drain pus. The myringotomy procedure was performed five times on Frank before infections stopped. Finally, his hearing began to improve and the small boy began to make sounds. All the while, Frank’s father was not deterred by fear as he kept hearing over and over the words of Padre Pio: “(Frank) will be fine and I will always look after him.”
The Tenaglia’s would be forever grateful to Our Lord for healing their son through Padre Pio’s prayers and the work of several doctors. Frank Sr. became much more serious in his prayer life, while Dorothy devoted twelve years of her life to teaching children with special needs. Frank was able to begin kindergarten at King of Peace Catholic School in South Philadelphia at the age of five free of the hindrance of any health problems.
A GIFTED CHILD
As time went by, it became obvious that Frank could not only hear, but possessed the rare gift of “perfect pitch”. This musical term means that one is able to recognize exact notes and chords by ear. It all began one afternoon when Frank, age three at the time, started to mimic the exact sound of Dorothy’s vacuum motor just before she turned it on. Frank was able to do the same with car horns, door bells and a whole host of other sounds. Frank’s knack for picking up notes became a cute joke that brought much laughter to the Tenaglia’s.
At age 13, the family realized that Frank’s gift was meant for much more than simply entertaining his friends and family with imitations of random noise. One constant in the Tenaglia household was the voice of Mario Lanza blaring on Frank Sr.’s 8-track player. Lanza, whose real name was Alfredo Cocozza, was a famous tenor and movie star whose life was cut short in 1959 at the young age of 38 due to heart problems. He had grown up a couple blocks from Dorothy and was naturally a big hit among the Italians of South Philadelphia. Frank Jr., while attempting to poke fun at his father, began singing along with a Mario Lanza Christmas album and surprised the family with a beautiful voice that they felt needed to be cultivated and heard by others. Until this point in his life, Frank, in addition to the health problems he faced as a toddler, had a tough time in grade school. Due to problems with his pituitary gland, Frank was overweight and had trouble keeping up with his friends who loved sports and other games that required physical skills. After taking vocal lessons, Frank performed in public for the first time before a crowd of 2,000 and received a standing ovation and heaps of praise. Needless to say, Frank felt as if he were on top of the world and chose to enhance his gift. He continued to perform while attending South Philadelphia High School and the Philadelphia College for the Performing Arts.
While singing at a 50-year reunion at Thomas Junior High School, Frank’s two arias caught the attention of alum Peter Liacouras, the president of Temple University. As Mr. Liacouras began to address the assembly, he mentioned that anybody who sang like that just had to go to Temple. Later, while speaking to Mr. Liacouras in person, Frank joked about having to come up with an astronomical amount of money to attend his school. Mr. Liacouras responded by saying that Frank would receive a full scholarship if he attended Temple, an offer he gladly took up.
AN ACCOMPLISHED TENOR
Since graduating from college, Frank has gone on to enjoy a successful vocal career. He performed for the 1989-90 season with the Greater Miami Opera after auditioning for the apprentice program. He has taken home prizes at major competitions sponsored by the Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition, The Metropolitan Opera Council, The Puccini Foundation, The Sergio Franchi Scholarship (four-time recipient), The National Association of Teachers of Singing (N.A.T.S.), and the Florham Opera.
On a sad note, Frank’s beloved father died on April 13, 1994, before being able to see his son fulfill several lifelong dreams. But Frank feels that his father was looking down proudly upon him from Heaven at his debut concert at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia when he sang for Peter Nero and the Philly Pops. Nero is a two-time Grammy Award-winning pianist and conductor. While working with Peter Nero, Frank was asked to sing a tribute to one of his heroes, Mario Lanza. Frank sang Lanza’s popular hit “Be My Love” when he was 31 years-old, the same age and on the same stage where Mario wowed the crowd over 40 years earlier.
Frank has since performed with the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra, the Reading Symphony Orchestra, the Reading Pops, the Warminster Symphony Orchestra, the Ocean City Pops, the Haddonfield Symphony Orchestra, the Charlotte Philharmonic Orchestra, the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra and the Berks Chamber Orchestra. Frank sang backup to Sarah Brightman at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia on her “La Luna” tour. He took part in a tribute to Sergio Franchi on PBS, sang the American and Italian national anthems at the National Italian American Foundation’s Gala Convention in 1999 and 2000, and performed at Milwaukee’s Festa Italiana from 2001 through 2007. Frank has also made use of his voice to raise funds for charitable causes, most notably to aid surviving family members of the brave first responders who lost their lives at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
Finally, one of the greatest pleasures in Frank’s vocal career was having the opportunity to perform alongside his brother John, a baritone. John carried on the family business and, along with his wife, is the choir director at St. Peter’s Church in Merchantville, New Jersey. To see Frank perform with his brother, please see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq740BmnPAc.
FOREVER GRATEFUL TO OUR LORD AND PADRE PIO
Frank feels that Padre Pio made good on his promise to continue looking out for him again when he was 13 years of age. When Frank needed surgery to correct an undescended testicle that had originally been fixed at birth, he entered the University of Pennsylvania Hospital whispering prayers to the priest who came to his rescue over a decade earlier. After Frank received anesthesia to put him under for the procedure, the next thing he remembers is waking up in the recovery room only to hear from his elated parents that the operation had been cancelled because his testicle was completely normal. Much like the healing of his hydrocephalus, the specialist could not explain how this obvious problem “corrected itself”. Frank and his family members could only wink toward Heaven because they knew that Padre Pio once again offered prayers on his behalf.
Frank, who has been to San Giovanni Rotondo twice to give thanks to Our Lord and Padre Pio, visited Italy for the first time in 1985. He was accompanied to Padre Pio’s old stomping grounds with his infamous cousin John, who remained a skeptic with a chip on his shoulder against the saint. While there, Frank visited the “House for the Relief of Suffering” that had been founded by Padre Pio; the cell where Padre Pio spent many nights in prayer and anguish from his wounds; and the saint’s grave, where he felt he was able to personally thank him.
While Frank has always been thankful for the graces he has received from Heaven, he’s never one to shy away from a joke. Frank frequently asks his parish priest why God went through all the trouble of healing him of hydrocephalus, hearing loss, and other maladies, but left him with a glandular problem that has kept him overweight. Just when his pastor looks at Frank unable to come up with an answer, Frank bursts into laughter and everyone realizes he’s up to his old tricks.
FRANK’S FUTURE
Frank hopes to continue his vocal career for years to come and would be extremely happy to spark interest among teens in the truly beautiful music that he fell in love with before entering high school. He would also welcome the opportunity to work with a documentary filmmaker to produce a video or PBS special on how his life was spared with the help of Padre Pio’s intervention and how he has used all of these years, which he considers to be gifts, to glorify God through song.
If anybody is interested in learning more about Frank Tenaglia, watching a few sample performances, or contacting him about making a personal appearance at an event, please take a look at his website at http://www.franktenaglia.com/.
SOURCES:
- Interview with Frank Tenaglia
- Frank Tenaglia’s official website: http://www.franktenaglia.com/
- The website for the Hydrocephalus Foundation, Inc: http://www.hydrocephalus.org/
- The website for the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, specifically the organization’s fact sheet on hydrocephalus: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/hydrocephalus/detail_hydrocephalus.htm
