Giuseppe Lopizzo first discovered the vocal teaching of Brett Manning several years ago while surfing online in Italy. The 27-year-old singer, musician, and TV personality said he was instantly “kidnapped” by what he saw and heard. Giuseppe knew at that moment that what Brett had to offer was exactly what he needed, so he committed himself to a full year of exercises and lessons before coming to the U.S. in 2009 to meet the master himself.
Received Musical Gifts From Grandfather
The journey to that point began when, as a child of four, he received the gift of a guitar from his grandfather who was an accomplished musician.
“He gave me a guitar that was bigger than me,” Giuseppe said. “Through the guitar I learned to sing and play with the same passion as he had. Even today I feel his spirit when I take hold of the guitar. I’m told I even play in the same posture or position as he did. It sounds funny but it’s like I can smell and sense his presence when I sing.”
Giuseppe beamed with the joy of a young boy as he thought about his grandfather seeing him fly to America. His grandfather passed away when Giuseppe was 15, but by that time, Giuseppe had already had his first paying job as a singer.
“I was 12 years old and in middle school,” he recalls. “Operas were a tradition in my town. In 1994 there was a great Italian soprano, Katia Ricciarelli, touring and looking for a little child with a high voice. I was chosen. My grandfather was so proud he carried with him a photo of me with her.”
Giuseppe laughed as he recalled the pride and tenderness that was displayed each time his grandfather pulled out the photo to modestly brag about his grandson.
His First Big Break
A big break came for Giuseppe when he was playing in a pub near his hometown of Rovigo, Italy.
“There was a recording studio in the building, and a well-known artist that was recording there needed a back-up singer,” he said. “I was recommended and got the job. I then toured with her when I was 21. While on tour, I met a female back-up singer I admired, and working with her was like a dream. An Italian director saw me, loved my work, and has used me on many TV programs singing back-up.”
Giuseppe has sung back up for a number of artists including the Black Eyed Peas, the Cranberries, Lionel Ritchie, as well as many top Italian singers including Gino Paoli, Ornella Vanoni, Gianluca Grignani, Paolo Belli, Alexia, Riccardo Fogli, Luisa Corna, Gianni Bella, & Marcella Bella.
“I even met the actor, Dustin Hoffman,” he said. “I also performed as part of the festival of San Remo, which is like the Italian Grammy awards.”
Giuseppe is extremely grateful for having a family that never discouraged him and helped him pursue his dream. Damiano and Raffaella Lopizzo, Giuseppe’s parents, saw the journey of their gifted son as an adventure and an investment. Giuseppe also has a huge ally and advocate in his brother, Davide.
“We’re in a band called TREMO,” Giuseppe said. “Davide, who is a musical genius, has taught me so much. He pushes me past fears to take risks. You know that break in my range? I wanted to sing higher. Davide said I could, and I did it because he told everybody I could. So I had to.”
Giuseppe laughed as he talked about his brother’s role in pushing him forward to grow and develop, with a quantum leap of growth and development clearly coming from Brett Manning.
Coming to Tennessee to meet Brett was an easy move for Giuseppe because of a philosophy he believes in that encourages appreciation for living life to the fullest and seizing every opportunity for happiness.
“So often in life we wait for joy or remember it,” Giuseppe said. “We need to stop right where we are, look around and enjoy life, and appreciate it. I’ve learned to be joyful and grateful when I am singing.”
“I arrived feeling sad because of things I wanted to do with my voice but couldn’t physically,” he said. “I came to solve those voice problems – to stop the sadness.”
He knew that his confidence had grown by leaps and bounds in the year he had spent studying Manning’s technique and doing the exercises in the program. He knew deep inside that Manning would provide exactly what he needed. Giuseppe was not disappointed.
“I was excited because I had a breakthrough with my voice,” he said. “But not only that, I knew that what I learned from Brett would stay with me and be a part of my voice always. It is not just luck. It is real.”
So real, in fact, that Giuseppe is determined to bring the technique to Italy as a Brett Manning Associate. He is less than one week away from being certified.
“I love voice and I love to teach,” he said. “Since Italy has a strong tradition of singers the challenge will be to get students to understand that what I teach is good for them.”
He feels Brett Manning’s online presence and videos on YouTube will be helpful in backing up his teaching.
“I also need to take responsibility as a teacher and not take that privilege for granted,” he said. “People make sacrifices to get to the lessons and to pay for them. I need to honor that. A teacher cannot allow themselves to be tired, sad, or angry. They need to be present and focused on each student.”
It is a love for language that still drives Giuseppe’s spirit. In fact he sees language as a form of music. He sings in Italian, French, and English. He sees each language as being a different instrument, with communication being the ultimate goal with whatever language he sings.
Giuseppe feels that his brother initially gave him confidence with his middle or mix voice, but Brett Manning gives him the tools to refine and build on that. You can hear Giuseppe speak about Brett. You can also see Giuseppe in one of his first lessons in Nashville that took place with Chris Keller:
“The method makes me happy and is something I want to share from my heart,” Giuseppe said. “I believe in the Singing Success program. I take great pride to be a part of the team. ;When you meet number one in any stage of life, you want to remain close.
There is no jealousy or envy – you just want to learn how to do it, how they make it and stay close. Brett Manning and Singing Success is number one.”
Giuseppe’s passion and gifts are incredibly persuasive. Keep an eye out on www.SingingSuccess.com when Brett joins Giuseppe for a short stint as guest vocal coach in Italy on November 7 & 8.