STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Olivia Manna has been singing to audiences on Staten Island, throughout the metropolitan area and in New Jersey, since she was a little girl.
When Councilman David Carr reserved April 17 to recognize explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano on the 500th anniversary of his exploration of New York Harbor and honored the namesake of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, Olivia sang the Italian National Anthem.
On board to witness the dedication were elected officials, members of the Italian Club of Staten Island Foundation, and borough residents who gathered at the monument at the foot of the bridge in Arrochar.
Earlier this month Olivia was asked to sing for a panel who sit on the board of Career Bridges, a privately funded organization that promotes careers of up and coming opera singers across the world.
The multi-talented performer, born and raised in the Sunset Hill neighborhood of West Brighton, is not only branching out musically, but she’s taken on musical theater. And these days she’s performing dramatically on stage and screen acting in unique productions.
Next stop: Carnegie Hall Nov. 9 when Olivia’s performance will be sponsored by the Long Island Conservatory of Music Foundation. She placed in the top three in its International Music Competition.
OLIVIA’S PASSION FOR MUSIC
With an inherent love of music and the indescribable feeling she experiences when on stage, music has always served as an outlet of creative freedom and expression for the talented young adult.
“I’ve been performing since the age of 11, taking voice lessons at the Staten Island Conservatory of Music and performing small roles with the Staten Island Children’s Theatre Association,” says the gifted 25 year-old.
Olivia studied voice with vocal coach and teacher Elaine Kennerly and was under the tutelage of the late Rosemarie Callahan, president and director of the Staten Island Children’s Theatre, who Olivia called her theater mom.
“Rosemarie Callahan served as a nurturing individual and saw uniqueness in children and she was able play that up and have children be uniquely them in the best performance they could be,” she noted. “And she gifted you with individuality and really excellent theater exposure and training.”
OLIVIA’S LOVE OF MUSIC IS GENETIC
“I grew up in a home of music and art appreciators,” she said. “My mother and father were constantly playing music in the house, specifically classical and Italian opera. And being raised as an Italian-American just intensified my love for the rich, passionate colors of Italian opera, and created an even more powerful sense of pride in my heritage.”
A graduate of Our Lady of Good Counsel elementary school, Olivia attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in Manhattan, where she received the Veronica Pelletieri Award. She made her jazz performance debut at Bird Land Jazz Club where she performed a tribute performance to Pelletieri, also a LaGuardia grad who lost her life in an automobile accident in Italy.
Olivia said it was because of LaGuardia High School, the “Fame” school, where the fire to continue her musical journey burned even brighter through her college years.
OLIIVA VISITS ITALY
“After my first year of college, I flew to Sant’ Angelo in Vado Italy as part of a young artist program to further my knowledge in the Italian language, culture, and music,” Olivia recounted. There, I took musical coachings, drama courses, and performed Italian operatic roles in various venues across Urbania, Italy.”
She explained how thrilling it was to have the opportunity to sing with Andrea Bocelli’s composer, Paolo Marconi in Pisa, Italy in her second year of college, who she called a really great person, a great writer and an individual who’s very passionate, A
“Being able to speak to him really gave me a great taste as to how rich in passion the Italians are about music and the arts and how it contributes to life in Italy,” she continued.
OLIVIA FURTHERS HER STUDIES
Soon after, she continued her studies at SUNY Purchase’s Conservatory of Music, where she graduated in 2021.
“After graduation, I was living out the routine of a hungry singer ready to take any job that was available. Audition after audition, taking gigs cantoring in local churches, and competing in every competition there was. I have performed operatic roles with many companies across NYC and New Jersey such as Opera Magnifico, Teatro Grattacielo, and others,” she added.
Some of Olivia’s more recent accomplishments was being named first prize winner of the Birmingham International Music Competition, placing in the top three of the Mozart International Vocal Competition, being an Action for Artists’ Grant Recipient, a Career Bridges Grant Finalist, competing in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, and she’s currently competing in the Neue Stimmen Vocal Competition for 2024.
She also was presented with an Artist Achievement Award in 2023, an organization that heard about her talent through William Hex, the founder of Action For Artists and gave her a grant that promotes the careers of up and coming artists.
Past performances on a local level have been performing with music and drama companies such as the Harbor Lights Theatre Company, Sea View Playwright’s Theatre and singing at the Italian Club of Staten Island Foundation’s Annual Gala.=
“Being an Italian-American woman in music, to me, means being unapologetically authentic and recognizing the beauty in working hard towards something you want,” she emphasized. “It’s that exact passion that keeps the Italian-American community spirit alive and well. One of the many things that I aim to do as an artist is to show people that the things that make you different from others can serve as your greatest assets.”
SUPPORT OF FAMILY MEMBERS
Olivia points out one of the things she aims to do is make her family proud, represent her community and culture, and make her mark.
She said her father, Michael Manna, a semi-professional ice hockey player who passed away in April 2023, was her biggest supporter. Manna was involved in a number of sports programs at St. Peter’s Boys High School where his son, Evan Manna, is a recent grad.
“And after losing him I became all the more driven and determined to see my musical dream become a reality,” she added. “To me, as an Italian-American, my father Michael Manna was the ultimate model of strength, resilience and humility. As I continually navigate the music and performance industry, I hope to live out those principles and make him proud, as I know he always will be of me and my accomplishments.”
And Olivia’s mom, Michele and her brother, continue to be supportive.
“You should never forget where you came from and how you got to where you are,” she said. “The success story of Italian Americans starts with the brave individuals who made their way to this beautiful country with very little and I want to carry on the principle of being a hardworking, passionate and proud Italian-American.”
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