Singing friar says heavenly voice is gift from God

Alessandro Brustenghi is a young Italian Franciscan friar whose beautiful, emotionally charged tenor voice has been attracting sell-out audiences to concerts throughout Europe. His album, The Voice of Assisi quickly rose to No 1 in the UK Classical Album Charts.

Behind Alessandro’s wide smile and charming manner is a passionate belief in spreading the message of the ‘beauty of God’s love’ through his dynamic voice.

The 35 year-old friar, from the Abruzzo region of Italy, has had a passionate love of music from early childhood. He plays the organ and piano and attended a school for aspiring musicians from the age of 14.

"I did not want all of this. I must honestly say I find it difficult. But I am just obeying. I don’t know what God wants from my mission, where, when, I am only discovering step by step."

Alessandro speaks openly of his struggle with depression as a teenager and the conversion experience that changed his life.

"There are some destructive spirits that disturb people. One is a spirit that makes you ‘mute’ — closed, afraid to share what is inside, because you are afraid of judgment; afraid of other people; afraid to show your feelings.

"I had this spirit inside of me. I was not able to explain to anyone what I was going through. So I cried out to Jesus; ‘If you really do exist, give me a sign.’ Then I felt this tremendous love in my heart, a sense that I am in his presence and he is within me."

Alessandro has no doubts whatever about this experience: "It’s very difficult to explain because it was a mystical experience.

"The prayers of my friends were very helpful for me at the time. They recognised that I was in a dark place. They were real friends."

Alessandro blames our materialistic society for many of the problems young people are experiencing today.

The antidote to materialism is beauty, he believes. "Young people should be introduced to art, music, painting, and sculpture as part of their education."

His conversion completely changed Alessandro’s life around. Before that, "God was just an idea. I loved music, so for me music was the closest thing to my idea of God."

"I also saw a film about St. Francis and the similarity with my life; how he decided to give up material things."

Like St. Francis, Alessandro — due to a crisis of faith he experienced before taking his final vows — spent three ‘long and torturous’ years living as a hermit. "I would sing every day and weep every night."

He does not confine his repertoire to spiritual songs; he includes Neapolitan love songs and operatic arias. When asked at the monastery to stop singing, as a trial, he says: "I discovered the music was inside of me. God’s gift was in my heart".