Tonia Evans Cianciulli acknowledges her God-given talents with her original hymn and video My Voice Belongs To Him — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
My Voice Belongs To Him is the first single and sole original song from the lauded soprano’s upcoming album of classic spirituals Hymns Of The Heart. The new album is a personally significant and very meaningful collection for the Toronto-based, Newfoundland-born vocalist. A collaboration between Cianciulli and Canadian poet Vaughn Harbin, My Voice Belongs To Him came together during a time when the global pandemic had largely been keeping loved ones apart; the lingering grief over the loss of ‘what once was’ left Cianciulli feeling the need to reconnect with the spiritual music of her past.
“One day last summer, I received an email from my dear friend and poet, Vaughn,” Cianciulli recalls. “He was inspired to write lyrics for me on what it means to sing hymns. Vaughn’s lyrics were so meaningful, I was worried I wouldn’t come up with a melody to do it justice.”
It turns out Cianciulli had to look no further than divine providence to find the music she was afraid she might not. “I’m a believer that I am always being divinely guided,” she says. “As God would have it, I was brushing my teeth one morning before I went into the recording studio and found myself humming a sweet new melody. I immediately spit the toothpaste out of my mouth, grabbed my phone in a hurry, and recorded what was being downloaded to me from above. Later that day, I recorded the guide vocals while my producer Dima Graziani composed a celestial-sounding accompaniment. As my grandfather always says, ‘Tonia, everything is always unfolding for you as it ought.’ ”
Hymns Of The Heart contains Cianciulli’s stirring, expressive interpretations of timeless classics such as Amazing Grace, How Great Thou Art, Nearer My God To Thee, Jesus Loves Me and It Is Well With My Soul. With her new hymn accompanied by a fitting video, Cianculli hopes that My Voice Belongs To Him will also take a special place in hearts everywhere, much like the others on the release long-have. “As you take this all into your heart, I hope It will be a healing and blessed experience that washes over you in waves of hope, faith and comfort.”
Watch My Voice Belongs To Him above, hear more from Tonia Evans Cianciulli below, and find out more on her website, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
