with a big sendoff from brooklyn, including a banquet attended by mayor john w. hunter, among others, brocolini sailed for milan and soon decided to adopt his new stage name to honor the borough in which he grew up. in italy, he studied voice with antonio sangiovanni. while there, he wrote "observations by a brooklyn student of music", for the "brooklyn eagle", complaining of the treatment of foreign music students by their italian teachers. by the spring of 1876, he had been engaged to sing by james henry mapleson's italian opera company at the theatre royal, drury lane in london, now using his stage name, signor brocolini.