Massimo Giordano (born 19 February 1971) is an Italian

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

tic

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

Early life

Giordano was born in

Pompei Pompei (; ), also known in English as Pompeii ( ) after the name of the ancient city, is a city and in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy. It contains the ancient Roman ruins of Pompeii, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. History Modern Po ...

, Italy, into an Italian working-class family."Biographie" 2013 Official Site of Italian tenor Massimo Giordano. Last accessed on 10 April 2013
/ref> At the age of 8, Giordano moved with his family to

Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...

where he attended the local conservatory G. Tartini. He studied the flute and then moved to singing. He studied singing with Cecilia Fusco at the age of 18 and later graduated from the conservatory. In 1997 he won the A. Belli competition in

Spoleto Spoleto (, also , , ; ) is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east-central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is south of Trevi, north of Terni, southeast of Perugia; southeast of Florence; and north of Rome. H ...

where he also gave his debut in ''

La Clemenza di Tito (''The Clemency of Titus''), K. 621, is an ''opera seria'' in two acts composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Caterino Mazzolà, after Pietro Metastasio. Mozart completed the work in the midst of composing ''Die Zauberfl ...

'' at the Teatro Lirico.

Career

Giordano performed in Venice,

Reggio Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia (; ), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until Unification of Italy, 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 172,51 ...

, Rome, Parma, Naples,

Modena Modena (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It has 184,739 inhabitants as of 2025. A town, and seat of an archbis ...

and eventually at

La Scala La Scala (, , ; officially , ) is a historic opera house in Milan, Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as (, which previously was Santa Maria della Scala, Milan, a church). The premiere performa ...

in Milan. His debut outside of Italy took place in 2001 at the

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival () is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer, for five weeks starting in late July, in Salzburg, Austria, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart's operas are a focus of ...

with

Lorin Maazel Lorin Varencove Maazel (; March 6, 1930 – July 13, 2014) was an American conductor, violinist and composer. He began conducting at the age of eight and by 1953 had decided to pursue a career in music. He had established a reputation in t ...

and

Claudio Abbado Claudio Abbado (; 26 June 1933 – 20 January 2014) was an Italian conductor who was one of the leading conductors of his generation. He served as music director of the La Scala opera house in Milan, principal conductor of the Berlin Philharm ...

. Debuts at the

Semper Opera The Semperoper () is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Saxon State Opera) and the concert hall of the Staatskapelle Dresden (Saxon State Orchestra). It is also home to the Semperoper Ballett. The building is located on the ...

in Dresden, the

Zurich Opera Zurich Opera (Opernhaus Zürich) is a Swiss opera company based in Zurich. The company gives performances in the Zurich Opera House. History The first performance at the current theatre occurred on 30 September 1891, with a production of Wagner's ...

, the

Teatro Real The Teatro Real () is an opera house in Madrid, Spain. Located at the Plaza de Oriente, opposite the Royal Palace, and known colloquially as "''El Real''" (The Royal One). it is considered the top institution of the performing and musical arts ...

in Madrid and the Theatre du Capitole in Toulouse followed. Giordano also performed in ''

Il trittico ''Il trittico'' (''The Triptych'') is the title of a collection of three one-act operas, '' Il tabarro'', '' Suor Angelica'', and '' Gianni Schicchi'', by Giacomo Puccini. The work received its world premiere at the Metropolitan Opera on 14 Decem ...

'', ''L'Elisir d’Amore'', ''Manon'', ''La Traviata'', and ''La bohème''."Massimo Giordano" 2013 San Francisco Opera. Last accessed on 10 April 2013
In 2005 Giordano was part of a special performance of Verdi's Requiem at the Vatican in remembrance of the recently deceased

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

. In 2006 Giordano's appearance in Massenet's ''Manon'' with

Renée Fleming Renée Lynn Fleming (born February 14, 1959) is an American soprano and actress, known for performances in opera, concerts, recordings, theater, film, and at major public occasions. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Fleming has been nom ...

at the Metropolitan Opera was broadcast on radio worldwide. On 29 October 2012, Giordano signed an agreement with

BMG Rights Management BMG Rights Management GmbH (also known simply as BMG) is an international music company based in Berlin, Germany. It combines the activities of a music publisher and a record label. BMG was formed in October 2008 after Bertelsmann sold its st ...

. He recorded his first album, titled ''Amore e Tormento'', with the Ensemble Del Maggio Musicale in Florence, Italy, which features Italian arias; it was released on 6 May 2013."Massimo Giordano produzuiert ein Soloalbum im Herzen von Florenz, Italien, zusammen mit dem renommierten Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino 23/10/2012" 2013 Official Site of Italian tenor Massimo Giordano. Last accessed on 10 April 2013
/ref>

Personal life

He has two children with his wife Alexandrina and lives with his family in northern Italy."Interview, 10/2010: Massimo Giordano, Ich möchte das Publikum glücklich machen" 2013 Der Neue Merker. Last accessed on 10 April 2013.
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Giordano, Massimo Italian operatic tenors 1971 births Living people 21st-century Italian male opera singers