Marcello Giordani

Italian tenor Marcello Giordani was born on 25 January 1963 in Augusta, Sicily. He was talented at singing when very young, sang in the local church choir and had private singing lessons. He moved to Milan when he was nineteen and studied with Nino Carta.

He made his professional operatic debut in 1986 at the Spoleto Festival as the Duke in Verdi's Rigoletto. Two years later he first appeared at La Scala, and began singing throughout Europe. He first sang in the USA in 1988 at Portland Opera, then appeared at several other US opera companies before singing in New York Metropolitan Opera performances in 1993 and 1995.

In 1994 some earlier vocal problems began to become more prominent, and he began retraining his voice with Bill Schuman in New York, but without cancelling engagements.

In 1995 and 1997 he sang for Georg Solti at Covent Garden, and by the end of 2008 he had sung more than 170 New York Metropolitan Opera performances. In 2010 he created the Marcello Giordani Foundation to help opera singers at the start of their careers, and the first annual Marcello Giordani Vocal Competition took place in Sicily in 2011.

Marcello Giordani died from a heart attack on 5 October 2019, aged fifty-six.

A selection of articles about Marcello Giordani

Ensemble. An Odd Couple - A Hindemith and Mascagni double bill in Cagliari, heard by Giuseppe Pennisi

Ensemble. A Transatlantic Operatic Cooperation - Giuseppe Pennisi on Puccini's 'La fanciulla del West' in Cagliari

Ensemble. A Dark 'Trovatore' - Giuseppe Pennisi reports on Verdi from Cagliari

Ensemble. Good Sense - Turandot in Rome as written by Puccini, reviewed by Giuseppe Pennisi

Ensemble. A Wonderful Rendition - Puccini's 'La Fanciulla del West' at the movies impresses Maria Nockin

DVD Spotlight. The Heart of Opera - Giuseppe Verdi's 'La forza del destino', reviewed by Maria Nockin. '... a rhythmically alert, exciting performance ...'

Ensemble. A Successful Production - Sixty Leitmotives for 'Tosca', by Giuseppe Pennisi