Marco Berti Tenor

The leading international tenor Marco Berti is recognised as one of the most important artists from Italy in recent times. The colours in his voice range from the soft-toned to the penetrating, powerful and effortless top notes and his significant vocal qualities and expressiveness characterise the classic Italian heavy lyric/dramatic tenor.

It was with the Teatro alla Scala that Marco began his outstanding career. He took part in an array of performances including Lucia di Lammermoor, Beatrice di Tenda, La bohème, La rondine and Macbeth. However, his international reputation was established through his remarkable performance as Macbeth's adversary, Macduff, in Luc Bondy's production at the Edinburgh Festival in 1999. He made his Covent Garden debut in Simon Boccanegra and was immediately invited to return for a new production of Madama Butterfly conducted by the house music director, Antonio Pappano. Also at Covent Garden, he made his role debut as Manrico in Il trovatore and has since returned to reprise his acclaimed performances as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly.

He has been the highlight of the Arena di Verona summer festival for many years delivering memorable performances there time and time again in a variety of roles, including: Isamaele in Nabucco, Don José in Carmen (released on DVD) and Manrico in Il trovatore. He opened the festival last summer in a new production of La Gioconda, making his debut in the role (also released on CD and DVD). He sang Radames for the first time at the Arena this summer.

Another landmark in his career was making his Met debut two seasons ago in Madama Butterfly, conducted by Plácido Domingo. Maestro Domingo was enraptured by his outstanding performance and as the Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Opera invited him to perform in La Bohème last season and recently in Verdi Requiem in Munich to be released on CD and DVD by Deutsche Grammophon. They will be collaborating again in 2007 when he sings Cavaradossi at the Vienna State Opera under Maestro Domingo's direction.

In December 2006, he made his Chinese debut at the prestigious New Year Concert at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to 6,000 strong audience which was broadcast on national television.

Marco Berti was the recipient of the 2005 Giuseppe Verdi Gold Medal and he recently made his role debut as Verdi's Ernani, opening the Verdi Festival at Teatro Regio in Parma. Last season he appeared in the Opening Gala at the Metropolitan Opera, New York in Tosca alongside Angela Gheorghiu and Bryn Terfel conducted by James Levine. At the beginning of the 2006/2007 season he appeared in a televised gala concert at a UNESCO World Heritage site in Kyoto followed by a concert tour of Japan with the Parma Opera Ensemble. He opens the Houston Grand Opera's season in Simon Boccanegra where he will also return for a new production of Aida.

His future engagements includes a major new production of Turandot at the Staatsoper Munich, his San Francisco return in Trovatore and Turandot, Turandot in Bilbao, Tabarro and Aida in Florence, Aida and Turandot at the Metropolitan Opera, new Trittico in Paris, Tosca in Florence. Aïda at the Liceu in Barcelona, Verona and the New National Theatre in Tokyo.

He gave acclaimed debut performances as Verdi's Don Carlo at the Megaron in Athens, celebrating the centenary of Luchino Visconti's birth, this past May.

His first solo album, Rare Verismo, a compilation of arias by composers such as Leoncavallo, Catalani, Franchetti and Zandonai is scheduled for release in Jaunary 2007.

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