Michael Fabiano
Encyclopedia
Michael Fabiano is an American operatic tenor
. Born in Montclair, New Jersey
, he has performed in leading opera houses throughout the world, including the San Francisco Opera
, Metropolitan Opera
, La Scala
, Paris Opera
, English National Opera
, Deutsche Oper Berlin
, Dresden Semperoper
and Teatro San Carlo.
in 2005 with a Bachelors degree in Vocal Performance. During his time in Ann Arbor he studied under the tenor George Shirley
. He also studied extensively with soprano Julia Faulkner. In the summer immediately following graduation, he was an apprentice with the Santa Fe Opera
, and in the autumn of that same year he began his studies at the Academy of Vocal Arts
in Philadelphia. Fabiano continues his private study with Bill Schuman.
in 2007. In the same year, he made role debuts of Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi
and the title role of Mavra in Stravinsky's Mavra
at the Greek National Opera
. 2006 marked Fabiano's concert debut at Carnegie Hall
as Don Antonio in Dom Sébastien
with the Opera Orchestra of New York
and conductor Eve Queler
. In the beginning of 2008, Fabiano made his La Scala
debut as Rinuccio
in a production conducted by Riccardo Chailly
. Debuts with the Philadelphia Orchestra
as Rodolfo in La bohème
, with the Minnesota Orchestra
as Alfredo, and with Opera New Jersey as Alfredo followed. Fabiano has performed at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples
where he was seen as both Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly
and Alfredo in La traviata
. Il Duca in Rigoletto
served as his role and opera house debut at English National Opera. January 2010 brought his debut at the Metropolitan Opera
in New York as Raffaele in Stiffelio
. Additionally, Fabiano has performed Rodolfo in La bohème with the Kansas City Lyric Opera, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly at Opera Colorado, and the tenor soloist of Rossini's Stabat Mater
in Spoleto. Fabiano has also been seen at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia in a concert performance of Respighi's La fiamma
and in his role debuts as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor
and Des Grieux in Massenet's Manon
—all presented by the Academy of Vocal Arts.
His 2011/12 season began auspiciously with a debut at the San Francisco Opera
singing Gennaro in Lucrezia Borgia opposite famed soprano Renee Fleming
. Other debuts in the season include appearances with the LA Phil, Oper Koeln, Dresden Semperoper
, and the Florida Grand Opera
.
The 2010/2011 season saw several international debuts Most notably, as il Duca in Rigoletto at the Dresden Semperoper
, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor
at the Vancouver Opera
, Gennaro in Lucrezia Borgia
at the English National Opera
in the world's first 3D LIVE Broadcast throughout Europe, and Rodolfo in La bohème at the Deutsche Oper Berlin
and Opèra Limoges. In addition, Fabiano performed his first Verdi Requiem with the Columbus Symphony. The 2010/2011 season continued with debuts scheduled for the Bilbao Opera as Edgardo and the Paris Opera
as Cassio in Verdi's Otello
.
, Fabiano appears in a 2007 feature documentary film, The Audition, which tracked the lives and progress of the winners and participants of the Met's National Council Auditions. He has also won several international voice competitions. In 2006 he was the First Prize winner in the Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation Competition and a grand prize winner (and winner of the special Tenor Prize) in the Julián Gayarre
Competition in Pamplona, Spain. He was the First Prize Winner of the Loren Zachary Competition, a Sarah Tucker Grant Recipient, and an Encouragement Award Winner from the George London Foundation in 2007. He was the winner of the First Prize of the Opera Index Awards in 2008 and the Grand Prize from the Gerda Lissner Foundation in 2009.
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
. Born in Montclair, New Jersey
Montclair, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...
, he has performed in leading opera houses throughout the world, including the San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera is an American opera company, based in San Francisco, California.It was founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola and is the second largest opera company in North America...
, Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
, La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
, Paris Opera
Paris Opera
The Paris Opera is the primary opera company of Paris, France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the Académie d'Opéra and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and renamed the Académie Royale de Musique...
, English National Opera
English National Opera
English National Opera is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St. Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden...
, Deutsche Oper Berlin
Deutsche Oper Berlin
The Deutsche Oper Berlin is an opera company located in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin, Germany. The resident building is also home to the Berlin State Ballet.-History:...
, Dresden Semperoper
Semperoper
The Semperoper is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden and the concert hall of the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden . It is located near the Elbe River in the historic center of Dresden, Germany.The opera house was originally built by the architect Gottfried Semper in 1841...
and Teatro San Carlo.
Early years
After a successful career as a high school Lincoln-Douglas debater for Benilde-St. Margaret's high school in St. Louis Park, MN, Fabiano graduated from the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 2005 with a Bachelors degree in Vocal Performance. During his time in Ann Arbor he studied under the tenor George Shirley
George Shirley
George Irving Shirley is a renowned tenor opera singer.He is a National Patron of Delta Omicron, an international professional music fraternity.-External links:*** by Bruce Duffie...
. He also studied extensively with soprano Julia Faulkner. In the summer immediately following graduation, he was an apprentice with the Santa Fe Opera
Santa Fe Opera
The Santa Fe Opera is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe in the U.S. state of New Mexico, headquartered on a former guest ranch of .-General history:...
, and in the autumn of that same year he began his studies at the Academy of Vocal Arts
Academy of Vocal Arts
The Academy of Vocal Arts is a school dedicated to providing free higher education to aspiring opera singers. The school was founded in 1934 by Helen Corning Warden and is located at 1920 Spruce Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-History:...
in Philadelphia. Fabiano continues his private study with Bill Schuman.
Career
Fabiano made his professional stage debut at the Klagenfurt Stadttheater as Alfredo in La traviataLa traviata
La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La dame aux Camélias , a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The title La traviata means literally The Fallen Woman, or perhaps more figuratively, The Woman...
in 2007. In the same year, he made role debuts of Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi
Gianni Schicchi
Gianni Schicchi is a comic opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano, composed in 1917–18. The libretto is based on an incident mentioned in Dante's Divine Comedy. The work is the third and final part of Puccini's Il trittico —three one-act operas with...
and the title role of Mavra in Stravinsky's Mavra
Mavra
Mavra is a one-act opera buffa composed by Igor Stravinsky, and one of the earliest works of Stravinsky's 'neo-classical' period. The libretto of the opera, by Boris Kochno, is based on Aleksandr Pushkin's The Little House in Kolomna. Mavra is about 25 minutes long, and features two arias, a...
at the Greek National Opera
Greek National Opera
The Greek National Opera is the country's state lyric opera company, located at 59 Akadimias Street in centralAthens. It is a public corporation under the supervision of the Greek Ministry of Culture and administered by the Board of Trustees and its Artistic Director.The organization is responsible...
. 2006 marked Fabiano's concert debut at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
as Don Antonio in Dom Sébastien
Dom Sébastien
Dom Sébastien, Roi de Portugal is a French grand opera in five acts by Gaetano Donizetti. The libretto was written by Eugène Scribe, based on Paul Foucher's play Don Sébastien de Portugal , a historic-fiction about King Sebastian of Portugal and his ill-fated 1578 expedition to Morocco...
with the Opera Orchestra of New York
Opera Orchestra of New York
The Opera Orchestra of New York specializes in the performance of opera in concert form. It is particularly known for its work in presenting rarely performed repertory...
and conductor Eve Queler
Eve Queler
Eve Queler is an American conductor and the current Artistic Director of the Opera Orchestra of New York . She founded the OONY in 1971 after having worked on the staffs of the Metropolitan Opera and the New York City Opera....
. In the beginning of 2008, Fabiano made his La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
debut as Rinuccio
Gianni Schicchi
Gianni Schicchi is a comic opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano, composed in 1917–18. The libretto is based on an incident mentioned in Dante's Divine Comedy. The work is the third and final part of Puccini's Il trittico —three one-act operas with...
in a production conducted by Riccardo Chailly
Riccardo Chailly
Riccardo Chailly, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI is an Italian conductor. He started his career as an opera conductor and gradually extended his repertoire to encompass symphonic music.-Biography:...
. Debuts with the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
as Rodolfo in La bohème
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
, with the Minnesota Orchestra
Minnesota Orchestra
The Minnesota Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.Emil Oberhoffer founded the orchestra as the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra in 1903, and it gave its first performance on November 5 of that year. In 1968 the orchestra changed to its name to the Minnesota Orchestra...
as Alfredo, and with Opera New Jersey as Alfredo followed. Fabiano has performed at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
where he was seen as both Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Puccini based his opera in part on the short story "Madame Butterfly" by John Luther Long, which was dramatized by David Belasco...
and Alfredo in La traviata
La traviata
La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La dame aux Camélias , a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The title La traviata means literally The Fallen Woman, or perhaps more figuratively, The Woman...
. Il Duca in Rigoletto
Rigoletto
Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
served as his role and opera house debut at English National Opera. January 2010 brought his debut at the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in New York as Raffaele in Stiffelio
Stiffelio
Stiffelio is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, from an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the play Le pasteur, ou L'évangile et le foyer by Émile Souvestre and Eugène Bourgeois...
. Additionally, Fabiano has performed Rodolfo in La bohème with the Kansas City Lyric Opera, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly at Opera Colorado, and the tenor soloist of Rossini's Stabat Mater
Stabat Mater (Rossini)
Rossini composed his Stabat Mater late in his career after retiring from the composition of opera. He began the work in 1831 but did not complete it until 1841.-Composition:...
in Spoleto. Fabiano has also been seen at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia in a concert performance of Respighi's La fiamma
La fiamma
La fiamma is an opera in three acts by Ottorino Respighi to a libretto by Claudio Guastalla based on Hans Wiers-Jenssen's 1908 play Anne Pedersdotter, The Witch. The plot is loosely based on the story of Anne Pedersdotter, a Norwegian woman who was accused of witchcraft and burnt at the stake in...
and in his role debuts as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor is a dramma tragico in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor....
and Des Grieux in Massenet's Manon
Manon
Manon is an opéra comique in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by the Abbé Prévost...
—all presented by the Academy of Vocal Arts.
His 2011/12 season began auspiciously with a debut at the San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera is an American opera company, based in San Francisco, California.It was founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola and is the second largest opera company in North America...
singing Gennaro in Lucrezia Borgia opposite famed soprano Renee Fleming
Renée Fleming
Renée Fleming is an American soprano specializing in opera and lieder. Fleming has a full lyric soprano voice.Fleming has performed coloratura, lyric, and lighter spinto soprano repertoires. She has sung roles in Italian, German, French, Czech, and Russian, aside from her native English. She also...
. Other debuts in the season include appearances with the LA Phil, Oper Koeln, Dresden Semperoper
Semperoper
The Semperoper is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden and the concert hall of the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden . It is located near the Elbe River in the historic center of Dresden, Germany.The opera house was originally built by the architect Gottfried Semper in 1841...
, and the Florida Grand Opera
Florida Grand Opera
Florida Grand Opera is an American opera company based in Miami, Florida. FGO was created in 1994 from the consolidation of two opera companies in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale region:...
.
The 2010/2011 season saw several international debuts Most notably, as il Duca in Rigoletto at the Dresden Semperoper
Semperoper
The Semperoper is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden and the concert hall of the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden . It is located near the Elbe River in the historic center of Dresden, Germany.The opera house was originally built by the architect Gottfried Semper in 1841...
, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor is a dramma tragico in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor....
at the Vancouver Opera
Vancouver Opera
Vancouver Opera is the second largest performing arts organization in British Columbia and the largest opera company in western Canada.It performs in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre accompanied currently by the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, one of two specialized opera orchestras in Canada...
, Gennaro in Lucrezia Borgia
Lucrezia Borgia (opera)
Lucrezia Borgia is a melodramma, or opera, in a prologue and two acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Felice Romani wrote the Italian libretto after the play by Victor Hugo, in its turn after the legend of Lucrezia Borgia. Lucrezia Borgia was first performed on 26 December 1833 at La Scala, Milan with...
at the English National Opera
English National Opera
English National Opera is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St. Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden...
in the world's first 3D LIVE Broadcast throughout Europe, and Rodolfo in La bohème at the Deutsche Oper Berlin
Deutsche Oper Berlin
The Deutsche Oper Berlin is an opera company located in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin, Germany. The resident building is also home to the Berlin State Ballet.-History:...
and Opèra Limoges. In addition, Fabiano performed his first Verdi Requiem with the Columbus Symphony. The 2010/2011 season continued with debuts scheduled for the Bilbao Opera as Edgardo and the Paris Opera
Paris Opera
The Paris Opera is the primary opera company of Paris, France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the Académie d'Opéra and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and renamed the Académie Royale de Musique...
as Cassio in Verdi's Otello
Otello
Otello is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play Othello. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, and was first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on February 5, 1887....
.
Awards
A Grand Prize winner of the 2007 Fabiano Metropolitan Opera National Council AuditionsMetropolitan Opera National Council Auditions
The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions is an annual singing competition sponsored by the Metropolitan Opera. Established in 1954, its purpose is to discover, assist, promote, and develop young opera singers. The competition is held in four stages: Districts, Regional, Semi-Final, and...
, Fabiano appears in a 2007 feature documentary film, The Audition, which tracked the lives and progress of the winners and participants of the Met's National Council Auditions. He has also won several international voice competitions. In 2006 he was the First Prize winner in the Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation Competition and a grand prize winner (and winner of the special Tenor Prize) in the Julián Gayarre
Julián Gayarre
Sebastián Julián Gayarre Garjón , better known as Julián Gayarre, was a Spanish opera singer who created the role of Marcello in Donizetti's Il Duca d'Alba and Enzo in Ponchielli's La Gioconda.Although he faced strong competition for this title from the likes of Roberto Stagno, Italo Campanini,...
Competition in Pamplona, Spain. He was the First Prize Winner of the Loren Zachary Competition, a Sarah Tucker Grant Recipient, and an Encouragement Award Winner from the George London Foundation in 2007. He was the winner of the First Prize of the Opera Index Awards in 2008 and the Grand Prize from the Gerda Lissner Foundation in 2009.
External links
- Artist's Page at Columbia Artists ManagementColumbia Artists ManagementColumbia Artists Management is an international leader in managing the careers and touring activities of the world's most prominent performing artists and institutions.Led by Chairman and CEO Ronald A...
- http://www.michaelfabianotenor.com