Vittorio Grigolo

Vittorio Grigolo
Background information
Born February 19, 1977
Rome, Italy
Origin Arezzo, Italy
Occupation(s) tenor
Instruments Vocals
Years active 1990 — present
Labels -

Vittorio Grigolo (born February 19, 1977) is an Italian operatic tenor.

Early life

Grigolo was born in Rome and raised in Arezzo. He began singing by the age of four. When he was nine years old he accompanied his mother to have her eyes tested and, hearing someone singing from another room, he spontaneously began his own rendition of "Ave Maria". The singer, the optician's father, was so impressed that he insisted Grigolo have an audition for the Sistine Chapel Choir as soon as possible. Young Vittorio was chosen to become part of Sistine Chapel Choir as a soloist. He then studied for five years at the Schola Puerorum at the Sistine Chapel.

Opera and musicals performances

At age 13 he played the Pastorello in a performance of Tosca at Rome's opera house, where he shared the stage with Pavarotti; and was given the nickname 'Il Pavarottino'. When 18, Vittorio joined the Vienna Opera Company. He became the youngest man to perform in Milan's La Scala at age 23. He also raced Pre-3000 Formula cars for a while until an accident limited his opportunities in this field.

Grigolo sang in performances of The Barber of Seville, La traviata, Così fan tutte, Faust, and many others before taking the role of Tony in West Side Story alongside James Gandolfini.

First albums

In 2006, Grigolo recorded a solo album, In the Hands of Love, in the pop/opera genre he calls "Popera". The album made its début in the Top Ten of the U.K. pop charts, entering at number 6. The album contains renditions of Keane's "Bedshaped", "Maria" from West Side Story, Stevie Wonder's "All in Love Is Fair", and a duet with Katherine Jenkins titled "You Are My Miracle". The US version of the album was titled simply Vittorio. The US version of the duet "You Are My Miracle" features Nicole Scherzinger of The Pussycat Dolls.

In 2007, Grigolo and Hayley Westenra, as Tony and Maria, recorded West Side Story in conjunction with the Leonard Bernstein Foundation, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the musical. West Side Story entered the UK Classic FM Chart at number 1.[1]

Grigolo released his second studio album, "The Italian Tenor", in 2010. It was rated by David Mellor as among the best opera recordings of 2010 in Classic FM.[2]

Awards and nominations

Awards

The European Commission of the EU granted Grigolo and Romano Musumarra a European Border Breakers Award, along with the record company, authors and publishers, for recording the highest sales for a debut album in 2006 within the European Union, but outside of its country of production.

The Capri/Hollywood Film Festival granted Grigolo a Capri Exploit Music Award. The award ceremony took place on January 1, 2008, on the island of Capri, where Grigolo also performed a tribute to Leonard Bernstein.

Nominations

Live appearances

Discography

DVD

Dreams of Rome

Recorded at Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli, Italy. A live performance of tracks from his album, as well as a few additional pieces. The DVD was recorded specifically for the Great Performances series on PBS TV USA.

Grigolo plays Cassio in Giuseppe Verdi Otello recorded at Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona 2006

Latest opera/classical appearances

Repertory

References

  1. ↑ "Vittorio Grigolo". classical-crossover.co.uk. 2010. Retrieved 2012-01-28.
  2. ↑ "The New CD Show Review of the Year 2010". classicfm.co.uk. 2010. Retrieved 2012-01-28.
  3. ↑ Sony Classical

External links