Rosario La Spina

Exciting, Passionate, Dramatic, World-Class…..these are just a few words that have described the voice and performance of this talented australian-born tenor Rosario La Spina.He is one of the finest young tenors to have emerged from within the opera world throughout the last few years. Though born in Australia, his Italian heritage is revealed with every aria performed. Rosario was trained at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music (Australia), and continued his studies at the ‘Royal Northern College of Music’, Manchester under the tutelage of Joseph Ward OBE. During this period, he performed the tenor solos in Handel’s Messiah, Dvorak’s Stabat Mater and Orff’s Carmina Burana. He also made guest appearances as Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor at the Bern Stadttheater and as soloist in Operatic Galas with the Ulster Orchestra, Belfast and the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, Egypt.

Having gained first prize in the tenor competition held by L'Accademia di La Scala in 2000, Rosario embarked on the two-year Young Singers’ Course at La Scala, Milan, where he studied with Luciana Serra and Leyla Gencer. This culminated in his La Scala debut as the Messenger in Samson and Delilah, where he appeared with Placido Domingo and Olga Borodina.

In 2002, Rosario won first prize in the "Mario Del Monaco International Opera Competition" and made his principal role debut at La Scala as Riccardo in Verdi's Oberto, reprising the role in Genova. He also sang The Duke (Rigoletto) in Tuscany and Rodolfo (La Boheme) in Calabria.

2003 saw his debut at the Verdi Festival at the Teatro Regio di Parma as Arvino in "I Lombardi" – he also covered the role of Manrico (Il Trovatore) for Welsh National Opera and performed Alfredo (La Traviata) in Modena and Luigi (Il Tabarro) in Osaka, Japan. In 2004, he performed the role of The Duke at the Teatro Argentina of Rome and repeated the role for Opera New Zealand in both Auckland and Wellington.

Throughout the past few years, Opera Australia have engaged the services of Mr La Spina with lead performances in 'La Traviata, 'Turandot', 'Rusalka, 'Tales of Hoffman', 'Rigoletto' and 'Madame Butterfly'.

Debuting in 2007 for the Seattle Opera Company in America, Rosario performed the role of Rodolfo in 'La Boheme'. He has been invited to return in 2008, to sing in the role of Radames in "Aida".

He has worked with many leading conductors including Renato Palumbo, Bruno Bartoletti, Gary Bertini and Daniele Callegari and directors such as Pier Luigi Pizzi, Graham Vick, Lamberto Pugelli, Hugo De Ana and Jonathan Miller.

Recordings include the tenor solos in Beethoven's "Missa Solemnis", “Classical Spectacular” Australia 2005 and recently, the sensational top ten classical album, “Puccini Romance” with soprano Antoinette Halloran and the QLD orchestra, conducted by Stephen Mould. 
http://www.rosariolaspina.com/