Biography

Italian tenor Francesco Meli is internationally acclaimed as one of the foremost interpreters of the Italian operatic repertoire. Celebrated for the beauty of his lyric-spinto voice, stylistic elegance and dramatic intensity, he is widely regarded as one of today’s leading exponents of the operas of Verdi, Puccini, Donizetti and Rossini.

Born in Genoa in 1980, Meli studied at the Niccolò Paganini Conservatory before continuing his vocal training with Vittorio Terranova. His international career began in 2002 and quickly brought him to the world’s most prestigious opera houses. At just twenty-three years old, he made his debut at Teatro alla Scala under Riccardo Muti, beginning a long-standing relationship with the Milanese theatre, where he has since performed more than twenty major roles and inaugurated the celebrated opening night of the season on five occasions.

Meli has appeared at many of the world’s leading opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Vienna State Opera, the Salzburg Festival, the Arena di Verona, the Teatro La Fenice, the Rome Opera, the Bayerische Staatsoper, the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.

Throughout his career he has collaborated with many of the greatest conductors of our time, among them Riccardo Muti, Riccardo Chailly, Antonio Pappano, Myung-Whun Chung, Christian Thielemann, Fabio Luisi, Gianandrea Noseda, Daniele Gatti and Yuri Temirkanov.

His repertoire encompasses more than fifty operatic roles, with celebrated portrayals of Don Carlo, Radamès, Manrico, Cavaradossi, Macduff, Ernani, Rodolfo, Simon Boccanegra, Otello, Werther and many other landmark tenor roles. He is also a distinguished concert artist, performing Verdi’s Requiem, Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Mozart’s Requiem and other major sacred works with the world’s leading orchestras.

Recipient of numerous prestigious honours—including the Premio Abbiati, the Premio Pavarotti d’Oro, the Premio Zenatello and the Opera Star Award—Francesco Meli has become one of the defining Italian tenors of his generation. His extensive discography includes recordings released by Deutsche Grammophon, Unitel and Opus Arte.

At the XXI Cartagena International Music Festival, Francesco Meli brings one of the great voices of contemporary Italian opera, offering audiences performances marked by vocal brilliance, dramatic power and profound musical artistry.