ROBERTO ALAGNA, TENOR, JUNE 07, 1963

“I have never particularly believed in astrology, but experts have always stated that I have all the characteristic of Gemini: very sociable, also very adaptable. So it was preordained from my birth that I would be capable of all the twists and turns, all the roles!”

“Je n’ai jamais particulièrement cru à l’astrology, mais les spécialistes ont toujours affirmé que j’ai toutes les caractéristiques des Gémeaux : très sociable, aussi très adaptable. Il était donc écrit dès ma naissance, que je serais capable de tous les rebondissements, de tous les rôles !

Singing is in the Franco-Sicilian tenor Roberto Alagna’s blood. His illustrious maternal great-grandfather Jimmy sang for the great Enrico Caruso when the the maestro happened to drop by one day in his wallet shop in New York City, U.S.A., and Enrico was so impressed that he suggested Jimmy audition for the Metropolitan Opera Chorus! What a complement! (although Jimmy declined the suggestion of the maestro—or the “Commendatore”, “the Commander” as Jimmy endearingly liked to call him—as he preferred to focus on his business.)

Roberto ’s vocal mentor Rafael Ruiz, was a direct student of the legendary Italian tenor Aureliano Pertile (1885-1952). It was that fact that caught the attention of Luciano Pavarotti when Roberto met him at an LP signing event at the Printemps department store in Paris. A year later, without knowing it, Roberto was invited to audition in the first round of the the Pavarotti International Voice Competition in Pesaro, Italy, the birthplace of legendary nineteenth century composer Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868). He sang his good luck song ‘La Danza’ from Rossini for Luciano and thought that he’d been disqualified as Luciano didn’t permit him to sing a second piece for him as did all the other participants. Au contraire, Luciano loved his voice and he was qualified to the next round. Indeed years later, Saimir Pirgu, an Albanian tenor, who studied with Luciano told Roberto something he didn’t know about Luciano: “every time we took lessons with Luciano, he spoke of only one tenor, Roberto, and he would say ‘here take this LP and sing like this”.

After winning the Pavarotti International Voice Competition in Philadelphia—the hometown of Mario Lanza—in 1988, Roberto’s career really skyrocketed.

He made his debut with the Glyndebourne Touring Company in the role of Alfred Germont in Verdi’s La Traviata. From 1990 onwards, he has performed a series of major roles, respectively at the leading opera houses; La Scala, Covent Garden and the New York Metropolitan.

In 1995 he won an Olivier Award for his performance of Roméo in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette which was singled out for its diction and fine nuances, and was a turning point in his career giving him his place with the the greats of the French repertoire. Alagna also has sought out long neglected repertory to perform, and has from his lyric tenor beginnings has as his voice matured, ventured into the heavier spinto roles such as Samson in Samson et Dalia, Canio in I Pagliacci, Mauricio in Adriana Lecouvreur and Des Grieux in Manon Lescaut.

Roberto is known for his charismatic stage presence and has obtained widespread popularity through his recording a variety of diverse music genres, not to mention, his appearances in films and music videos. His album ‘Sicilian’ released in 2008 was a huge success and reached the popular audience with sales over 350,000.

Roberto Alagna was appointed a Chevalier de la légion d’honneur in 2008.

Happy birthday Roberto! We wish you happiness, health and success! Thank you for your willingness and determination to continue bringing joy to your audiences around the world!

Joyeux anniversaire Roberto! Nous vous souhaitons bonheur, santé et succès! Merci de votre volonté et enthousiasme de continuer à apporter de la joie à votre public du monde entier!

GEORGE LONDON, BASS-BARITONE, MAY 30, 1920

George London was born in Montreal to Russian U.S émigrés parents, and was brought up in Los Angles. He possessed a dark and resonant bass baritone voice with an easy resounding upper register which he used masterfully from the finest pianissimi to the most resounding fortes. He was also known for his imposing stage presence and fine portrayal of his roles.

One interesting aspect of his career to note is, that before he found international acclaim he performed as a member of the Bel Canto Trio with Mario Lanza and Francis Yeend in 1947-48 (1).

It was not long after his trio days that his international career took off, starting after his debut in Vienna in 1949 (2). A Bayreuth Festival debut followed in 1951 as Amfortas in Parsifal resulting in return seasons for him in the role and the title role of the Flying Dutchman.

At the Metropolitan Opera in New York, he sang over 270 performances and became one of the most famous exponents of the five signature bass baritone roles of Don Giovanni, Amfortas, Wotan, Scarpia and Boris Godunov. It was no small feat and testimony to his singing that he was given the honour of being the first non Russian singer to sing the title role of Boris Godunov at the Bolschoi Theatre at the height of the Cold War years in 1960 (3). Quite simply, he was able to encompass all styles of singing from Mozart, through French romantic and modern, to Verdi, Wagner, Mahler and Richard Strauß, as well as many performances of Broadway tunes and American songs and Lieder.

Both the Beatles and Maria Callas owed their exposure to a larger popular audience through their appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show. On November 25,1956, Maria Callas made her national television debut singing Floria Tosca in an abridged Act 2 from Puccini’s Tosca. Fewer people remember, that it was George London’s Baron Scarpia, that proved the perfect foil to Callas, with his vocal prowess and stage presence (4).

Another classic London recording, where he sings Baron Scarpia in Puccini’s Tosca, is with the other leading prima donna of the day, Renate Tebaldi and with Mario del Monaco to complete the star-studded team.

Although due to ill health, he never managed to perform the role of Hans Sachs in the Meistersinger von Nürnberg, nevertheless, there exist recordings of Sachs’ monologues from recital performances and a private recording exists of his portrayal of Wotan in Das Rheingold as part of the complete Cologne Ring Cycle he performed.

It was unfortunate that at the height of his career, George London retired from the stage due to vocal health decline which was caused by a paralysis of one of the vocal chords. Treatments proved inadequate to restore his voice back to its former prowess and so, consummate artist that he was, he declined to take further engagements.

He later became the artistic administrator for Kennedy Centre in Washington and general director of the Opera Society of Washington.

He and his wife created the George and Nora London Foundation for Singers in which an annual singing competition for young Canadian and American singers is held where of the 15 finalists, 5 receive $12,000 and the remaining 10 $2,000 in encouragement awards.

Episode Number Four Of The Voice Detective Show with Salvatore Emanuele Samperi, Tenor and Vincenzo Bellini and Bel Canto Specialist

The thirty-year artistic activity of the tenor Salvatore Emanuele Samperi begins in Catania, his city of birth. He began studying singing with Claudia Parada, then with the teacher Tito Capobianco (Julliard School in New York), Maestro Meinard Kraak, and finally he the refined the art of
“bel canto” with the tenor William Matteuzzi.

He was a finalist in the first ever Giuseppe di Stefano International Competition for Young Opera Singers in Trapani, Sicily. There he was praised by Giuseppe Di Stefano himself, for his vocal beauty and interpretive style.

Salvatore Samperi has performed as a soloist in several operatic productions in Italy and abroad singing alongside internationally renowned artists such as Angela Gheorghiu, and Rolando Panerai.

He has sung for the Toscanini Foundation in Parma, the Galuppi Festival in Venice, the Luglio Trapanese Annual Festival, the Royal Albert Hall in London, the Marin County Civic Centre in San Francisco and at the Barry Memorial Hall in Wales.

He has released two CDs for Niccolò Music with unpublished opera pieces by Vincenzo Bellini. His vocal versatility spans from Bellini to Bernstein, where at the Teatro del’Opera Giocosa
he sang many seasons of the role of Tony in Westside Story. Apart from his successful career as an opera singer he took part as a singer-actor in the television drama the Turn of the Century on the Italian Broadcaster RAI.

Salvatore Emanuele Samperi also is a prize winning author in national writing competitions. His most recent publication in January 2022, is a biography, “History of a Catanese: Vincenzo Bellini”. As a leading Bellini scholar he heads the Bellini Cultural Project and is the the Artistic Director of “Bellini for the Young”.

DAME NELLIE MELBA,SOPRANO, MAY 19TH 1861

The famous Nellie Melba, who was born in 1861, was a woman on a mission. After a modest start to her career as a lyric coloratura soprano in her home town of Melbourne Australia, she packed herself off in 1886 to pursue her career in London. She made…

GIULIETTA SIMIONATO, MEZZO-SOPRANO, MAY 12TH 1910

Born in Forli, the city once ruled by the so-called Tigress of Forli, Caterina Sforza, Giulietta Simionato’s singing talent was recognised…

Episode Number Three of The Voice Detective Show with Ken Laing AM Music Manager, Event Producer, Artistic Director and Musical Coordinator

Over his distinguished career, there is virtually no international touring artist whose Australian tour Ken hasn’t organised and coordinated.

MONTSERRAT CABALLÉ, APRIL 12TH, 1933

No diva in memory has sung such an all-encompassing amount of the soprano repertory, progressing through virtually the entire range of Italian light lyric, LIRICO-SPINTO and dramatic roles…

FRANCO CORELLI, APRIL 8TH, 1921

the days before there were “Kings”, Franco Corelli was hailed “The Prince of Tenors”. There were good reasons for this epithet – he possessed a dazzling clear timbre, a powerful spinto voice capable of spinning the finest and longest diminuendo on a top Bb, (just check out his Ah, leve toi soleil! from Roméo et Juliette) or listen to his Bb morendo on the last note of Celeste Aïda). These  remain unsurpassed. His charismatic…

Episode Number Two of The Voice Detective Show with Mimmo Matania, Accordionist, Musicologist and Co-Founder of Napulitanata

Mimmo Matania is the co-founder of Napulitanata, a group of musicians dedicated to researching and performing traditional Neapolitan music and songs.

Beniamino Gigli, March 20th, 1890

Beniamino Gigli, whose surname translated into English means Lilies has his birthday today. Certainly his lirico-spinto voice was as perfect, sweet and beautiful as his namesake.
Gigli’s career took on super-stardom in the English speaking world, when he was hired by the Metropolitan Opera New York and had the unenviable task of following in footsteps of Enrico Caruso after Caruso’s untimely and sudden death. Comparisons were inevitable; but it didn’t
take long for the honey voiced Gigli to win over his audiences with his flexible, lyrically ringing voice and masterful implementation of mezzo voce.