Prominent opera tenor, Marcello Giordani, dies at 56

Thousands of people crowded the funerary chamber of the Town Hall in Augustana Tuesday following the death of renowned opera tenor Marcello Giordani, who died of a heart attack Saturday in his home at age 56. Having performed more than 240 times at the Met, Giordani was known for stunning audiences with his clear rich voice and his talented portrayal of a diverse range of characters.

A gifted singer with no professional training, Giordani debuted in opera houses around the world including Paris, Berlin, London, Vienna and San Francisco.

Born Marcello Guagliardo, the singer grew up the youngest of four sons in the small Sicilian town of Augustana in 1963 where he was raised by his father, a gas station owner and his mother, a homemaker.

There he demonstrated a talent for singing from a young age, and often sang in the church choir, although didn’t consider opera a career until later on. (He later changed his name to Giordani shortly after he started performing internationally because it was easier to spell and to pronounce.)

After quitting his job as a bank teller at 19, he moved to Milan where he studied voice in 1983. Giordani made his professional debut as the Duke of Mantua in Francesco Maria Piave’s Rigoletto in 1986 before playing Nadir in Les Pêcheurs de Perles at the Portland Opera two years later.

Giordani went on to sing in some of the most prominent opera houses in Europe and the United States, establishing a professional repertoire that set him up for a long and successful career.

In 1994 Giordani underwent vocal training to stop the deterioration of his natural voice, an issue which had become problematic for the singer over the years as the condition worsened.

Despite his vocal training, Giordani kept performing, making him a staple performer at the Met, where he played leading tenor roles in shows like Benvenuto Cellini and Il pirata as well as in Verdi’s Requiem. 

Throughout his career Giordani showed a committment to the arts and helped students interested in opera have the support they needed to get started.

In 2010 Giordani started the Marcello Giordani Foundation. The non-profit organizes classes, seminars, and summer programs for young singers.

The first annual Marcello Giordani International Vocal Competition, also under his guidance, took place in Sicily in 2011. 

–Becca Most