About
Vittorio Vitelli — baritone, born in Ascoli Piceno. In 1992, he began studying singing with the baritone Giulio Fioravanti in Milan, and then continued his studies with the tenor Aldo Bottione.
Vittorio Vitelli debuted in 1995 at the Teatro Comunale di Belluno in Lucia di Lammermoor. He later performed at the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago and Avenches. In 1996, he made his debut as Rigoletto at the Rocca Malatestiana di Fano and as Count di Luna in Il Trovatore in Jesi, Livorno, and Mantua. In December 1996, he won the third prize at the Operalia Placido Domingo competition in Bordeaux, launching his international career. Vitelli has since sung at major Italian theaters like Trieste, Naples, Bologna, Genoa, Verona, Venice, Florence, Parma, Turin, and internationally in Washington.
In 1998, Calves sang Lucia di Lammermoor at the Florence Comunale and debuted in Aida at the Naples San Carlo, directed by Daniel Oren. In 1999, he made his debut in Simon Boccanegra at the Festival della Valle d'Itria, directed by Renato Palumbo. Thanks to this role, he performed at major stages, including the San Carlo, Vienna State Opera, Nice Opera, and the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Line. In 2006, Calves debuted at La Scala in Aida, directed by Franco Zeffirelli and Riccardo Chailly. Subsequently, he performed Verdi roles like Othello, La Traviata, Il Trovatore, and Aida at festivals and theaters worldwide, including the Liceu in Barcelona, the National Theatre in Tokyo, and the Festival della Valle d'Itria. He also sang in one-act operas like Cavalry, Clowns, Boheme, and Andrea Chénier.
Calves has performed a diverse repertoire, including verismo roles and belcantistic parts. Notable performances include Enrico Ashton in "Lucia di Lammermoor" by Donizetti, Riccardo Forth in "Puritans" by Bellini, Stiffelio from "Poliuto" by Donizetti, Dulcamara and Belcore from "La Fille du Regiment" at the Washington Opera, and Figaro in "The Barber of Seville" by Rossini. In recent years, he has sung Rigoletto at the Leipzig Opera, Attila at the Marseille Opera, Lucia at the San Carlo in Naples, Aida at the Bregenz Festival and Cagliari Theater, Simon Boccanegra in Beijing under Myung Whun Chung, Ernani, La Traviata, Macbeth, and Boheme at the New Israeli Opera, Joan of Arc at the Verdi Festival in Parma, and Rigoletto at the Petruzzelli Theater in Bari and the Tbilisi Opera. Upcoming engagements include Simon Boccanegra performances at the New Israeli Opera and Klagenfurt.