Lyric Tenor (Bari, Italy)
Raffaele Cardone initiated his musical and
vocal studies at very early age in his
native Bari, Italy. At the same time he was
singing at local Churches and Cathedral as
child soloist. As a teenager Raffaele took
voice classes with Tenor Giuseppe Racalbuto
and Soprano Delia Sanzio Montesanto until he
was heard and accepted as student by the
famous Baritone Carlo Tagliabue in the City
of Monza, Italy. Mr. Cardone studied
repertoireamong others with maestros Tommaso
Yappelli and Rainaldo Zamboni from Alla
Scala where he also studied Italian Chamber
Opera.
At the age of nineteen, Mr. Cardone joined
an Opera Company traveling to South America
headed by tenor Bruno Landi, making his
first operatic appearance at "Teatro El
Circulo" in the City of Rosario, Argentina
in the role of Duca di Mantova of Verdi's
Rigoletto. With the same Company he was
alternating with Bruno Landi in Barbiere di
Siviglia and La Traviata singing both Operas
for the first time in Rosario and in
Montevideo, Uruguay.
Back to Italy, Raffaele continued his vocal
studies and made his Italian debut at
“Teatro Verdi” of Genova in the role of
Alfredo in Verdi's LaTraviata. Later he
engaged for almost two months tour, to
perform at different cities of former
Yougoslavia with Elisisr D’Amore and Il
Barbiere di Siviglia. Following young
Raffaele, was engaged to perform for the
first time in Mascagni’s Amico Fritz in San
Marino and soon after in Malta Island and
his native Bari at Teatro Petruzzelli.
In 1959 Raffaele won a Lyric Opera Contest
organized by the “Teatro Municipale” in
Bologna after which he was engaged to sing
in several theaters in Emilia Region, in
Rigoletto, Barbiere, and Elisir. As young
singer Mr. Cardone was engaged to cover
Gianni Raimondi, Alfredo Kraus and
occasionally Giuseppe Di Stefano in
different Opera Houses in Italy, Switzerland
and Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1961 he sang
for the first time Arturo in I Puritani at
Teatro Avenida, Buenos Aires while covering
Gianni Raimondi in the same opera and
Rigoletto at Teatro Colon where he
alternated in Rigoletto.
From the years fifties to 1971, Mr. Cardone
has performed opera and concerts, in several
countries including Italy, Switzerland,
Belgium, Yugoslavia, Malta, San Marino,
Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Costa Rica,
United States and Mexico. His first
appearance in US was at Brooklins’s Accademy
of Music in New York, in La Boheme’s Rodolfo
after that he was engaged by the Lyric Opera
of Chicago to cover and to alternate with
Alfredo Kraus in Rigoletto and Mefistofele.
Raffaele was forced to make a parenthesis in
his career to take care of a health
situation and decided to retire in Mexico.
Fully recuperated, few years later, Mr.
Cardone reinitiated his singing activities
participating in several Official Seasons of
“Teatro de Bellas Artes” in Mexico City in
Rigoletto, Butterfly, I Puritani and other.
He also appeared in different Opera
productions and Concerts in other Mexican
cities such as Guadalajara, Puebla.
Chihuahua, Aguascalientes, Mérida and
Monterrey. During the years in Mexico, Mr.
Cardone was invited by almost every existing
Symphonic and Philharmonic Orchestra in the
Country included the famous of the time
"Filarmónica de Las America" directed by
Luis Herrera De La Fuente. Mr. Cardone
participated for three consecutives years at
Festival Cervantino in Opera and Concerts,
some of latest directed by Eduardo Mata a
great talented Director of Dallas Symphony
Orchestra who prematurely died in a plane
crash. Mr. Cardone performed in most of the
Opera Houses and Concert Halls in Mexico
including the modern “Sala Neztzahualcoalt”
singing among other Carmina Burana,
Beethoven IX Synphony, Verdi’s Requiem,
Worcheck’ Requiem to name some.
Mr. Cardone always had a special attraction
in teaching voice and classical singing,
while still active as a singer, he performed
Masters Classes and Conferences at local and
US Conservatory and Universities including
De Paul University and Northwestern in
Chicago and Evanston respectively. In 1980
sang his last Arturo in Bellinis' I Puritani
at “Bellas Artes” In 1982 Mr. Cardone was
invited by the Government Of Chihuaha State,
Mexico, to perform the role of Count
Almaviva in Rossini’s “Barbiere di
Siviglia”at recent inaugurated Teatro Los
Heroes. After that he decided to stop
performing full operas dedicating only in
concerts and recitals and dedicate more time
in voice teaching and operatic workshops.
Mr. Cardone founded Opera Independiente de
Mexico to initiate young talentes in the
world of the opera.
Among many fine Conductors who have directed
Mr. Cardone are Maestros Assermet,
Bartoletti, Benintende Neglia, Cillario, De
Almeida, Diaz Muñoz, Farina, Herrera de La
Fuente, La Rotella, Lozano, Magiera, Mata,
Ochoa, Previtali, Quadri, Silipigni,
Tauriello, Votto, Zamboni, Veltri and other
fine musicians.
Presently Mr. Cardone resides in Miami,
Florida dedicated in teaching voice, the art
of singing and conducting opera workshops.
As Artistic Director of Miami Lyric Opera
Circle, Mr. Cardone has presented La
Traviata, Rigoletto and Marina at Teatro
Artime of Miami while engaging himself to
promote the Opera and Classical Music in the
area. In 2004, Mr. Cardone founded the Miami
Lyric Opera Company (MLO) and became its
Artistic Director, in that tenure he has
produced and directed Verdi's La Traviata,
Mascagni's Cavalleria, Leoncavallo's
Pagliacci, Donizetti's Don Pasquale and
L’Elisir D’Amore, La Boheme, Rigoletto,
Barbiere di Siviglia, Lucia di Lammermoor,
Madama Butterfly and many Gala Opera
Concerts in the City of Miami and Miami
Beach, Florida. Mr. Cardone's experience as
an opera singer, vocal teacher and Artistic
Director is a great contribution to the
development of the opera in South Florida.
For more information:
www.opera-voice-teacher.com
8/18/08 |
