Few 20th century composers have had quite the successful run that Philip Glass has enjoyed. Born on Jan. 31, 1937 in Baltimore, Maryland, the composer has become a major influence, his style imitated by composers in a wide range of creative fields. Glass studied at the Juilliard School and then went to Paris on a Fulbright Scholarship to study with {…}
Franz Schubert was born on Jan. 31, 1797 and would go on to become one of the great romantic German composers of his time. He studied music from a very early age, studying with his father and older brother. But he soon exceeded their own abilities and by age 11 he was already studying at the Stadtkonivkt school. He studied {…}
Mario Lanza, born on Jan. 31, 1921, is undeniably the opera world’s Hollywood icon. Lanza actually got off to a late start in his singing career, commencing at the age of 16. But his talents became so apparent quite quickly that by 1947, at the age of 26, he was signed to a seven-year deal with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He would go {…}
Soprano Mara Zampieri is yet another Italian soprano who enjoyed a tremendous career in the 20th century. Zampieri received her education at the Padua Conservatory and would go on to win a number of prestigious Awards, including the Beniamino Gigli of Macerata and the Giuseppe Verdi of Parma. She made her debut in 1972 at the Fraschini Theatre. From there {…}
Bass-baritone Justino Diaz is one of the most famous Puerto Rican opera stars of all time. Born in San Juan, he started to participate in his elementary school’s vocal activities at the age of eight. He would go on to University of Puerto Rico High School where he would continue his development as a singer; this continued at the University. {…}
Daniel Auber, born on Jan. 29, 1782, is a composer of dozens of French comic operas. He was never expected to be a musician, but he did learn a number of instruments in his youth. In 1811, he created his first opera “Julie” but the failure of his second opera two years later put a temporary end to his career {…}
When people talk about classical music, there are usually three composers that they immediately identify as central pillars – Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart. Mozart, born on Jan. 27, 1756, is probably the most renowned of the three in popular culture. He was a famed child prodigy, performing for European royalty by the age of five. His career rocketed and he {…}
There was a time in the early through the mid-1990s when many opera experts considered there was a draught of high-quality tenors. One of the few tenors to receive acclaim during that time was Marcelo Giordani, born on Jan. 25, 1963. He grew up in the Sicilian town of Augusta and took private voice lessons from an early age. At {…}
Italian tenor Vincenzo La Scola, born on Jan. 25, 1958, enjoyed a lengthy career before his life was cut short at the age of 53. He was born in Palermo and studied with the likes of Arrigo Pola, Carlo Bergonzi, and Rodolfo Celletti. In 1982, he was the recipient of the Alessandro Ziliano Award at the Vico Verdiane Competition and {…}
Rosa Ponselle, born on Jan. 22, 1897, is widely considered one of the greatest American sopranos of all time. The Meriden, Connecticut native was born Rosa Ponzillo and showed natural music gifts from her earliest years. She seemed more inclined toward a career in instrumental music, but eventually shifted toward a career in cabaret. She started off as a silent-movie {…}
Plácido Domingo is undeniably one of the major forces in the history of opera. Born on Jan. 21, 1941 in Madrid, Spain, he spent much of his youth in Mexico. He was very much involved in Zarzuela from a young age as his parents started their own company dedicated to the art form. He studied at the National Conservatory of {…}