Canadian-Italian lyric tenor Riccardo Iannello made his professional solo opera début in 2010 as an apprentice artist with Opéra de Montréal as Lord Cecil in Roberto Devereux. That same year he débuted as Schmidt in Werther and Second Jew in Strauss’ Salomé conducted by the new Metropolitan Opera’s Music Director, Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Riccardo has been an artist in residence with Pacific Opera Victoria where he marked both his company and role début as Le Remendado in Carmen. He made his company and professional U.S. solo opera début as Alfredo in La Traviata with Union Avenue Opera in St. Louis, MO at age 32. Following his U.S. début, Riccardo participated in Ireland’s prestigious Wexford Festival where he took part in a successful run of two, new productions and a short work production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial by Jury, singing the role of Edwin, the Defendant. Other roles and companies include Tamino in Miami Music Festival’s production of The Magic Flute as well as the reprisal of Alfredo with Southern Ontario Lyric Opera conducted by Sabatino Vacca.
Riccardo's career spans from opera to concert work as well. He has been a tenor soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Etobicoke Philharmonic, in Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass with ChoralWorks under the baton of Brian Rae, in Haydn's The Creation with Toronto Sinfonietta and the Oakham House Choir at Ryerson University, and in Dubois' The Seven Last Words of Christ with Choral St. Eustache in Québec. He has also toured in several U.S. cities with former I Sing Beijing whose mission was to recognize Mandarin as a lyrical musical language and introduce Chinese operatic repertoire to the mainstream opera world.
In competition, Riccardo was a Great Lakes Regional finalist at the prestigious Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. He was the recipient of the Opera Buffs award from the Metropolitan Opera of New York.
Riccardo’s career has extended overseas performing at various venues in Germany. The first one took place at Lindenfels castle in Lindenfels and followed by another in Boppard as part of the Mittelrhein Musik Festival under the helm of Helge Dorsch. That was followed by another concert soon after in Honolulu, Hawaii singing alongside mezzo soprano, Deanna Pauletto, and Hawaii native and baritone, Quinn Kelsey. This marked his début with the host company, Hawaii Opera Theater. He has had great success in reprising the role of Alfredo in La Traviata marking his debut with Miami Lyric Opera in February 2020.
He is currently a member of the Canadian Actors' Equity Association, ACTRA Toronto, and the American Federation of Musicians union in conjunction with the Toronto Musicians' Association, Local 149.
Photo credit: Phil Crozier