Canadian-Italian tenor, Riccardo Iannello, mad
e his professional solo opera début as an apprentice 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 Yannick Nézet-Séguin. The following year, Riccardo was invited to Victoria, British Columbia as a Resident Artist where he marked his company and role début with Pacific Opera Victoria as Le Remendado in Carmen. Other roles in his repertoire include, Tamino in The Magic Flute, Alfredo in La Traviata, Don José in La tragédie de Carmen, Gherardo in Gianni Schicchi, Tito in La Clemenza di Tito, Mayor Upfold in Albert Herring, and Scaramuccio in Ariadne auf Naxos.
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, a soloist in Haydn’s ‘Lord Nelson Mass’ with Toronto Sinfonietta and the Oakham House Choir at Ryerson University, and in Dubois’ ‘The Seven Last Words of Christ’ with Choral St. Eustache. He has also toured in several U.S. cities with former ‘I Sing Beijing.’ Their mission was to recognize Mandarin as a lyrical musical language and introduce Chinese operatic repertoire to the mainstream opera world through various concerts. Riccardo has also appeared in a globally televised concert that commemorated the life and history of San Padre Pio. This event was produced and aired by Rai International.
He made his company and professional U.S. solo opera début as Alfredo in La Traviata with Union Avenue Opera in St. Louis 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, full productions and a short work production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s ‘Trial by Jury’ singing the role of Edwin, the Defendant.
In competition, Riccardo was selected to be 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 in New York.
As of recent, he has released his first professional album with orchestra entitled Endless Horizons and has encompassed a few musical genres that include both Italian and Neapolitan classics, operatic arias, and a few musical theatre standards.
Riccardo will be making his début at the Miami Music Festival in July reprising the role of Tamino in Mozart’s The Magic Flute and conducted by, critically-acclaimed, Stephanie Rhodes.
He is currently a member of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association, ACTRA Toronto, and American Federation of Musicians union in conjunction with Toronto Musicians’ Association, Local 149.
