The Milanese bass-baritone Giovanni Romeo is one of the Italian talents who have established themselves on the most important opera stages worldwide, such as Teatro alla Scala, Vienna State Opera, Bolshoi Theatre, Atlanta Opera, Opéra de Monte-Carlo, Deutsche Oper Berlin, NCPA in Beijing, ABAO Olbe in Bilbao, Opéra Grand Avignon, Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, Royal Opera House Muscat, and many others.
He began his studies in opera singing at the age of fifteen with soprano Cristina Dominguez, and he improved his skills at the Teatro alla Scala Academy, thanks to the special “Paolo Montarsolo” scholarship.
He began his career with the “Laboratorio lirico del 700” at the Bibiena Theatre in Mantua debuting as Uberto in Paisiello’s La Serva Padrona and as Geronimo in Cimarosa’s Il Matrimonio Segreto, under the direction of the famous comic bass Enzo Dara, with whom he specialized in comic roles; many consider him as his artistic heir.
Afterwards, he debuted many Mozart and Donizetti roles, both as bass and as baritone buffo, thanks to his vocal extension and flexibility. He took part in some of the most important international opera projects for young singers such as the “Young Singer Project” in Salzburg.
But the real success for came with Dr. Bartolo from Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia; a role that Giovanni Romeo has played many times (over 60 official performances) and that has led him to perform on the major opera houses in Italy and abroad. Among these, Jean Pierre Ponnelle’s famed production at Teatro alla Scala, in which he joined Leo Nucci and Ruggero Raimondi.
Among his signature funny roles, Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro and Leporello in Don Giovanni by Mozart, Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola by Rossini, the title role in Don Pasquale and Dr. Dulcamara in L’Elisir d’Amore by Donizetti. But his vocal and dramatic versatility ranges as far as Schaunard in La Bohème and A Sacristan in Tosca by Puccini, and Sancho Panza in Massenet’s Don Quichotte.
Most recently, he debuted as Prosdocimo in Il turco in Italia at Opéra de Monte-Carlo, with Cecilia Bartoli. He has worked with prestigious conductors such as Antonello Allemandi, Marco Armiliato, Riccardo Bisatti, Gianluca Capuano, Riccardo Chailly, Arthur Fagen, Gabriele Ferro, Gerard Korsten, Pier Giorgio Morandi, Carlo Rizzi, Federico Maria Sardelli, Speranza Scapucci, Tugan Sokhiev, and with important directors such as Grischa Asagaroff, Renaud Doucet & André Barbe, Jean-Louis Grinda, Gino Landi, Mario Martone, Evgeny Pisarev, Mario Pontiggia, Emilio Sagi, Gabriele Salvatores, and many others.
His plans in Season 2024/25 included Sagrestano in a concert version of Tosca at Opéra de Monte-Carlo, Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro at Teatro Regio di Torino, La bohème and Così fan tutte at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb.
Most recently he sang the title role in Don Pasquale at Teatro Bellini in Catania Upcoming plans include Il Barbiere di Siviglia at Teatro Comunale di Bologna.
