Renato Cellini


Renato Cellini was an Italian opera conductor. His father was Ezio Cellini, who was a stage director who worked with Arturo Toscanini.

Metropolitan Opera

Cellini went to the United States in 1947, when he joined the staff of the Metropolitan Opera, and where he debuted conducting Don Carlos, on April 9, 1952, with Jussi Björling, Eleanor Steber and Regina Resnik in the cast. The following year, he led Aïda and La forza del destino. In 1954, he conducted La forza again, and a double-bill of Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci.
His 1950 recording of Rigoletto, with Jan Peerce, Warren, Italo Tajo, Erna Berger, and Nan Merriman, was the "first American recording of a complete opera by RCA Victor."

New Orleans Opera

In 1954, Cellini was appointed General Director and Conductor of the New Orleans Opera Association, where he debuted with La bohème. While there, he founded The Experimental Opera Theatre of America in association with the New Orleans Opera. It was "designed to give young singers an opportunity to be heard in opera." These young singers included Harry Theyard, Mignon Dunn, Norman Treigle, John Reardon, Audrey Schuh, André Turp, Chester Ludgin, John Macurdy, Stanley Kolk, Ara Berberian, Enrico di Giuseppe, Ticho Parly and Benjamin Rayson.
While in New Orleans Cellini conducted performances of many operas, including Otello, Tosca, Lakmé, Amelia al ballo, Elektra, L'amore dei tre re, Falstaff, Werther, La cenerentola, Boris Godunov, Il trovatore, Turandot, Norma, Don Giovanni, Tannhäuser, La Gioconda, Manon, Un ballo in maschera, Orfeo ed Euridice, Der Rosenkavalier, Rigoletto and La forza del destino.
In 1964, in failing health, Cellini conducted for the last time. He died on March 25, 1967, in New Orleans at the age of 54, and is buried in Metairie Cemetery. In 2004 his widow, Giuseppina "Pinuccia," moved from New Orleans to Tennessee; she died in 2015.

Studio discography (complete operas)