Vincenzo La Scola


Vincenzo La Scola was an Italian tenor and flute player who had a successful international opera career for more than 25 years. He was particularly admired for his portrayals in operas by Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, Gaetano Donizetti, and Vincenzo Bellini. He also achieved success as a crossover artist, particularly in his many collaborations with singer-songwriter Cliff Richard and for his solo crossover album for EMI, Vita Mia. In 2000 he was made a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and from 2004 until his sudden death in 2011 he served as principal teacher and artistic director of the Accademia Verdi Toscanini in Parma.

Career

La Scola was born in Palermo, Italy, and studied singing with Arrigo Pola, Carlo Bergonzi, and Rodolfo Celletti. In 1982 he won the Alessandro Ziliano Award at the Vico Verdiane Competition. He made his professional opera debut in 1983 at the Teatro Regio in Parma as Ernesto in Gaetano Donizetti's Don Pasquale. His career developed rapidly, and by 1989 he had already performed in leading roles at the Cologne Opera House, the Festival Puccini, La Fenice, La Monnaie, the Kiel Opera House, the Opéra-Comique, the Opéra Royal de Wallonie, the Ravenna Festival, the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, the Teatro Regio in Turin, and La Scala. In 1986 he made his first three recordings: the tenor soloist in Rossini's Petite messe solennelle for Erato Records, and two full-length opera releases, Franco Battiato's Genesi and Bellini's Beatrice di Tenda.
Several more invitations to appear at other important houses continued in the early 1990s, including the Royal Opera, London ; the Teatro Carlo Felice ; the Macerata Opera ; the San Francisco Opera ; the Teatro di San Carlo ; the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma : the Hamburg State Opera ; the Arena di Verona Festival ; the Vienna State Opera ; and the Metropolitan Opera.
In 2006, La Scola appeared at the 20th anniversary concert of the Suntory Hall in Japan. During this concert, in addition to singing, he also demonstrated his flute-playing ability, including an instrumental rendition of "Casta Diva" on the flute.
La Scola continued to appear regularly on the stages of the world's best opera houses up until his death of a sudden heart attack in Turkey in 2011. Other roles in his repertoire included Cavaradossi in Tosca, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Gabriele Adorno in Simon Boccanegra, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Pollione in Norma, Radamès in Aida, Riccardo in Un ballo in maschera, and the title roles in Roberto Devereux, Don Carlos, and The Tales of Hoffman among others.

Death

Vincenzo La Scola died at the age of 53 on 15 April 2011 in Mersin, Turkey due to a heart attack.

Discography

Albums