BIOGRAPHY

Critically acclaimed for his vocal qualities “His vocal performance was agile, robust, mellifluous, heroic, tender, and musically sensitive — in short, he alone is reason enough to attend this production.” Raffaele Abete’s engagements in the 2018-19 season will include Duca di Mantova in Verdi’s Rigoletto in Toledo Opera and Opera Carolina and his house debut at Teatro Regio di Parma as Alfredo in Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata.

As the winner of the competition “Una voce per l’Arena,” tenor Raffaele Abete made his debut at the Arena di Verona as Ismaele in Nabucco in the summer of 2015. His other recent engagements include Romeo in Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette on opening night of Arena di Verona’s 93rd Lyric season, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor at Teatro Gaetano Donizetti in Bergamo, and Rodolfo in La Bohème at Teatro Filarmonico di Verona. 

In 2016 he made his American debut at the New York City Opera as Cavaradossi with colleague Latonia Moore in the celebratory production that re-opened the company. 

Mr. Abete’s past season 2017 includes Rigoletto at Teatro Filarmonico di Verona, at Teatro Comunale di Bologna and at Festival Verdi in Busseto.

The 2017-18 season included also Rodolfo in La Bohème at the Festival Puccini in Torre del Lago, Italy alternationg with the colleague Piotr Beczala and his return to United States with the role of Il Duca di Mantova in the production of Rigoletto at Opera Grand Rapids (September, October 2017). 

Born in Naples, Mr. Abete studied at the Conservatorio di Musica Domenico Cimarosa in Avellino under the guidance of Maestro Pasquale Tizzani. He currently resides in Milan and studies with Maestro Federico Longhi.