Enrico Di Giuseppe

Enrico Di Giuseppe (October 14 1932, Philadelphia – December 31 2005, Voorhees, New Jersey) was an Italian-American operatic tenor who performed at the New York Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera and New York Grand Opera.

Di Giuseppe sang the entire spectrum of Italian repertory. At the City Opera, he partnered Beverly Sills in Donizetti's "Anna Bolena", "Maria Stuarda", and "Roberto Devereux", as well as Bellini's "Puritani". He also recorded "Norma" with her.

Among his early professional opportunities were stints touring with Boris Goldovsky's company and with the fledgling, and short-lived, Metropolitan Opera National Company. It was there he met his wife, the soprano Lorna Ceniceros. She survived him, along with a son and a brother.

Background

Di Giuseppe's first musical experience was with the clarinet, which he played in school. He attended the prestigious Curtis Institute, where he studied with Richard Bonelli. After service with the United States Army Field Band, he went on to study at Juilliard.

In 1965, he made his City Opera debut as Michele in Menotti's "Saint of Bleecker Street". He would go on to perform 26 roles at City Opera over 16 years. His Metropolitan Opera house debut took place on January 1 1970, opposite Martina Arroyo in "Madama Butterfly". His subsequent appearances there included a couple of turns as Tonio opposite Joan Sutherland in the 1972 in "The Daughter of the Regiment".

By the 1980s, Di Giuseppe was no longer appearing with either City Opera or the Met; he made his final Met appearance in 1986. In the following years, he regularly performed with the New York Grand Opera.

References

* [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/06/arts/06giuseppe.html?_r=1&oref=slogin "New York Times" obituary, 6 January 2006]