Frank Guarrera

Frank Guarrera (December 3, 1923 - November 23, 2007) was an Italian-American lyric baritone who enjoyed a long and distinguished career at the Metropolitan Opera.

Life and career

Frank Guarrera was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to parents of Sicilian origin. He was first exposed to opera at the Victor Café in South Philadelphia, and first performed in his high school choir. He began his musical studies at the Curtis Institute of Music in his native city, where he was a pupil of Richard Bonelli and Eufemia Giannini-Gregory. He spent two years in the Navy during World War II, and then returned to the Curtis Institute to complete his studies.

Guarrera made his professional debut as Silvio in "I Pagliacci", at the New York City Opera in 1947. Shortly after, he won the Metropolitan Opera "Auditions of the Air" which brought him to the attention of conductor Arturo Toscanini, who invited the young baritone to make his La Scala debut as Fanuel in Arrigo Boito’s "Nerone" in 1948. Some six months later, on December 14, 1948, Guarrera made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Escamillo in "Carmen". He was to remain at the Met until 1976, singing a wide range of roles, such as the Count in "Nozze di Figaro", Guglielmo in "Cosi fan tutte", Figaro in "Il barbiere di Siviglia", Belcore in "L'elisir d'amore", Malatesta in "Don Pasquale", Enrico in "Lucia di Lammermoor", the title role in "Rigoletto", Simon in "Simon Boccanegra", Germont in "La Traviata", Valentin in "Faust (opera)", Lescaut in "Manon", Amonasro in "Aida", Ford in "Falstaff (opera)", Marcello in "La Bohème", "Gianni Schicchi", Falke in "Die Fledermaus", etc. Guarrera also appeared frequently in Chicago and San Francisco; he also sang in London and Paris.

Guarrera is featured on complete opera recordings, including "Cosi fan tutte", "Lucia di Lammermoor", opposite Lily Pons, "Faust", Ford in "Falstaff" under Toscanini, "Cavalleria Rusticana". He can also be heard on several live broadcasts from the Met.

Following his retirement, he taught at the University of Washington in Seattle from 1980 to 1990. He returned to Philadelphia for his final years, and passed away at his home in Bellmawr, New Jersey, on November 23, 2007, ten days before his 84th birthday. The cause of death was complications from diabetes.

Frank Guarrera is honored with a mural at Broad and Tasker Streets in Philadelphia. The mural, painted in 2003, features Guarrera in several of his famous opera roles, including "The Barber of Seville" and Escamillo, the bullfighter, in "Carmen".

Sources

* D. Hamilton (ed.),"The Metropolitan Opera Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to the World of Opera" (Simon and Schuster, New York 1987). ISBN 0-671-16732-X
* "The Metropolitan Opera Guide to Recorded Opera", edited by Paul Gruber - ISBN 0-395-03444-5
* "Opera News Magazine", Obituaries, February 2008.

*cite web |author=Bernheimer, Martin |title= Reunion|publisher=Opera News: The Metropolitan Opera Guild, Inc. |date=August 2003|url=http://www.metoperafamily.org/operanews/_archive/803/Reunion.803.html|accessdate=2007-11-27
*cite web |author=Midgette, Anne |title= Frank Guarrera, 83, Lyric Baritone at the Met, Is Dead|publisher="New York Times" Online |date=2007-11-27|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/27/arts/27guarrera.html?ref=arts/ |accessdate=2007-11-27
*David Patrick Stearns, [http://www.philly.com/inquirer/obituaries/20071127_Frank_Guarrera__baritone_at_Met.html Obituary: 'Frank Guarrera, baritone at the Met'] , "Philadelphia Inquirer", Nov. 27, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-11-28.
* [http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/frame.htm MetOpera database]

External links

* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article2987521.ece Obituary in "The Times", 3 December 2007]
* [http://cml.upenn.edu/murals/mbMuralDetails.asp?ID=1336&TAB=1 Location and Photo of the Philadelphia Mural]