Internationally acclaimed as one of today’s foremost opera singers, Michele Pertusi was born in Parma, where he studied at the Conservatorio “Arrigo Boito” before further refining his artistry under the guidance of Carlo Bergonzi. He is the recipient of the prestigious Franco Abbiati Prize from the Italian Music Critics, a Grammy Award for his performance in Falstaff conducted by Sir Colin Davis (LSO Live), and a Gramophone Award for his recording of Il turco in Italia with Riccardo Chailly (Decca).

Throughout his career, Michele Pertusi has collaborated with many of the world’s leading conductors, including Riccardo Muti, Carlo Maria Giulini, Zubin Mehta, Georg Solti, Daniel Barenboim, James Levine, Kazushi Ono, Myung-Whun Chung, and Antonio Pappano. He is a frequent guest at the most prestigious opera houses, festivals, and concert halls worldwide, including Teatro alla Scala, the Vienna State Opera, Teatro Real Madrid, the Arena di Verona, the Bavarian State Opera, and the Opera di Roma.

In recent years, Pertusi has become particularly renowned as a leading interpreter of Verdi, excelling in roles such as Filippo II (Don Carlo), Attila, Count Walter (Luisa Miller), Silva (Ernani), Massimiliano (I masnadieri), Zaccaria (Nabucco), Banco (Macbeth), Procida (Les vêpres siciliennes), Padre Guardiano (La forza del destino), and Ramfis (Aida). He is equally celebrated for his interpretations of Rossini and has appeared with great success at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro on numerous occasions, where he was honored with the Rossini d’Oro.

His extensive discography includes Messa solenne, Stabat Mater, Cantata per Pio IX, La Cenerentola, and Il turco in Italia (with Riccardo Chailly), as well as Don Giovanni and Così fan tutte (Georg Solti, Decca), Le nozze di Figaro (Zubin Mehta, Sony), Semiramide and Maometto II (Ricordi), Don Giovanni (Daniel Barenboim, Erato), and La damnation de Faust and Falstaff (Sir Colin Davis, LSO).