Gustavo De Gennaro
Gustavo De Gennaro
Italian bass Antonio Di Matteo is one of the most promising talents of his generation, thanks to the exceptionally beautiful and soft timbre of his voice. He studied at the Giuseppe Martucci Salerno State Conservatoire and has participated in masterclasses with Walter Alberti, Thomas Hampson, Bonaldo Giaiotti and Renata Scotto. He has also studied at the National Academy of Santa Cecilia under the guidance of Anna Vandi and Renata Scotto. He is currently studying with Maestro Tommaso Monaco.
At the age of 22, Di Matteo joined the Chorus of the Royal Theater of San Carlo directed by Maestro Salvatore Caputo, where he was able to collaborate with such eminent directors as Roberto Abbado, Nicola Luisotti, Riccardo Muti and Nello Santi.
Di Matteo won the Paolo Montarsolo Special Prize at the 17th Francesco Albanese International Competition in Torre del Greco (2012), the Critics’ Award at the 11th Ottavio Ziino International Competition in Rome (2012), the Luciano Pavarotti Special International Award at the 7th Ravello Opera Competition (2013), first prize at the 5th Benvenuto Franci International Competition in Pienza (2014) and the Special Jury Award at the 17th Umberto Giordano International Competition in Lucera (2015).
Di Matteo has sung in numerous festivals and reviews both in Italy and abroad, including “A voice within the soul”, an event at the National Academy of Santa Cecilia commemorating the centenary of the birth of the famous Bulgarian bass Boris Christoff. In 2013, as a member of the Young Singers Project of the Salzburg Festival, Di Matteo sang the role of Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte and worked with Antonio Pappano in Verdi’s Don Carlos.
Recent engagements include the role of Cacciatore in Rusalka, Otello under the direction of Nicola Luisotti at the Teatro di San Carlo, Nabucco (High Priest of Baal) in Rimini, and Don Giovanni (Il Commendatore) in Modena, Piacenza and Lucca under the baton of Aldo Sisillo.
