Giorgio Tozzi

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Giorgio Tozzi (born January 8, 1923, in Chicago, Illinois) was for many years a leading bass with the Metropolitan Opera, and was seen playing lead roles in nearly every major opera house world-wide.

[edit] Career

Tozzi studied at DePaul University with Rosa Raisa, Giacomo Rimini and John Daggett Howell (although he originally intended to study Biology). He made his professional debut in 1948, in the Broadway production of Britten's The Rape of Lucretia as Tarquinius. His signature roles included Mozart's Figaro, Phillip II, Hans Sachs, Pogner, and Gounod's Mephistopheles, among others. In 1958 he created the role of The Doctor in Samuel Barber's Vanessa. Tozzi was the recipient of three Grammy's: in 1960 the Grammy Award for Best Classical Performance, Operatic or Choral for The Marriage of Figaro with Erich Leinsdorf, in 1961 the Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording for Puccini's Turandot, with Erich Leinsdorf, and in 1963 the Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording for the Sir Georg Solti recording of Verdi's Aida (with Leontyne Price and Jon Vickers).

Outside of opera, for many years Tozzi played the role of Emile de Becque in various revivals and road tours of South Pacific. He was also the singing voice of de Becque in the 1958 film version (Rossano Brazzi acted the role onscreen). In 1980 Tozzi earned a Tony award nomination for best leading actor in a musical for his work as Tony in The Most Happy Fella. Additionally, he was a renowned interpretor of Christmas carols. He also published a novel in 1992, The Golem of the Golden West.

Tozzi worked extensively as an educator in professorships at The Juilliard School, Brigham Young University, and Indiana University. In 2006 he retired as Distinguished Professor of Voice at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana.