FERNANDO DEL VALLE

Born in New Orleans of Hungarian-Spanish origin, tenor Fernando del Valle has sung extensively in the United States, Europe, South America and Canada. A Graduate of Tulane University in his native New Orleans he was chosen to participate in San Francisco Opera’s ‘Merola Program’ and was awarded a career grant by the Dallas Opera.

He went on to win the ‘Bel Canto Competition of Chicago’ which enabled him to move to Europe and study with legendary Tenor, Carlo Bergonzi and following this, he was awarded another grant by the International Institute of Vocal Arts to remain in Italy and study with William Woodruff and a scholarship to study at the Israeli Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv.

Fernando’s career began with many highly successful concert performances which included the Beethoven MISSA SOLEMNIS, Dvorak’s STABAT MATER and the REQUIEMS of Verdi, Britten and Andrew Lloyd Weber. He performed as a soloist at Carnegie Hall and the Alice Tully Hall, with leading American Symphony Orchestras including the Beethoven Society of New York and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. He then went on to make his European debut in 1995 with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano G. Verdi under Claudio Abbado in BEETHOVEN'S SYMPHONY NO. 9, and throughout his career has gone on to collaborate with many other celebrated conductors including Vladimir Jurowsky, Anton Guadagno, Carlo Maria Giulini, John Nelson, Patrick Summers, Peter Maag, Marc Albrecht, Pietro Rizzo and Dan Ettinger andAsher Fisch.

He made his operatic debut innediately following his European concert debut, in the role of Don José in the Hugo de Ana production of CARMEN at the Teatro Comunale di Treviso under the direction of Peter Maag and renowned mezzo-soprano Regina Resnik. A series of engagements then quickly followed which included his celebrated debut as Rodolfo in LA BOHEME at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma in 1996.

In 1997 his performances included included Don José at the Gran Teatro La Fenice in Venice and Teatro Carlo Felice di Genoa, Pinkerton in MADAMA BUTTERFLY for Palm Beach Opera and FAUST in Colmar near Strasbourg.

Fernando went on to make his German debut in February 1998 as Rodolfo for the Frankfurt Oper and later that year debuted at the Wexford Festival to great acclaim in the role of Paolo in Gomes´ FOSCA.

“....an exciting tenor, especially at the top of the register, who can shape a phrase with real sensitivity” Rodney Milnes, The Times

“…a tenor of uncommon merit: as firm as Domingo in his pure, true utterance but also able and eager, Bergonzi-wise to ‘melt’ from note to note in shapely phrases”
Andrew Porter, Financial Times

In October 1999 he sang the role of Ismaele in NABUCCO at the Staatstheater Saarbruecken before returning to the Frankfurt Oper as Rodolfo in LA BOHÈME, as Macduff in MACBETH for Opera Zuid in Maastricht and the Duke in RIGOLETTO at the Opernhaus Dusseldorf.

In May 2000 he debuted at the Deutsche Oper Berlin as Pinkerton, for Finnische Nationaloper Helsinki as Pinkerton and Alfredo and sang in Frankfurt as Rodolfo. He also sang the Verdi REQUIEM 2001 in Malmö, Sweden.

He debuted in the UK to huge critical acclaim with Dorset Opera in 2000/01 in the title role of another rarely performed opera by Gomes, SALVATOR ROSA.

“The voice is magnificent, superbly in tune, and particularly commanding in those upper registers where many come unstuck.“ Roderick Dunnett www.theartspages.com

“.....some of the most attractive tenor sounds to be heard today, carried effortlessly, unforced, through all the range." Andrew Porter, Opera Nov. 2000

2002 was a landmark year for Fernando, when he made his South American debut as Alfredo in LA TRAVIATA at the Grande Teatro National in Belo Horizonte, Brazil in Rossini’s STABAT MATER with the Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Petrucelli di Bari. He also opened the first Giordano Festival in Baveno, Italy with a much acclaimed concert for the National Italian Radio Orchestra , RAI di Torino.

The role of Oronte in I LOMBARDI followed in Bremen in 2003, then CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA and LA BOHÈME at the Nationatheater Mannheim, Macduff in MACBETH at the Staatshtheater Wiesbaden and also, his concert debut with the Munich Bach Choir as soloist in the Verdi REQUIEM which followed with performances at the Munich Philharmonie in Gasteig, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Dusseldorf Tonhalle and the Mannheim Rosengarten.

During these years he sang as Principal Tenor of the Staatstheater Darmstadt where his roles included Don José, Edgardo, Hoffmann, Nadir, Nemorino, Pinkerton Rodolfo,Turiddu and Werther.

In February 2004 Fernando sang the role of Forresto in ATTILA, for the New Israel Opera, Tel Aviv with Asher Fisch conducting, plus his debut with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra in Puccini's MISSA DI GLORIA. In 2005 he debuted as the tenor soloist in the New Year concert in the BadischenStaatstheater Karlsruhe and later sang the role of Enzo Grimaldi in LA GIOCONDA for the Saatstheater Kassel.

In 2006 he sang at the Korean Arts Centre in Seoul as Don José and then the TALES OF HOFFMANN in Hagen. He also performed the TALES OF HOFFMANNin 2007 at the Pflaztheater Kaiserslautern and was immediately re-engaged to sing the role of Faust in Boito’s MEFISTOFELE. This was followed by Narraboth in SALOME at the Theater Dortmund and a new production of WERTHER at the Stadttheater Gießen in 2008.

Future performances are to include Andrea Chenier at the Stadttheater Gießen in June 2008 and Canio in I Pagliacci during the 2008/9 season.