Francesco Castoro has begun his vocal studies at a very young age and he graduated with honour from the Conservatory “Niccolò Piccinni” in Bari under the guidance of Domenico Colaianni. After that, he had the chance to refine his singing at Belcanto Academy “Rodolfo Celletti” in Martina Franca, within the Festival della Valle d’Itria (2013-2014). He is a winner of several international singing competitions, including the “Ottavio Ziino” Competition in Rome. Moreover, he graduated at “Accademia di Perfezionamento per Cantanti Lirici del Teatro alla Scala” (2015-2017), where he performed in La bohème, Falstaff (conductor Zubin Mehta), Die Zauberflöte, La fanciulla del West (conductor Riccardo Chailly) and La cena delle beffe.
He has already made his debut in many important theatres and festivals in Italy and abroad, such as Teatro alla Scala, Festival della Valle D’Itria, Teatro Petruzzelli di Bari, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Teatro Verdi di Trieste, Teatro Municipale di Piacenza, Arena di Verona, Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Ópera de Tenerife, National Theatre Prague, singing under the baton of such conductors as Roland Böer, Riccardo Chailly, Adam Fischer, Fabio Luisi, Zubin Mehta, Evelino Pidò, Stefano Ranzani, and working with leading stage directors as Gianni Amelio, Robert Carsen, Damiano Michieletto, Leo Muscato, Ferzan Ozpetek, Peter Stein, Alessandro Talevi, Federico Tiezzi.
Among the leading roles that he has already performed, it can be mentioned Alfredo Germont in La traviata, Rodolfo in La bohème; Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore, Gennaro in Lucrezia Borgia Ernesto in Don Pasquale, Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte, Pedrillo in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Bortolo in Ricci brothers’ Crispino e la Comare, Carletto in De Giosa’s Don Checco, Giambarone in Jommelli’s Don Trastullo, Camille de Rossillon in The merry widow, Salvini in Bellini’s Adelson e Salvini, il Conte Libenskof in Il viaggio a Reims, Gennaro in Lucrezia Borgia.
He sang also in several important recitals and concerts, including the opening gala of Arena di Verona 2013 season, the European tour of Verdi concerts with the Orchestra Nazionale dei Conservatori conducted by Antonino Fogliani; the inauguration gala of the Silk Road in Xi’an (China) in 2014; Stravinskij’s Pulcinella at Teatro alla Scala with Ottavio Dantone as conductor in 2016.
LATEST PERFORMANCES: L’elisir d’amore in Savona; Macbeth at Teatro San Carlo di Napoli; La traviata and Lucrezia Borgia at Aalto Theater Essen; La bohème at National Theatre Prague; Lucrezia Borgia at Bavarian State Opera in Munich and in Bologna; La traviata at Teatro San Carlo di Napoli; Lucrezia Borgia at Teatro Comunale di Bologna; Madama Butterfly at Teatro Verdi di Trieste; La bohème in Warsaw and in Bologna; La rondine at Maggio Musicale Fiorentino; La traviata in Copenaghen.
FORTHCOMING PROJECTS: Adelson e Salvini at Teatro Bellini Catania; Die Fledermaus and Gianni Schicchi at Teatro Comunale di Bologna; Stravinskij’s Pulcinella at Teatro San Carlo di Napoli; La Traviata in Nantes, Rennes and Angers.