Frank Porretta
USABiography of Frank Porretta
Frank Porretta is an American operatic tenor who was born into a musical family. His parents were both American opera singers, and he completed his musical education at the Julliard School of Music.
Operatic Career
Porretta made his debut on the stage of the Seattle Opera, performing the role of Cavaradossi in Puccini's opera "Tosca". He had previously performed this role in leading opera houses such as Vienna, Paris, Dresden, Hamburg, Montpellier, Baltimore, Norfolk, and the Hollywood Bowl. In 2002, Porretta made his European debut in the lead role of Verdi's "Otello" at the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville. He also performed the role of King Arthur in the world premiere of Isaac Albéniz's opera "Merlin" at the Teatro Real in Madrid.
Porretta's recent roles include Don Alvaro in Verdi's "La forza del destino" and Dick Johnson in Puccini's "La fanciulla del West" at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, as well as Calaf in Puccini's "Turandot" at the Teatro Regio in Turin. He returned to the Berlin State Opera to sing Radames in Verdi's "Aida". His repertoire also includes leading roles in operas such as "Andrea Chénier", "Un ballo in maschera", "Carmen", "Cavalleria rusticana", "Don Carlo", "Madama Butterfly", "Norma", "I Pagliacci", "Il trovatore", and "Rigoletto".
Family and Personal Life
Frank Porretta was born into a musical family. His father, Frank Porretta Jr., is also a tenor who made his debut at the Seattle Opera in 1967. His mother, soprano Roberta Palmer, performed "Tosca" in Seattle in 1977. Porretta's younger brother, Matthew Porretta, became a television and film actor, while one of his younger sisters, Anna, worked on the screenplay for the television show "Talk Soup" on the E! channel.
