Roberto Alagna facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Roberto Alagna
Roberto Alagna in 2004
Born	(1963-06-07) 7 June 1963 (age 62) Clichy-sous-Bois, Seine-Saint-Denis, France
Citizenship	Italian French
Occupation	Opera singer (tenor)
Years active	1988–present
Spouse(s)	Florence Lancien ​ (died 1994)​ Angela Gheorghiu ​ ​ (m. 1996; div. 2013)​ Aleksandra Kurzak ​ (m. 2015)​

Roberto Alagna (born on June 7, 1963) is a famous French opera singer. He is known for his amazing tenor voice. A tenor is a male singer with a high vocal range. Roberto Alagna has both French and Italian citizenship. He has performed in many of the world's biggest opera houses.

Early Life and Beginnings

Roberto Alagna was born in 1963 in Clichy-sous-Bois, a town near Paris, France. His family came from Sicily, an island in Italy. When he was a teenager, Roberto started singing pop songs. He would perform in Parisian cabarets, which are places with music and entertainment. He often sang for tips.

Roberto was inspired by movies starring Mario Lanza, another famous tenor. He also learned a lot by listening to recordings of other great opera singers. Even though he didn't go to a special music school, he taught himself how to sing opera. A person named Gabriel Dussurget, who helped start a big music festival, discovered Roberto's talent.

Roberto often performed with Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu. A soprano is a female singer with a high vocal range. They met in 1992 and later married in 1996. They performed together in many concerts and operas. They divorced in 2013.

A Star's Journey in Opera

Roberto Alagna's professional career began in 1988. He won the Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition. This competition helped him get his first big role. He played Alfredo Germont in the opera La traviata. He performed this role with the Glyndebourne touring company.

After his debut, Roberto started getting many invitations to sing. He performed in smaller cities across France and Italy. He often played Alfredo, singing the role more than 150 times. His reputation grew quickly. Soon, he was invited to sing at very famous opera houses. These included La Scala in Italy in 1990 and Covent Garden in London in 1992. In 1996, he sang at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.

In 1994, his performances as Roméo in Roméo et Juliette at Covent Garden made him an international star. People all over the world started to know his name.

In 2006, Roberto Alagna was singing in a new production of Aida at La Scala. During one performance, some audience members booed him. Roberto then walked off the stage. Another singer, Antonello Palombi, quickly took his place. The opera house management said that a professional singer should not react that way.

In 2007, Roberto helped the Metropolitan Opera. He stepped in to sing the role of Romeo in Roméo et Juliette. He performed with the famous soprano Anna Netrebko. One of their performances was shown in many movie theaters around the world. About 97,000 people watched it.

Roberto Alagna has also worked to bring back older, less-known French operas. He has also performed in new operas. He has recorded different kinds of music too. These include albums that honor other singers and albums with a Sicilian theme.

In 2018, Roberto was supposed to sing in the Bayreuth Festival. This festival is famous for showing operas by Richard Wagner. However, Roberto decided not to perform. He said he didn't have enough time to learn the role.

Family Life

Roberto Alagna's first wife, Florence Lancien, passed away in 1994. They had a daughter named Ornella, who was born in 1992. In 1996, Roberto married soprano Angela Gheorghiu. They had met in 1992. They divorced in 2013.

Later, Roberto started a relationship with Polish soprano Aleksandra Kurzak. Their daughter, Malena, was born in 2014. Roberto and Aleksandra got married in 2015.

Roberto has worked on projects with his brothers, Frédérico and David Alagna. David is a stage director and composer. The three brothers recorded an album of light music together. They also worked on an opera based on a book by Victor Hugo. Roberto has also sung in operas with his sister-in-law, Nathalie Manfrino.

In 2008, the government of France honored Roberto Alagna. They named him a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur. This is a very important award in France.

Opera Roles

Roberto Alagna has sung many different roles in operas. Here are some of them:

Recordings

Roberto Alagna has released many albums throughout his career. These include recordings of famous operas and also albums with lighter music. Some of his popular albums include Chante Luis Mariano and Sicilien. He has also released live albums and collections of his best songs.

See also

In Spanish: Roberto Alagna para niños