Tenor
Italy
Edgardo Rocha is widely admired for his mastery of the bel canto repertoire, praised for his warm timbre, agile coloratura, and brilliant high notes. He stands out for his ability to bring opera closer to a broader audience, captivating critic and public acclaims worldwide.
Born in Rivera, Uruguay, Edgardo Rocha began studying piano, influenced by his home environment, where music was an essential part of daily life. He continued his studies in choral and orchestral conducting at the University of Music in Montevideo. While still in Uruguay, he further honed his vocal skills with Beatriz Pazos and Raquel Pierotti. In 2008, he moved to Italy to refine his vocal technique and he studied with esteemed tenors Salvatore Fisichella and Rossini specialist Rockwell Blake.
In Italy he rised to the limelight of the operatic scene when in 2010 he was invited to take on the title role in Donizetti’s Gianni di Parigi – a demanding role was originally written for the legendary tenor Giovanni Battista Rubini – at the Festival della Valle d’Itria in Martina Franca. He reprised Gianni di Parigi at the Wexford Opera Festival and this breakthrough propelled him onto the stages of major Italian and international opera houses.
From 2010 onward, Rocha established himself in leading roles across prestigious venues worldwide. In 2012 he had his debut at the Vienna State Opera debut as Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia, a role he has reprised in some of Europe’s most important theatres, including Lyric Opera of Chicago Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía de Valencia, Teatro Real de Madrid, Opéra National de Paris, Bayerische Staatsoper Munich, Semperoper Dresden.
Some others of his key performances include: Il turco in Italia and Le Comte Ory at Teatro alla Scala; Ferrando in Così fan tutte for his debut both at Teatro San Carlo in Naples and at Teatro Regio in Turin; the debut at Maggio Musicale Fiorentino as Ernesto in Don Pasquale; Rossini’s Otello, in which he sung both Jago, at Opernhaus Zürich and at Teatro alla Scala, and Rodrigo, at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris and at Salzburg Festival; Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola in the movie broadcasted live by RAI, the Italian national TV, under the baton of Gianluigi Gelmetti and directed by Carlo Verdone; Percy Anna Bolena at Opéra de Lausanne; Alvino in La sonnambula and Leicester in Maria Stuarda Grand Théâtre de Genève; Il turco in Italia at Teatro Real de Madrid and Salzburg Festival; Lakmé at Opernhaus Zurich; Halévy’s La juive at Bayerische Staatsoper.
LATEST PERFORMANCES: Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte and Don Pasquale at Vienna State Opera; La Clemenza di Tito in Washington; Don Giovanni at Opéra de Monte-Carlo; Paer’s Leonora in Chicago; Donizetti’s Tudor Trilogy (Anna Bolena, Maria Stuarda, Roberto Devereux) at Grand Théâtre de Genève; L’italiana in Algeri at Opernhaus Zürich; Il barbiere di Siviglia at Lyric Opera of Chicago.
FORTHCOMING PROJECTS: Il barbiere di Siviglia at Vienna State Opera; Rossini’s Stabat Mater with ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester at Vienna Konzerthaus; Il barbiere di Siviglia at Lucerne Summer Festival; Mozart’s C Minor Mass with Royal Scottish National Orchestra; L’elisir d’amore at Vienna State Opera; Il viaggio a Reims at Salzburg Festival.
