Tozzi, Giorgio

Tozzi, Giorgio, American bass; b. Chicago, Jan. 8, 1923. He commenced vocal training when he was 13, and later studied biology at De Paul Univ. while pursuing his vocal studies with Rosa Raisa, Giacomo Rimini, and John Daggett Howell in Chicago. On Dec. 29, 1948, he made his professional debut under the name George Tozzi as Tarquinius in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia in N.Y. After singing in the musical comedy Tough at the Top in London in 1949, he received further vocal instruction from Giulio Lorandi in Milan. In 1950 he made his debut as Rodolfo in La sonnambula at Milan’s Teatro Nuovo. He sang for the first time at Milan’s La Scala in 1953 as Stromminger in La Wally. On March 9, 1955, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y as Alvise. He remained on its roster until 1975, becoming well known for such roles as Rossini’s Basilio, Mozart’s Figaro, Pimen, Boris Godunov, Sparafucile, Ramfis, Hans Sachs, and Pogner; he also created the role of the Doctor in Barber’s Vanessa there in 1958. His career took him to such operatic centers as San Francisco, Hamburg, Salzburg, Florence, and Munich. In 1977 he appeared in the U.S. premiere of Glinka’s Ruslan and Ludmilla in Boston. A remarkably versatile artist, he was successful not only in opera and concert settings but also in films, television, and musical comedy. His fine vocal technique was complemented by his assured dramatic gifts. From 1991 he taught at the Ind. Univ. School of Music in Bloomington.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire