“In a cast without weaknesses, bass Donato DiStefano’s Don Magnifico stands out. Di Stefano is a great Italian singing actor, commanding every trick in the comedian’s arsenal, and manages to be spectacularly stylish without concealing Magnifico’s abusiveness.”  – Canadian Opera company 

Donato Di Stefano
Bass

One of the most sought after bass buffos in the opera world, Donato DiStefano has sung at the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Munich, Paris, Brussels, Toronto, Dallas, Hamburg, Canadian Opera Company, Washington National Opera, Tokyo, and Frankfurt, just to name a few. This season Donato sings the title role in Don Pasquale with Staatstheatre Karslruhe. Future engagements include Geronte in Manon Lescaut with Gran Teatro del Liceu. Most recently he performed the Sacristan in Tosca at the Canadian Opera Company, Spinelloccio in Gianni Schicchi at the Bayerische Staatsoper, the title role in Gianni Schicchi with Oldenburgisches Staatstheater, Don Pasquale with Oper Frankfurt and Karlsruhe, Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro with Opera Frankfurt,  Don Pasquale at the Tiroler Festspiel Erl and with Oldenburgisches Staatstheater, Bartolo in ll Barbiere di Siviglia at the Berlin Staatsoper, Benoit & Alcindoro in La Boheme at Frankfurt and the Canadian Opera Company, Simone in Gianni Schicchi at the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy, and Geronimo in Il Matrimonio Segreto at the Staatsoper Köln.

Notable performances include Simone in Gianni Schicchi at the Metropolitan Opera and the Canadian Opera Company, Mustafa in Nancy and Avignon, Bartolo in Munich, Don Magnifico in Valencia, Il Matrimonio Segreto in Köln, Don Pasquale at the Dallas Opera, Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Washington National Opera, Leipzig, Munich and Lisbon, Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola at the Canadian Opera Company, Don Magnifico for La Monnaie, L’Opéra National de Lorraine in Nancy, and the Minnesota Opera, Bartolo in Leipzig and Hamburg, the title role of Gianni Schicchi in Frankfurt and in Tel Aviv.

Donato Di Stefano’s discography includes two recordings of La Serva Padrona, with La Petite Bande conducted by Sigiswald Kuijken for Accent Live, and one under Gustav Kuhn for Ricordi-Bmg. A broadcast production of the same title for RAI International is slated for release on DVD. He can also be heard as Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro on Naxos, La Traviata with Zubin Mehta on Philips, Rendine’s Un Segreto di Importanza for Ricordi, Linda di Chamounix on Frequenz and Soliva’s Giulio e Sesto Pompeo for the Radio Svizzera Italiana label.