Ferrari-Fontana, Edoardo
Ferrari-Fontana, Edoardo
Ferrari-Fontana, Edoardo, Italian tenor; b. Rome, July 8, 1878; d. Toronto, July 4, 1936. He studied voice and gained experience singing in operetta in Argentina and Milan before making an impressive operatic debut as Tristan in Turin on Dec. 23, 1909. He sang at Milan’s La Scala (1912–14), where he created the role of Avito in L’amove dei ire re on April 10, 1913. It was as Avito that he made his Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. on Jan. 2, 1914, remaining on its roster until 1915. He also sang with the Boston Opera Co. (1913–14) and the Chicago Grand Opera Co. (1915–16). In 1926 he settled in Toronto as a voice teacher. He was married for a time to Margarete Matzenauer. In addition to the Italian repertory, he was esteemed for his portrayals of Siegfried, Siegmund, and Tannhauser.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire