Angelo Villari was born in Messina.
He graduated in singing from the Arrigo Boito Conservatory in Parma and later continued his studies with Alain Charles Billard at the Toscanini Foundation. He has distinguished himself in numerous international opera competitions, winning first prize at the Simone Alaimo, Il Bel Canto International Singing Competition (2010), being a finalist at the Festival Puccini competition in Torre del Lago, and earning the opportunity to perform as the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto as part of the Il Bel Canto nella Valle dei Templi competition in Agrigento.
After his early debuts in operas such as Il filosofo di campagna by Galuppi, L’oca del Cairo by Mozart, Le convenienze ed inconvenienze teatrali by Donizetti, and Mosè in Egitto by Rossini, Angelo Villari has established himself in recent years as a solid interpreter of verismo roles. His performances include Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly (at Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari, Teatro Regio in Parma, in Astana, and at the Baths of Caracalla with the Rome Opera under the baton of Yves Abel), Cavaradossi in Tosca (at Opéra de Tours), Turiddu in Cavalleria rusticana, Canio in Pagliacci, and Maurizio in Adriana Lecouvreur (at Teatro Massimo in Palermo with Maestro Daniel Oren and in the theaters of OperaLombardia).
In 2007, he took part in Luisa Miller at the Festival Verdi in Parma under the direction of Donato Renzetti. He was later invited back to Teatro Regio for numerous productions, including Szenen aus Goethes Faust by Schumann, Il corsaro, Lucia di Lammermoor, Messa da Requiem by Verdi, and Madama Butterfly.
Among his most notable performances are La donna serpente by Casella, conducted by Fabio Luisi for the opening of the 40th Festival della Valle d’Itria in Martina Franca, Guglielmo Ratcliff by Mascagni at the Wexford Festival Opera, I Shardana by Ennio Porrino, directed by Davide Livermore at Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, La campana sommersa by Respighi, conducted by Donato Renzetti at Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, and Un ballo in maschera at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, with Jesús López-Cobos on the podium.
His discography includes several live recordings on CD and DVD, including I Shardana (DVD Dynamic), La donna serpente (DVD Bongiovanni), Guglielmo Ratcliff (CD RTE Lyric), and La campana sommersa (DVD Arthaus).
RECENT ENGAGEMENTS
- Norma (Pollione) at Opéra de Rennes
- La forza del destino (Don Alvaro) at Stadttheater Giessen
- La Ciociara by Marco Tutino (Michele) at Teatro Lirico di Cagliari
- Adriana Lecouvreur at Teatro Massimo di Palermo
- Un ballo in maschera (Riccardo) in Cagliari
UPCOMING PROJECTS
- Cavalleria rusticana in the theaters of Pavia, Como, and Cremona
- Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
- Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci at Teatro Comunale di Bologna
