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ANTONIO ZERBINI'S PROFESSIONAL HISTORY

Antonio Zerbini was born in Reggiolo (Reggio Emilia) on December the 5th, 1924.

Since he was a young boy he realized to have an uncommon voice.
Being very much fond of singing, he decided to ask for the opinion of a musical expert.
He went then to the well-known school founded by the famous baritone,
Maestro Apollo Granforte where he was suggested to start studying as a lyric singer.
He began to take private lessons and he learned two basic things: to love
either Verdi's operas and the romantic melodrama and to sing with strength
and softness at the same time.

In 1950 he attended the IX° National Competition for Lyric Singers.
He won ex aequo with other three candidates getting a considerable scholarship.
This one gave him the opportunity to go on studying taking then lessons by the skilled conductor, Maestro Martini of Parma.

In 1952 Antonio Zerbini attended the Lyric Competion at Teatro Sperimentale in Spoleto. Marcella Pobbe, Antonietta Stella, Franco Corelli, Anna Moffo and other famous singers won the same competition some years before.

This experience was of a great importance for him because it gave him
the chance to make his debut in Rome singing "Forza del Destino" beside Beniamino Gigli. In the same year he made his first performance at Teatro alla Scala of Milan in "Rigoletto" with Giuseppe di Stefano and Rosanna Carteri.

In 1954 he began his international tour singing in most of European capitals.
He ended this extraordinary year performing Gioacchino Rossini's
"Stabat Mater" at Centro Culturale S. Fedele of Milan with Renata Scotto,
Elena Nicolai, Giuseppe Campora.

In 1958 he sang for the first time at Arena di Verona in "Aida" with Tullio Serafin
as conductor and were important singers like:
Farnco Ventriglia, Fedora Barbieri, Antonietta Stella, Carlo Bergonzi, Franco Corelli
and other well-known persons.

From that year onward, Mr. Zerbini took part at nearly all Lyric Seasons
in Verona singing "Aida" but also "Rigoletto" as Sparafucile.

In his career (22 years) Antonio Zerbini sang 250 times "La Boheme",
300 times "Aida" , 100 times "Nabucco" and "Don Carlos", 50 times
"La Favorita". His repertoire counts more than 90 operas.
He performed in almost all Italian and international theatres, among which that one of Tokyo, Berlin, Geneva, Milano, London, Madrid, Paris, Bruxelles, Lisboa, Barcellona,
Athen, Beograd, Algeri, Moscow and many others places.

He had renowned conductors as Dimitri Mitropulos, Gabriele Santini,
Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Peter Maag, Hermann Scherchen, Vittorio Gui,
Antonino Votto, Francesco Molinari Pradelli, Claudio Abbado and many others.

In 1984 he gave his last performance singing "Simon Boccanegra".
Then he definetively retired, although still with very good vocal capabilities.

Antonio Zerbini died on December the 19th, 1987 when he was only 63.