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BIOGRAPHY:
Raffaele Cardone initiated his musical and vocal studies at very early age in his native Bari,
Italy. At the same time he was singing at local Churches and Cathedral as child soloist. As a teenager Raffaele took voice
classes with Tenor Giuseppe Racalbuto and Soprano Delia Sanzio Montesanto until he was heard and accepted as student by the
famous Baritone Carlo Tagliabue in the City of Monza, Italy. Mr. Cardone studied repertoireamong others with maestros Tommaso
Yappelli and Rainaldo Zamboni from Alla Scala where he also studied Italian Chamber Opera.
At the age of nineteen,
Mr. Cardone joined an Opera Company traveling to South America headed by tenor Bruno Landi, making his first operatic appearance
at "Teatro El Circulo" in the City of Rosario, Argentina in the role of Duca di Mantova of Verdi's Rigoletto. With
the same Company he was alternating with Bruno Landi in Barbiere di Siviglia and La Traviata singing both Operas for the first
time in Rosario and in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Back to Italy, Raffaele continued his vocal studies and made his
Italian debut at “Teatro Verdi” of Genova in the role of Alfredo in Verdi's LaTraviata. Later he engaged for almost
two months tour, to perform at different cities of former Yougoslavia with Elisisr D’Amore and Il Barbiere di Siviglia.
Following young Raffaele, was engaged to perform for the first time in Mascagni’s Amico Fritz in San Marino and soon
after in Malta Island and his native Bari at Teatro Petruzzelli.
In 1959 Raffaele won a Lyric Opera Contest organized
by the “Teatro Municipale” in Bologna after which he was engaged to sing in several theaters in Emilia Region,
in Rigoletto, Barbiere, and Elisir. As young singer Mr. Cardone was engaged to cover Gianni Raimondi, Alfredo Kraus and occasionally
Giuseppe Di Stefano in different Opera Houses in Italy, Switzerland and Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1961 he sang for the first
time Arturo in I Puritani at Teatro Avenida, Buenos Aires while covering Gianni Raimondi in the same opera and Rigoletto at
Teatro Colon where he alternated in Rigoletto.
From the years fifties to 1971, Mr. Cardone has performed opera
and concerts, in several countries including Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Yugoslavia, Malta, San Marino, Argentina, Chile,
Uruguay, Costa Rica, United States and Mexico. His first appearance in US was at Brooklins’s Accademy of Music in New
York, in La Boheme’s Rodolfo after that he was engaged by the Lyric Opera of Chicago to cover and to alternate with
Alfredo Kraus in Rigoletto and Mefistofele. Raffaele was forced to make a parenthesis in his career to take care of a health
situation and decided to retire in Mexico.
Fully recuperated, few years later, Mr. Cardone reinitiated his singing
activities participating in several Official Seasons of “Teatro de Bellas Artes” in Mexico City in Rigoletto,
Butterfly, I Puritani and other. He also appeared in different Opera productions and Concerts in other Mexican cities such
as Guadalajara, Puebla. Chihuahua, Aguascalientes, Mérida and Monterrey. During the years in Mexico, Mr. Cardone was
invited by almost every existing Symphonic and Philharmonic Orchestra in the Country included the famous of the time "Filarmónica
de Las America" directed by Luis Herrera De La Fuente. Mr. Cardone participated for three consecutives years at Festival
Cervantino in Opera and Concerts, some of latest directed by Eduardo Mata a great talented Director of Dallas Symphony Orchestra
who prematurely died in a plane crash. Mr. Cardone performed in most of the Opera Houses and Concert Halls in Mexico including
the modern “Sala Neztzahualcoalt” singing among other Carmina Burana, Beethoven IX Synphony, Verdi’s Requiem,
Worcheck’ Requiem to name some. Mr. Cardone always had a special attraction in teaching voice and classical singing, while still active as a singer,
he performed Masters Classes and Conferences at local and US Conservatory and Universities including De Paul University and
Northwestern in Chicago and Evanston respectively. In 1980 sang his last Arturo in Bellinis' I Puritani at “Bellas Artes”
In 1982 Mr. Cardone was invited by the Government Of Chihuaha State, Mexico, to perform the role of Count Almaviva in Rossini’s
“Barbiere di Siviglia”at recent inaugurated Teatro Los Heroes. After that he decided to stop performing full operas
dedicating only in concerts and recitals and dedicate more time in voice teaching and operatic workshops. Mr. Cardone founded
Opera Independiente de Mexico to initiate young talentes in the world of the opera.
Among many fine Conductors
who have directed Mr. Cardone are Maestros Assermet, Bartoletti, Benintende Neglia, Cillario, De Almeida, Diaz Muñoz,
Farina, Herrera de La Fuente, La Rotella, Lozano, Magiera, Mata, Ochoa, Previtali, Quadri, Silipigni, Tauriello, Votto, Zamboni,
Veltri and other fine musicians.
Presently Mr. Cardone resides in Miami, Florida dedicated in teaching voice,
the art of singing and conducting opera workshops. As Artistic Director of Miami Lyric Opera Circle, Mr. Cardone has presented
La Traviata, Rigoletto and Marina at Teatro Artime of Miami while engaging himself to promote the Opera and Classical Music
in the area. In 2004, Mr. Cardone founded the Miami Lyric Opera Company (MLO) and became its Artistic Director, in that tenure
he has produced and directed Verdi's La Traviata, Mascagni's Cavalleria, Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, Donizetti's Don Pasquale
and L’Elisir D’Amore, La Boheme, Rigoletto, Barbiere di Siviglia, Lucia di Lammermoor, Madama Butterfly and many
Gala Opera Concerts in the City of Miami and Miami Beach, Florida. Mr. Cardone's experience as an opera singer, vocal teacher
and Artistic Director is a great contribution to the development of the opera in South Florida.
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