Prof. Paolo Coni

Associate Professor (Teaching)

Class Type
Opera & Voice
Biography

Paolo Coni, a world-renowned baritone singer and vocal educator, is currently serving as Associate Professor (Teaching), Professor of Practice in Opera & Voice at the School of Music, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. The Italian government awarded him "Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award", "Verdi Art Ambassador", "Golden Swan Award" and "Golden Gilly" professional artist titles. He is also a high-end expert in the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs. In September 2018, the Henan Provincial Government awarded him the highest honor - "Yellow River Friendship Award". In the same year, he received a Chinese green card for his outstanding contribution to China's education. In April 2020, Henan Province awarded him the title of "High-level Talent". From December 2014 to June 2023, he was employed by Henan Normal University and served as the artistic director of Paolo Coni Opera Studio Center.

In 1983, he started being famous when he first appeared in Donizetti's opera Lucia of Lammermour, and quickly signed the contracts with opera houses such as La Scala in Milan and The Metropolitan Opera. He is still the youngest baritone to have appeared in the opening ceremony of the La Scala opera season in Milan. After that, he signed up with BMG, SONY, EMI and other record companies to record opera works from Verdi, Donizetti, Puccini. Since then, his reputation has risen to become one of the best baritones on the international opera scene. During his years of singing and teaching, he has made outstanding contributions to the popularization of classical music and opera.

Masterpieces of Coni include Verdi's Simon Boccanegra, Un ballo in maschera, Don Carlo, Falstaff, La Traviata, Macbeth, Rigoletto, Nabucco; Donizetti's La favorita, Lucia di lammermo; Puccini's Tosca; Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro and Bellini's I puritani, etc.

During more than 40 years of opera interpretation, he has left his footprints in many world-famous opera houses, including La Scala Opera House in Milan, Royal Opera House in Covent Gardens, Opéra National de Paris, The Metropolitan Opera House, Carnegie Hall, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Shanghai Grand Theatre and Macao Grand Theatre, etc.

He has also worked with many world-famous conductors, including Riccardo Muti, Riccardo Chailly, George Solti, Seiji Ozawa, etc.