Valerio Contaldo, a lyric tenor from Italy, residing in Switzerland, is renowned for his radiant, bronze timbre. He has recently created a sensation with his portrayal of the lead role in Monteverdi's Orfeo, with critics praising him as "extraordinary" and "ideal," applauding his heartfelt expressiveness and remarkable flexibility, as noted in Platea Magazine, Forum Opéra, and Bachtrack.
In the 2023/24 season, Valerio Contaldo makes his debut at Teatro alla Scala, performing the role of Oronte (Alcina) in concert alongside Les Musiciens du Louvre under the baton of Marc Minkowski. He assumes the role of Evangelist in Bach's St John's Passion in a newly staged production by Sascha Waltz, conducted by Leonardo García Alarcón at the Osterfestspiele Salzburg and the Opéra de Dijon. Additionally, he revives the role of Orfeo at Bozar in Brussels, the Styriarte Festival in Graz, and the opening of the La Cité Bleue theatre in Geneva, among other engagements.
Valerio Contaldo's repertoire spans the most significant sacred works from Monteverdi to Frank Martin, including Bach (Passions, Cantatas), Mozart (Requiem, Davide Penitente, C minor Mass), Haydn (The Creation, The Seasons), Rossini (Petite Messe Solennelle, Stabat Mater) and opera roles such as Oronte (Alcina), Lurcanio (Ariodante), Damon (Acis and Galatea), the titles roles of Orfeo and Il ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria, Ferrando (Così fan tutte), Jonas (Le Prophète).
He has performed at prestigious stages worldwide, such as Carnegie Hall in New York, the Musikverein in Vienna, and renowned venues from São Paolo to Shanghai. A regular guest at esteemed festivals such as Edinburgh, Aix-en-Provence, Mozartwoche in Salzburg, MA Festival in Bruges, and the Oude Muziek Festival in Utrecht, Valerio has also performed at major opera houses, including the Opéra de Paris, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Palau de les Arts in Valencia, and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. He collaborates with esteemed conductors such as such as Rinaldo Alessandrini, Leonardo García Alarcón, William Christie, Michel Corboz, Sébastien Daucé, Stéphane Fuget, Philippe Herreweghe, Stephan MacLeod, Marc Minkowski.
Recent highlights include his return to the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence for Meyerbeer’s Le Prophète with the London Symphony Orchestre led by Sir Mark Elder, the role of Oronte in Alcina on tour in Spain and France with Les Musiciens du Louvre, the title role in Monteverdi’s Il Ritorno di Ulisse in Patria at the Opéra Royal de Versailles, the Evangelist in Bach's Matthäus Passion, Morphée in Lully’s Atys at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, as well as Damon in Handel’s Acis and Galatea, in Paris and Amsterdam.
Since 2017, Valerio Contaldo has consistently excelled in the role of Orfeo, with notable performances in Barcelona, Adelaide, Shanghai and Beijing with Concerto Italiano led by Rinaldo Alessandrini and in Brussels, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Paris, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo with Cappella Mediterranea led by Leonardo García Alarcón, and in Budapest and in Budapest, Vicenza and Geneva with the Budapest Festival Orchestra led by Iván Fischer.
Among his recent notable recordings are Monteverdi's L’Orfeo with La Cappella Mediterranea (Alpha), Monteverdi’s Il Ritorno di Ulisse in Patria (CVS), Bach's B minor Mass with Gli Angeli Genève (Claves) or Dafne in Lauro by Fux with the ensemble Zefiro (Arcana), Monteverdi’s Il Setttimo Libro de’ Madrigali (Naïve), all highly acclaimed.
Valerio Contaldo was born in Italy and raised in Switzerland. After training as a classical guitarist in Sion and Paris, he studied singing with Gary Magby at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Lausanne, earning a Master's degree in singing performance. In 2008, he reached the finals of the Leipzig Bach Competition, after which his career as a soloist took flight.