From child soloist at the Sistine Chapel Choir to the world's most prestigious opera houses.
Born in Arezzo and raised in Rome, Vittorio Grigòlo is one of the most important tenors on today’s opera scene. His career is marked by unforgettable artistic encounters: at age 13, he was the shepherd in Tosca at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma alongside Luciano Pavarotti and Raina Kabaivanska, under the direction of Daniel Oren. At age 17, he made his professional debut as a tenor, and by the age of 18, he was performing at the Kammeroper in Vienna as Don Narciso in Rossini’s Il turco in Italia. At 23, he became the youngest tenor to inaugurate the season at La Scala in a concert conducted by Riccardo Muti. In 2010, he makes his overseas debut as Rodolfo in La Bohème, becoming a new star of the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
With a voice described as “an attractive, arden and supple instrument, that he wields to passionate effect” (New York Times), his career continues to take him to the world's most prestigious stages as La Scala in Milan, Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London, Vienna State Opera, Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Metropolitan Opera in New York, Paris Opéra, Arena di Verona, Chorégies d'Orange, Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Zurich Opernhaus, and Berlin's Staatsoper and Deutsche Oper. He has also participated in significant tours, most recently in Japan with the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, as well as numerous recitals and concerts, including the Concert de Paris under the Eiffel Tower for over 800.000 people.
He has performed under the direction of conductors such as Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Myung-Whun Chung, Gustavo Dudamel, Riccardo Chailly and Antonio Pappano, and taken part in extraordinary productions by renowned directors, among them the late Franco Zeffirelli, who cast him as Rodolfo in the Bohème Live in HD transmission from the Met.
Grigòlo is dedicated to bringing opera to younger audiences with innovative performances such as La Traviata at Zurich's central station (2008) and L'Elisir d'amore at Milan's Malpensa airport (2015). In 2010, he was the Duke of Mantua in the opera film of Rigoletto in Mantova, broadcast by RAI, produced by Andermann and directed by Bellocchio, alongside Placido Domingo and Ruggero Raimondi. In 2023, he appeared on the live transmission of the XXVI Christmas Concert at the Italian Senate of the Republic, in presence of the Head of State.
He has participated in special events, including the opening of the Special Olympic Games in Athens (2011) and ‘The Bad Boy Of Opera’ by Bruce Weber for Vanity Fair Italia (2012). In 2017, he was in the short film The Good Italian Part III with Giancarlo Giannini and, during a commemorative evening at the Arena di Verona for Luciano Pavarotti, his mentor and inspiration, he performed the song ‘Luciano’ written by Nicola Piovani.
With his great vocal versatility, Grigòlo has also collaborated with pop music icons. In 2015, he shared the stage of the Arena di Verona with Brian May, and the following year with Sting at Carnegie Hall for The biennial Revlon Concert for the Rainforest Fund, organized by Sting and Trudie Styler. More recently, he paid tribute to Frank Sinatra on his centenary by performing his most famous songs at the Ravello Festival 2023, with a rendition of Lucio Dalla's ‘Caruso’, with whom he shared a deep friendship.
Vittorio Grigòlo has received numerous awards, including the European Border Breakers award for his first solo album In the Hands of Love (Polydor), Best Tenor (2011) by Opera Magazine for his performance as Des Grieux at the Royal Opera House in London alongside Anna Netrebko, and the ECHO Klassik Newcomer of the Year (2011). In 2015, he received the Caruso Prize by the city of Sorrento for his contribution to spreading Italian culture worldwide, and the Tiberini d'Oro for career achievements. The following year, he was honored with the Distinguished Artistic Leadership Award by the Atlantic Council for strengthening transatlantic relations and the Puccini Prize for his expressive and passionate portrayal of Rodolfo. In 2017, he received the NIAF Special Achievement Award from the National Italian American Foundation and the 2018 Opera News Award for his exceptional contributions to the opera world.
In the 2025/26 season Vittorio Grigolo sings in Cavalleria Rusticana at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Carmen at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Cavaradossi in Tosca at the Berlin State Opera, Roméo in Roméo et Juliette at the Rome Opera and Manrico in Il Trovatore in Madrid. Among engagements in 2026/27 season: Don Carlo at Wiener Staatsoper, Faust at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Manon Lescaut in Vienna and at Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich.
