Scipio Colombo

Who was Scipio Colombo?

Scipio Colombo was an Italian operatic baritone, who sang a wide range of roles.

Born in Vicenza, Italy, Colombo first studied philosophy at the University of Padua, before turning to music. He studied in Milan with Venturini and in Rome with Giuseppe de Luca, and made his debut in Alessandria, as Marcello in La bohème, in 1937.

Throughout the second World War, he sang at most of the major opera houses of Italy, including La Scala in Milan. In 1947, he sang there in the premiere of Prokofiev's The Love for Three Oranges, and of Britten's Peter Grimes, and later took part in the creation of Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites, as the Marquis de la Force, in 1957, he also sang in Mussorgski's Khovantchina in 1949. He created roles in contemporary Italian works, notably in Dallapiccola's Il prigioniero, and Pizzetti's Cagliostro,.

He made guest appearances at the Vienna State Opera and the Royal Opera House in London, as well as the Aix-en-Provence Festival and the Bregenz Festival.

He also sang all the great baritone roles of the Italian repertory; Rigoletto, di Luna, Germont, Count Almaviva, Don Giovanni, Guglielmo, Lescaut, Marcello, Scarpia, etc.