Louis Quilico
Encyclopedia
Louis Quilico, CC
(January 14, 1925 - July 15, 2000) was a Canadian opera
singer. One of the leading dramatic baritone
s of his day, he was an ideal interpreter of the great Italian and French composers, especially Giuseppe Verdi
. He was often referred to as "Mr Rigoletto" in reference to the Verdi opera
. During his 45 year long career he shared performing credits with opera's greatest stars. He spent 25 consecutive years at the Metropolitan Opera
in New York City. After his retirement from the stage in 1998 he continued to perform and record, most often with his wife, pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico, with whom he made 4 CDs. The couple also toured together extensively in concerts until Quilico's death in 2000 in Toronto
, Canada
.
, Quebec
, of an Italian father and a French-Canadian mother. He studied singing as a youth with Frank H. Rowe in his native Montreal while singing as a solo chorister in a church choir. After winning a prize in 1947, at the urging of the pianist and vocal coach Lina Pizzolongo (who was to become his first wife in 1949), he continued his studies in Italy, studying at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
in Rome with Teresa Pediconi and baritone Riccardo Stracciari
. With the aid of a scholarship he also studied at Mannes College, New York, with Martial Singher
(voice), Ralph Herbert (staging) and Emil Cooper
(repertoire), and at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal where he worked with Singher.
Quilico made his professional debut in 1954 as Rangoni in Boris Godunov
with the Opera Guild of Montréal. He won the Metropolitan Opera Auditions of the Air in 1955 and made his New York debut with the
New York City Opera
, singing Germont in La traviata
on October 10, 1955. Years later, in 1970, he sang the role of Nottingham in the Tito Capobianco
production of Roberto Devereux
opposite Beverly Sills
, Plácido Domingo
and Susanne Marsee
.
On the international scene, Quilico made his debut in 1959 at the Spoleto Festival in the title role of Donizetti's "Il duca d'Alba." He made his debut at Covent Garden
in London in La traviata opposite Dame Joan Sutherland
in 1960, and remained a member of that company until 1963. He sang Rigoletto
in his debut at the Bolshoi
Theatre in Moscow, in 1962. In 1963 Quilico made his Paris Opéra
debut as Rodrigue in Don Carlos
. He was a member of the cast for the premiere of the opera La Mère coupable
by Milhaud
, in Geneva in 1966. He also appeared regularly at the Vienna State Opera
and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.
In Canada, Quilico performed regularly with the Canadian Opera Company
in Toronto, debut as Iago in Otello
in 1960; later roles were Rigoletto
, Macbeth
, Simon Boccanegra
, Germont, Amonasro in Aïda
, Scarpia in Tosca
, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor
, etc. He also made several appearances on CBC
notably as Macbeth (opposite Marisa Galvany
) in 1973. Quilico also sang at the Stratford Festival, the Vancouver Opera
, and the Opéra du Québec. He
sang his last Rigoletto
at the Opéra de Montréal in 1991.
Throughout the 1970s he performed in various centres in the United States, including San Francisco (Luisa Miller
), Philadelphia (I puritani
), New Orleans (Manon
), Baltimore
(Tosca). He participated in concert version of rare operas with the American Opera Company
with Eve Queler
at Carnegie Hall
, notably Gemma di Vergy
and Parisina d'Este opposite Montserrat Caballé
. In 1972 he sang the title role in the Opera Orchestra of New York
's concert performance of Gioachino Rossini's William Tell
with Klara Barlow
as Mathilde. Quilico reached the Metropolitan Opera
in February 1972 when he replaced at short notice the scheduled Golaud (Thomas Stewart
) in Pelléas et Mélisande
. His official debut there took place on January 1, 1973, as Germont. In 1987, Quilico appeared in Don Giovanni
opposite his son Gino Quilico
, also a baritone, a performance notable for being the first of a father and son in the same opera at the Met.
When at the Met, he created the role of Bishop of Blois in Massenet's Esclarmonde
during the stage performances of that opera at end of 1976, repeating his earlier commercial recording in the same role from a year earlier.
Quilico was also active as a teacher. He taught at the Faculty of Music of the University of Toronto, 1970–1987, at the McGill University in Montréal, 1987–1990, and at the Philadelphia Academy of Vocal Arts, 1995–2000 and the Glenn Gould School, Toronto. In 2000 his widow Christina Petrowska Quilico created the Christina & Louis Awards Fund at the Ontario Arts Council which gives awards to emerging young singers. One of his pupils was bass John Dodington
.
With his wife, pianist Christina Petrowska-Quilico, he embarked on a new phase of his career. The couple toured extensively in duo concerts and collaborated on his biography, "Mr. Rigoletto: In Conversation with Louis Quilico" and filmed a teaching video for York University. Quilico also continued his solo operatic career, performing Rigoletto for the last time in Ottawa in September 1994 with Opera Lyra (his 510th performance of the role). Quilico's appearances at the Metropolitan Opera during the 1990s included several of Pagliacci
as well as Rigoletto, Tosca and Adriana Lecouvreur
. He celebrated his 25th year at the Metropolitan Opera in 1996-97, and retired from that company in 1998. Analekta issued the Compact Disc, "Mr. Rigoletto: My Life in Music" (with pianist Christina Quilico) to commemorate the baritone's 75th birthday, and Captus Press released the 2nd edition in 1998 of "Mr. Rigoletto: In Conversation with Louis Quilico."
in 1949. Pizzolongo died in 1991. She was the mother of his son Gino Quilico
. The couple also had a daughter. Quilico married his second wife, concert pianist Christina Petrowska, on November 30, 1993. With Christina, he gained two step-daughters. Louis Quilico died on July 15, 2000, in Toronto
, Ontario
, as a result of complications following a knee operation.
, with Sills, Eileen Farrell
, Stuart Burrows
, conducted by Aldo Ceccato
, 1971.
Bellini
, I puritani
, with Sills, Nicolai Gedda
, Paul Plishka
, conducted by Julius Rudel
, 1973.
Massenet, Thérèse
, with Huguette Tourangeau
, conducted by Richard Bonynge
, 1974.
Massenet, Esclarmonde
, with Sutherland, Giacomo Aragall
, Tourangeau, conducted by Bonynge, 1975.
Two of a Kind
with Christina Petrowska Quilico, piano, 1996.
Chants Francais et Russes with Christina Petrowska Quilico, piano, 1998.
Vocal Gems (live from New York), with Christina Petrowska Quilico, piano, 2003.
Mr. Rigoletto: My Life in Music with Christina Petrowska Quilico, piano, and various orchestras, 2000.
The Most Happy Fella
by Frank Loesser, with Nancy Shade
, 1997-99.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(January 14, 1925 - July 15, 2000) was a Canadian opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
singer. One of the leading dramatic baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
s of his day, he was an ideal interpreter of the great Italian and French composers, especially Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
. He was often referred to as "Mr Rigoletto" in reference to the Verdi opera
Rigoletto
Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
. During his 45 year long career he shared performing credits with opera's greatest stars. He spent 25 consecutive years at the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in New York City. After his retirement from the stage in 1998 he continued to perform and record, most often with his wife, pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico, with whom he made 4 CDs. The couple also toured together extensively in concerts until Quilico's death in 2000 in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Biography
Louis Quilico was born in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, of an Italian father and a French-Canadian mother. He studied singing as a youth with Frank H. Rowe in his native Montreal while singing as a solo chorister in a church choir. After winning a prize in 1947, at the urging of the pianist and vocal coach Lina Pizzolongo (who was to become his first wife in 1949), he continued his studies in Italy, studying at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia is one of the oldest musical institutions in the world, based in Italy.It is based at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, and was founded by the papal bull, Ratione congruit, issued by Sixtus V in 1585, which invoked two saints prominent in Western...
in Rome with Teresa Pediconi and baritone Riccardo Stracciari
Riccardo Stracciari
Riccardo Stracciari was a leading Italian baritone. His repertoire consisted mainly of Italian operatic works, with Rossini's Figaro and Verdi's Rigoletto becoming his signature roles during a long and distinguished career which stretched from 1899 to 1944.- Life and career :Born near Bologna,...
. With the aid of a scholarship he also studied at Mannes College, New York, with Martial Singher
Martial Singher
Martial Singher was a French baritone opera singer born in Oloron-Sainte-Marie, Pyrénées-Atlantiques.Initially singing only as a hobby, he was encouraged by then French education minister Édouard Herriot to pursue singing professionally...
(voice), Ralph Herbert (staging) and Emil Cooper
Emil Cooper
Emil Albertovich Cooper, also known as Emil Kuper was a Russian conductor and violinist, of English ancestry....
(repertoire), and at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal where he worked with Singher.
Quilico made his professional debut in 1954 as Rangoni in Boris Godunov
Boris Godunov (opera)
Boris Godunov is an opera by Modest Mussorgsky . The work was composed between 1868 and 1873 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is Mussorgsky's only completed opera and is considered his masterpiece. Its subjects are the Russian ruler Boris Godunov, who reigned as Tsar during the Time of Troubles,...
with the Opera Guild of Montréal. He won the Metropolitan Opera Auditions of the Air in 1955 and made his New York debut with the
New York City Opera
New York City Opera
The New York City Opera is an American opera company located in New York City.The company, called "the people's opera" by New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, was founded in 1943 with the aim of making opera financially accessible to a wide audience, producing an innovative choice of repertory, and...
, singing Germont in La traviata
La traviata
La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La dame aux Camélias , a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The title La traviata means literally The Fallen Woman, or perhaps more figuratively, The Woman...
on October 10, 1955. Years later, in 1970, he sang the role of Nottingham in the Tito Capobianco
Tito Capobianco
Tito Capobianco is a noted stage director of opera.He made his official debut with Aïda, at the Teatro Argentino, La Plata, in 1953, then worked at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires...
production of Roberto Devereux
Roberto Devereux
Roberto Devereux is a tragedia lirica, or tragic opera, by Gaetano Donizetti...
opposite Beverly Sills
Beverly Sills
Beverly Sills was an American operatic soprano whose peak career was between the 1950s and 1970s. In her prime she was the only real rival to Joan Sutherland as the leading bel canto stylist...
, Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo KBE , born José Plácido Domingo Embil, is a Spanish tenor and conductor known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range...
and Susanne Marsee
Susanne Marsee
Susanne Marsee is an American mezzo-soprano of note. She was one of the New York City Opera's leading mezzo-sopranos from 1970, when she debuted opposite Beverly Sills, Plácido Domingo and Louis Quilico, in Donizetti's Roberto Devereux, with Julius Rudel conducting Tito Capobianco's...
.
On the international scene, Quilico made his debut in 1959 at the Spoleto Festival in the title role of Donizetti's "Il duca d'Alba." He made his debut at Covent Garden
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
in London in La traviata opposite Dame Joan Sutherland
Joan Sutherland
Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, OM, AC, DBE was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano noted for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s....
in 1960, and remained a member of that company until 1963. He sang Rigoletto
Rigoletto
Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
in his debut at the Bolshoi
Bolshoi
Bolshoi may refer to:*Bolshoi Theatre, a major ballet and opera theatre in Moscow, Russia**Bolshoi Ballet, resident ballet company at the Bolshoi Theatre**Moscow State Academy of Choreography, commonly known as The Bolshoi Ballet Academy...
Theatre in Moscow, in 1962. In 1963 Quilico made his Paris Opéra
Palais Garnier
The Palais Garnier, , is an elegant 1,979-seat opera house, which was built from 1861 to 1875 for the Paris Opera. It was originally called the Salle des Capucines because of its location on the Boulevard des Capucines in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, but soon became known as the Palais Garnier...
debut as Rodrigue in Don Carlos
Don Carlos
Don Carlos is a five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French language libretto by Camille du Locle and Joseph Méry, based on the dramatic play Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien by Friedrich Schiller...
. He was a member of the cast for the premiere of the opera La Mère coupable
La mère coupable
La mère coupable is an opera in three acts, op.412, by Darius Milhaud to a libretto by Madeleine Milhaud after the last play in Beaumarchais’ Figaro trilogy. It premiered at the Grand Théâtre de Genève on June 13, 1966.-Roles:-References:*...
by Milhaud
Darius Milhaud
Darius Milhaud was a French composer and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as The Group of Six—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions are influenced by jazz and make use of polytonality...
, in Geneva in 1966. He also appeared regularly at the Vienna State Opera
Vienna State Opera
The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian...
and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.
In Canada, Quilico performed regularly with the Canadian Opera Company
Canadian Opera Company
The Canadian Opera Company is an opera company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest opera company in Canada and the third largest producer of opera in North America. The COC performs in its own opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.-History:For 40 years until...
in Toronto, debut as Iago in Otello
Otello
Otello is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play Othello. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, and was first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on February 5, 1887....
in 1960; later roles were Rigoletto
Rigoletto
Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
, Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
, Simon Boccanegra
Simon Boccanegra
Simon Boccanegra is an opera with a prologue and three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the play Simón Bocanegra by Antonio García Gutiérrez....
, Germont, Amonasro in Aïda
Aida
Aida sometimes spelled Aïda, is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette...
, Scarpia in Tosca
Tosca
Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...
, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor is a dramma tragico in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor....
, etc. He also made several appearances on CBC
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
notably as Macbeth (opposite Marisa Galvany
Marisa Galvany
Marisa Galvany is an American soprano who had an active international career performing in operas and concerts up into the early 2000s. Known for the great intensity of her performances, Galvany particularly excelled in portraying Verdi heroines...
) in 1973. Quilico also sang at the Stratford Festival, the Vancouver Opera
Vancouver Opera
Vancouver Opera is the second largest performing arts organization in British Columbia and the largest opera company in western Canada.It performs in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre accompanied currently by the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, one of two specialized opera orchestras in Canada...
, and the Opéra du Québec. He
sang his last Rigoletto
Rigoletto
Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
at the Opéra de Montréal in 1991.
Throughout the 1970s he performed in various centres in the United States, including San Francisco (Luisa Miller
Luisa Miller
Luisa Miller is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play Kabale und Liebe by Friedrich von Schiller. The first performance was given at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples on December 8, 1849...
), Philadelphia (I puritani
I puritani
I puritani is an opera in three acts by Vincenzo Bellini. It was his last opera. Its libretto is by Count Carlo Pepoli, based on Têtes rondes et Cavaliers by Jacques-François Ancelot and Joseph Xavier Saintine, which is in turn based on Walter Scott's novel Old Mortality. It was first produced at...
), New Orleans (Manon
Manon
Manon is an opéra comique in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by the Abbé Prévost...
), Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
(Tosca). He participated in concert version of rare operas with the American Opera Company
American Opera Company
The American Opera Company was the name of four different opera companies active in the United States. The first company was a short-lived opera company founded in New York City in February, 1886 that lasted only one season...
with Eve Queler
Eve Queler
Eve Queler is an American conductor and the current Artistic Director of the Opera Orchestra of New York . She founded the OONY in 1971 after having worked on the staffs of the Metropolitan Opera and the New York City Opera....
at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
, notably Gemma di Vergy
Gemma di Vergy
Gemma de Vergy is a tragedia lirica or tragic opera in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti from a libretto by Emanuele Bidéra. It is based on the tragedy Charles VII chez ses grands vassaux by Alexandre Dumas père, which was later to become the subject of the opera The Saracen by the Russian composer...
and Parisina d'Este opposite Montserrat Caballé
Montserrat Caballé
Montserrat Caballé is a Spanish operatic soprano. Although she sang a wide variety of roles, she is best known as an exponent of the bel canto repertoire, notably the works of Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and Verdi....
. In 1972 he sang the title role in the Opera Orchestra of New York
Opera Orchestra of New York
The Opera Orchestra of New York specializes in the performance of opera in concert form. It is particularly known for its work in presenting rarely performed repertory...
's concert performance of Gioachino Rossini's William Tell
William Tell (opera)
Guillaume Tell is an opera in four acts by Gioachino Rossini to a French libretto by Etienne de Jouy and Hippolyte Bis, based on Friedrich Schiller's play Wilhelm Tell. Based on the legend of William Tell, this opera was Rossini's last, even though the composer lived for nearly forty more years...
with Klara Barlow
Klara Barlow
Klara Barlow was an American opera singer who had an active international career from the mid 1960s through the 1990s. A dramatic soprano, Barlow particularly excelled in portraying Strauss and Wagnerian heroines...
as Mathilde. Quilico reached the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in February 1972 when he replaced at short notice the scheduled Golaud (Thomas Stewart
Thomas Stewart
Thomas Stewart was an illegitimate son of King Robert II of Scotland. In 1380, Avignon Pope Clement VII provided Thomas with the Archdeaconry of the Bishopric of St. Andrews, as well as the canonry of Stobo in the Bishopric of Glasgow...
) in Pelléas et Mélisande
Pelléas et Mélisande (opera)
Pelléas et Mélisande is an opera in five acts with music by Claude Debussy. The French libretto was adapted from Maurice Maeterlinck's Symbolist play Pelléas et Mélisande...
. His official debut there took place on January 1, 1973, as Germont. In 1987, Quilico appeared in Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
opposite his son Gino Quilico
Gino Quilico
Gino Quilico, OC is a Canadian lyric baritone of Italian descent and the son of Canadian baritone Louis Quilico and Lina Pizzolongo.-Early life:...
, also a baritone, a performance notable for being the first of a father and son in the same opera at the Met.
When at the Met, he created the role of Bishop of Blois in Massenet's Esclarmonde
Esclarmonde
Esclarmonde is an opéra in four acts and eight tableaux, with prologue and epilogue, by Jules Massenet, to a French libretto by Alfred Blau and Louis Ferdinand de Gramont....
during the stage performances of that opera at end of 1976, repeating his earlier commercial recording in the same role from a year earlier.
Quilico was also active as a teacher. He taught at the Faculty of Music of the University of Toronto, 1970–1987, at the McGill University in Montréal, 1987–1990, and at the Philadelphia Academy of Vocal Arts, 1995–2000 and the Glenn Gould School, Toronto. In 2000 his widow Christina Petrowska Quilico created the Christina & Louis Awards Fund at the Ontario Arts Council which gives awards to emerging young singers. One of his pupils was bass John Dodington
John Dodington
John Dodington is a Canadian operatic bass. Born in Toronto, he studied singing at The Royal Conservatory of Music with George Lambert from 1965-71. He then studied singing at the University of Toronto under Louis Quilico where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in 1972. From 1972-1975 he...
.
With his wife, pianist Christina Petrowska-Quilico, he embarked on a new phase of his career. The couple toured extensively in duo concerts and collaborated on his biography, "Mr. Rigoletto: In Conversation with Louis Quilico" and filmed a teaching video for York University. Quilico also continued his solo operatic career, performing Rigoletto for the last time in Ottawa in September 1994 with Opera Lyra (his 510th performance of the role). Quilico's appearances at the Metropolitan Opera during the 1990s included several of Pagliacci
Pagliacci
Pagliacci , sometimes incorrectly rendered with a definite article as I Pagliacci, is an opera consisting of a prologue and two acts written and composed by Ruggero Leoncavallo. It recounts the tragedy of a jealous husband in a commedia dell'arte troupe...
as well as Rigoletto, Tosca and Adriana Lecouvreur
Adriana Lecouvreur
Adriana Lecouvreur is an opera in four acts by Francesco Cilea to an Italian libretto by Arturo Colautti, based on the play by Eugène Scribe and Ernest Legouvé...
. He celebrated his 25th year at the Metropolitan Opera in 1996-97, and retired from that company in 1998. Analekta issued the Compact Disc, "Mr. Rigoletto: My Life in Music" (with pianist Christina Quilico) to commemorate the baritone's 75th birthday, and Captus Press released the 2nd edition in 1998 of "Mr. Rigoletto: In Conversation with Louis Quilico."
Personal life
Quilico married his first wife Lina PizzolongoLina Pizzolongo
Lina Pizzolongo was a Canadian vocal coach and concert pianist. She was married to baritone Louis Quilico and was the mother of Gino Quilico, also a baritone.- Career :...
in 1949. Pizzolongo died in 1991. She was the mother of his son Gino Quilico
Gino Quilico
Gino Quilico, OC is a Canadian lyric baritone of Italian descent and the son of Canadian baritone Louis Quilico and Lina Pizzolongo.-Early life:...
. The couple also had a daughter. Quilico married his second wife, concert pianist Christina Petrowska, on November 30, 1993. With Christina, he gained two step-daughters. Louis Quilico died on July 15, 2000, in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, as a result of complications following a knee operation.
Discography
Donizetti, Maria StuardaMaria Stuarda
Maria Stuarda is a tragic opera, , in two acts, by Gaetano Donizetti, to a libretto by Giuseppe Bardari, based on Friedrich Schiller's 1800 play Maria Stuart....
, with Sills, Eileen Farrell
Eileen Farrell
Eileen Farrell was an American soprano who had a nearly 60 year long career performing both classical and popular music in concerts, theatres, on radio and television, and on disc. While she was active as an opera singer, her concert engagements far outnumbered her theatrical appearances...
, Stuart Burrows
Stuart Burrows
Stuart Burrows - OBE is a Welsh operatic tenor.-Biography:The Cilfynydd-born singer scaled the peaks of musical distinction during his lengthy career which saw him give up teaching to pursue a new life on the opera stage...
, conducted by Aldo Ceccato
Aldo Ceccato
Aldo Ceccato is an Italian conductor. He has worked as assistant to Sergiu Celibidache and was music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra from 1973 until 1977. He was music director of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra from 1985 until 1990...
, 1971.
Bellini
Vincenzo Bellini
Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini was an Italian opera composer. His greatest works are I Capuleti ed i Montecchi , La sonnambula , Norma , Beatrice di Tenda , and I puritani...
, I puritani
I puritani
I puritani is an opera in three acts by Vincenzo Bellini. It was his last opera. Its libretto is by Count Carlo Pepoli, based on Têtes rondes et Cavaliers by Jacques-François Ancelot and Joseph Xavier Saintine, which is in turn based on Walter Scott's novel Old Mortality. It was first produced at...
, with Sills, Nicolai Gedda
Nicolai Gedda
Nicolai Gedda is a Swedish operatic tenor. Having made some two hundred recordings, Gedda is said to be the most widely recorded tenor in history...
, Paul Plishka
Paul Plishka
Paul Plishka is a Ukrainian-American bass opera singer.Mr Plishka comes from Old Forge, Pennsylvania and Paterson, New Jersey; his parents were American-born children of Ukrainian immigrants...
, conducted by Julius Rudel
Julius Rudel
Julius Rudel is an American opera and orchestra conductor who emigrated to the United States from Austria at the age of 17 and studied conducting at the Mannes College of Music in New York City. He then forged a 35-year career with the New York City Opera, from 1944 to 1979, and was the Music...
, 1973.
Massenet, Thérèse
Thérèse (opera)
Thérèse is an opera in two acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Jules Claretie. It was first performed at the Opéra in Monte Carlo on 7 February 1907, with Lucy Arbell in the title role...
, with Huguette Tourangeau
Huguette Tourangeau
Huguette Tourangeau, is a French-Canadian operatic mezzo-soprano, particularly associated with the French and Italian repertories.- Life and career :...
, conducted by Richard Bonynge
Richard Bonynge
Richard Alan Bonynge, AO, CBE is an Australian conductor and pianist.Bonynge was born in Sydney and educated at Sydney Boys High School before studying piano at the Royal College of Music in London. He gave up his music scholarship, continuing his private piano studies, and became a coach for...
, 1974.
Massenet, Esclarmonde
Esclarmonde
Esclarmonde is an opéra in four acts and eight tableaux, with prologue and epilogue, by Jules Massenet, to a French libretto by Alfred Blau and Louis Ferdinand de Gramont....
, with Sutherland, Giacomo Aragall
Giacomo Aragall
Jaume Aragall i Garriga better known as Giacomo Aragall is a Catalan Spanish tenor, born in Barcelona, Spain on 6 June 1939.After his initial studies in Barcelona under Jaime Francisco Puig, Giacomo Aragall travelled to Milan on a scholarship from the Liceu to study with Maestro Vladimir Badiali...
, Tourangeau, conducted by Bonynge, 1975.
Two of a Kind
Two of a Kind
Two of a Kind may refer to:*Two of a Kind , a 1951 film starring Lizabeth Scott*Two of a Kind , a 1983 film starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John* Two of a Kind , soundtrack of the 1983 film...
with Christina Petrowska Quilico, piano, 1996.
Chants Francais et Russes with Christina Petrowska Quilico, piano, 1998.
Vocal Gems (live from New York), with Christina Petrowska Quilico, piano, 2003.
Mr. Rigoletto: My Life in Music with Christina Petrowska Quilico, piano, and various orchestras, 2000.
The Most Happy Fella
The Most Happy Fella
The Most Happy Fella is a 1956 musical with a book, music, and lyrics by Frank Loesser. The story, about a romance between an older man and younger woman, is based on the play They Knew What They Wanted by Sidney Howard...
by Frank Loesser, with Nancy Shade
Nancy Shade
Nancy Shade is a celebrated spinto soprano, best known as a singing-actress. She made her formal debut as Leonora in Il trovatore, in Louisville, in 1967. In 1971, she made her first of many appearances at the New York City Opera, as Musetta in La bohème...
, 1997-99.
External links
- Official web site
- Order of Canada Citation
- Louis Quilico at The Canadian EncyclopediaThe Canadian EncyclopediaThe Canadian Encyclopedia is a source of information on Canada. It is available online, at no cost. The Canadian Encyclopedia is available in both English and French and includes some 14,000 articles in each language on a wide variety of subjects including history, popular culture, events, people,...