Renato Zanelli

Vocation

Notable

Italian-Chilean operatic baritone and later tenor, particularly associated with heroic Italian and German roles, notably Verdi's Otello. Zanelli had a rich voice and was equally successful as a baritone and a tenor, his early death from cancer cutting short a brilliant career. His father was Italian and his mother Chilean. In 1894 he was taken to Europe and was educated in Switzerland and Italy. He returned to Chile in 1911 to work in his father's salpeter factory office in Valparaiso. He studied in Santiago with Angelo Querze, making his debut there as a baritone in 1916, as Valentin. He later sang such important baritone roles as Tonio, de Luna, and Renato. His Metropolitan Opera debut came in 1919, as Amonasro. He remained in New York until 1923, singing most of the major Italian baritone parts. Zanelli went on to perform at Milan, Turin and Rome. His brother, Carlos Zanelli-Morales (1897-1970), was also a successful baritone. He sang under the stage name of Carlo Morelli in Italy and also at the Met from 1935 to 1940. Renato Zanelli died on 25 March 1935, aged 42, in Santiago, Chile. Link to Wikipedia biography