Santiago Ballerini is recognized in the Americas as one of the leading tenors of the Bel Canto repertoire and is a celebrated performer in opera houses around the world. In January of 2020, Ballerini will make his debut with the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto singing Barbiere di Siviglia. In late 2019, he was the tenor soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Giannandrea Noseda singing Carmina Burana at The Kennedy Center. In November 2017, Ballerini made his European debut with the Bordeaux National Opera singing the role of Gualtiero from Bellini’s Il Pirata, the same role he sang at The Caramoor Festival in NYC some months earlier. Other notable recent roles in Europe include his Italian debut at the Teatro Regio di Torino as Nemorino in Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore, which he also sang at Opera Toulon and at Teatro Solís in Uruguay. Other performances included Ernesto in Don Pasquale with Maestro. Roberto Abbado at the ABAO; Lindoro in L’italiana in Algeri at the San Sebastian’s Festival, and Shakespeare in Midsummer Night’s Dream at Teatro La Zarzuela. Ballerini made his United States debut in 2015 at the Caramoor Festival in New York, as Fernand in Donizetti’s La Favorite. As reported in the New York Times, “Ballerini brought a firm slightly reedy tenor to the role of Fernand. There was a generous dose of plangent inflections to his hotheaded exchanges, but also instances of lovely messa di voce in expressions of tenderness” Other recent roles in the United States include: Tonio in La Fille du Regiment and Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola, both with The Atlanta Opera and performed the role of Argirio in Rossini’s Tancredi at Teatro Nuovo. Ballerini is also an acclaimed and sought after recitalist. Last season, he sang two recitals for the 50th Anniversary of the Newport Festival in Newport, Rhode Island, and gave a recital with accompanist Howard Watkins at the Savannah Music Festival. He also sang at the Grand Opening night at the new Auburn University Performing Arts Center. Ballerini, a dual citizen of Argentina and Italy, is well recognized in Latinoamérica where he started his opera career. He has been invited to sing lead roles for the last four seasons at the prestigious Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires to include jüngeGraf in Zimmerman’s Die Soldaten; Tenor italiano in Der RosenKavalier, Mozart’s Requiem under the baton of Maestro Evelino Pidó, Lindoro in Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri and Ernesto in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale. In recent years, Ballerini has also sung the role of Conte Libenskoff in Rossini’s Il Viaggio a Reims at the prestigious Teatro Bellas Artes in Mexico City and debuted at the Teatro Municipal in Chile singing Conte Almaviva in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia. In 2020. Ballerini will sing the role of Ducca di Mantova at the San Antonio Opera, Tonio in La Fille du Regiment with the Norwegian Opera Company, La Cenerentola at Cincinatti Opera, L’elisir d’amore at Opera Phoenix, and retuning to the Metropolitan Opera Company in New York to cover the lead role in La Cenerentola. He will also be a featured soloist in concert with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra at the May Festival in the summer of 2020 and Beethoven’s 9th with the Porto Symphony Orchestra in Portugal. In 2014, Ballerini was awarded “Upcoming Opera Singer’ in Argentina by the Congress of Argentina and the AgentineAssociation of Critics. He was also a featured soloist at the ‘50th Met Anniversary Gala’ honoring acclaimed baritone Sherrill Milnes, and was scholarship recipient to study with Mr. Milnes. Before his singing career, Ballerini was a pianist for 9 years and a certified Music Therapist.