Pollione Ronzi (27 February 1833 in Bologna – 3 September 1915 in Milan) was an Italian operatic tenor,

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

, conductor, and voice teacher. He sang roles at many important opera houses in Italy, including

La Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...

in Milan. In 1867, he was heard at the opera house in Livorno as Egidio in

Errico Petrella Errico Petrella (10 December 18137 April 1877) was an Italian opera composer. Life and career Petrella was born at Palermo, capital of the Kingdom of Sicily. A conservative of the Neapolitan school, he was the most successful Italian compose ...

's ''La contessa d'Amalfi''. In 1871, he sang the role of Rodrigo in Gioachino Rossini's ''

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, first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on 5 February 1887. Th ...

'' at the Teatro Regio di Torino. In 1874, he became manager and conductor at the

Teatro Manzoni The Teatro Manzoni is a theatre in the northern Italian city of Milan, located on the Via Manzoni. Opened in 1870 it was originally called the ''Teatro sociale di Milano'', before being renamed after Alessandro Manzoni following his death in 187 ...

in Milan. In 1876, he sang in recital alongside soprano Ida Corani with Clara Schumann as their accompanist in the Royal Philharmonic Society's concert season in London. He had sung in orchestral concerts with the RPS a year earlier under conductor

William Cusins Sir William George Cusins (14 October 183331 August 1893) was an English pianist, violinist, organist, conductor and composer. Biography Born in London, Cusins entered the Chapel Royal in his tenth year and studied music in Brussels under Fran ...

. As a composer, Ronzi is best known for his operas. His first opera, ''Gastone di Anverse'', premiered at the Teatro della Pergola in Florence in the autumn of 1853. This was followed in 1854 by ''Buon Gusto'' which was first performed at the Teatro di San Carlo. His opera, ''Dea'', premiered at the Vienna State Opera on 4 August 1894. In the early 20th century, he was active as a voice teacher in Naples and Milan. His notable pupils included soprano

Isa Kremer Isabelle Yakovlevna Kremer (russian: Изабелла Яковлевна Кремер; 21 October 1887 – 7 July 1956) was a soprano of Russian Jewish descent who at various times of her life held citizenship in Russia, the United States, and ...

and tenor Franco De Gregorio.

References

Italian male classical composers Italian operatic tenors Italian opera composers Male opera composers Voice teachers 1833 births 1915 deaths {{Italy-opera-singer-stub