Gaqo Çako (24 January 1935 – 1 August 2018) was an Albanian operatic

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

, awarded with the

People's Artist of Albania The People's Artist () was an honorary title for outstanding art performers of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania, whose merits were exceptional in the sphere of development of the performing arts (theatre, music, Film, cinema and art). I ...

title. He has been ranked among the best opera singers of Albania, along with Ramiz Kovaçi and Mentor Xhemali.

Career

Çako was born in 1935 in

Korçë Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, eighth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population of the city is 51,152 and 75,994 of Korçë municipal ...

, southern

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

, where he spent his early childhood. His family then moved to

Kuçovë Kuçovë ( sq-definite, Kuçova) is a municipality in south-central Albania. It was formed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities Kozare, Kuçovë, Lumas and Perondi, which all became municipal units. The ...

, and eventually he enrolled in the

Jordan Misja Artistic Lyceum The Jordan Misja Artistic Lyceum () is an artistic school in Tirana, Albania, for youth from 6 to 18 years old. Established in 1946, it included music, ballet, dramatic arts, painting and sculpting classes. Today it offers integrated studies of ge ...

Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills, with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest ov ...

. Çako studied during 1957–1961 in the

Moscow Conservatory The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory () is a higher musical educational institution located in Moscow, Russia. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in musical performance and musical research. Th ...

under Anna Soloviova. In 1961, after returning to Albania, he started to work at the

National Theatre of Opera and Ballet of Albania The National Theatre of Opera and Ballet of Albania ( Albanian: ''Teatri Kombëtar i Operas dhe Baletit - TKOB'') is a theatre in Tirana, Albania. It is the largest theatre in the country and hosts music and dance performances year-round. Histor ...

, where he would become the leading tenor for the three ensuing decades. He also pursued a specialization degree in the 1960s at the

Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia () is one of the oldest musical institutions in the world, founded by the papal bull ''Ratione congruit'', issued by Sixtus V in 1585, which invoked two saints prominent in Western musical history: Gre ...

, in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. In his career, he performed lead singing roles in Bellini's ''

Norma Norma may refer to: * Norma (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) ** Norma Lizbeth Ramos, a Mexican bullying victim Astronomy *Norma (constellation) * 555 Norma, a minor asteroid * Cygnus Arm or Norma Arm, a spiral ...

'', Verdi's '' La traviata'' and

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play '' Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had c ...

, and Puccini's ''

La bohème ''La bohème'' ( , ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions '':wikt:quadro, quadri'', ''wikt:tableau, tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto b ...

'', among others. He appeared in operas by Albanian composers, such as Mrika by Prenkë Jakova, ''Lulja e kujtimit'' () by

Kristo Kono Kristo Kono (17 July 1907 – 22 January 1991) was an Albanian composer and recipient of the People's Artist title in 1961, the highest artistic recognition title during the communist era. He was one of the early contributors to Albanian music ...

, ''Pranvera'' () by Tish Daija, ''Heroina'' () by Vangjo Nova, ''Skënderbeu'' () by Prenkë Jakova, ''Bijtë e Skënderbeut'' () by , ''Komisari'' () by

Nikolla Zoraqi Nikolla Zoraqi (; 19281991) was a composer from Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Medi ...

, ''Zgjimi'' () by Tonin Harapi, and ''Toka e jonë'' (), by

Pjetër Gaci Pjetër Gaci (; 27 March 193127 March 1995) was an Albanian musician, composer and music teacher. He participated numerous times in Festivali i Këngës as composer and lyricist, winning 2 first prizes in 1966 and 1972. Life and career Gaci was ...

. He was well known on Italian stages as well. Although Çako was an opera tenor, he became popular through 28 participations at the

Festivali i Këngës (; ), commonly known as and also referred to as simply FiK or Fest, is an annual music competition in Albania organised by the national broadcaster (RTSH). Broadcast every year since its inauguration in 1962, the festival has determined th ...

, and won first prizes in the 1967, 1970, and 1978 editions.

Personal life

Çako's wife, Luiza Papa, was a notable opera singer. Their only son,

Pirro Çako Pirro Çako (born 19 November, 1965) is an Albanian singer and composer. In 1988, he won the Festivali i Këngës as a composer with the song ''E duam lumturinë'' (). The song was interpreted by Parashqevi Simaku. He has issued two albums: '' ...

, is a singer as well. Gaqo Çako was father-in-law of international soprano

Inva Mula Inva Mula (born 27 June 1963) is an Albanian opera lyric soprano. She began her soprano career at a very early age. Her father ( Avni Mula) and mother () were also opera singers. She is also known for providing the voice of the diva Plavalaguna i ...

, daughter of composer Avni Mula, until Pirro and Inva divorced.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Çako, Gaqo 1935 births 2018 deaths Entertainers from Korçë Merited Artists of Albania Albanian operatic tenors 20th-century Albanian male opera singers People's Artists of Albania Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia alumni Moscow Conservatory alumni Çako family 21st-century Albanian male opera singers Festivali i Këngës winners