He is an operatic tenor of Sicilian descent, born in Clichy-sous-Bois,
France. His musical education
began when he studied guitar with Raphael Ruiz and worked on the cabaret
circuit in Paris as a singer.In 1988 he went to Philadelphia where he took part in, and won, the
Pavarotti International Voice Competition and he went on from there to have
a successful career in opera.Winning recognition for his performance in Romeo and Juliet
he won the "Outstanding Achievement in Opera" when he was awarded a Laurence
Olivier Theatre Award in 1994.He married the Romanian
soprano, Angela Gheorghiu and they often appear together on the stage in
operatic productions.In 1998
he and his wife had their unsigned contracts for Le Traviata withdrawn
from the Met due to a disagreement about approval of production rights.They did, however, work there in 1999-2000
when they appeared in L'Elisir d'Amore by Donizetti. Often being
described as sensitive, and as "the greatest tenor alive" by Rene Koering, he
has often been surrounded by controversy, and although causing a storm after
walking off stage in Milan and not going back on, he is still extremely
sought after and will appear in Sophia Coppola's first opera staging in
2009 in Montpelier.
