Diego Torre
Tenor
"As Rodolfo in Opera Australia's production of La Bohème on Tuesday, Mr. Torre proved himself not only a fine singer, but a talented actor... his upper register is just as silky as Pavarotti's. His voice is poignant rather than impassioned, and his stage presence palpable... Mr. Torre ran through the spectrum of emotions, from infatuation for Mimì's languid beauty in Act I to despair at her premature expiry in the finale. His wailing as he holds the motionless Mimì is so heart-wrenching that the curtain drops abruptly, as if to spare the audience further agony."
- Alan Yu, Bachtrack, Sept 20, 2011
Born in Mexico City, tenor Diego Torre is a two-year graduate of the Domingo - Thornton Young Artist's program at LA Opera, where he made his company debut three seasons ago as Don José in performances of Carmen. In his debut season with Wolf Trap Opera Company, Mr. Torre sang Conte Ivrea in Verdi's Un Giorno di Regno, Captain in Candide, and Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos. He was invited to return to Wolf Trap in the summer of 2009 to play Rodolfo in La Bohème, where The Washington Times said of his performance, "His passion was real, his heartbreak was immense, and his commanding, gloriously sculpted instrument makes him an up-and-coming talent to be watched." He was then engaged for the 2009/2010 season at The Metropolitan Opera to play the Messenger in Aida and Federico in Stiffelio, followed by Masaniello in La Muette de Portici for Dessau Opera.
Since then, Mr. Torre's career has expanded to the international level. He has performed Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor for Savonlinna Opera Festival; covered for Plácido Domingo in the title role of Il Postino at Los Angeles Opera; and performed Cavaradossi in Tosca at Boston Lyric Opera. He alo sang in a concert at the Santo Domingo Music Festival; performed both Rodolfo in La Bohème and Don José in Carmen at Staatstheater Darmstadt; and was invited to return to Savonlinna to perform Cavaradossi in Tosca. Most recently, Mr. Torre finished singing 22 performances of Rodolfo in La Bohème for Opera Australia in their 2011-2012 season, followed immediately by performing the same role for Den Norske Opera & Ballet in Oslo. Upcoming engagements include New Years' Gala concerts with the Taiwan Philharmonic National Symphony Orchestra in Taipei; Cavaradossi in Tosca at Karlsruhe, Germany; Forresto in Attila at San Francisco Opera; and Tebaldo in I Capuleti e i Montecchi at Den Norske Opera & Ballet.
Mr. Torre began his studies at 20 years old, when he attended Mexico's National School of Music; there he studied under the supervision of Maestro Rufino Montero. He also belonged to S.I.V.A.M., Mexico's most prestigious Young Artist Development Program.
Previous performances include Beethoven's 9th Symphony and Verdi's Réquiem with Fine Arts National Orchestra and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Acapulco; Sancho in Man of La Mancha with the Cuarta Pared Symphony Orchestra; and Gaston in Verdi's La Traviata as his debut with the National Opera of México.
Mr. Torre is the recipient of many awards, including 3rd Place in Neue Stimmen 2007, 2nd Prize in the 2003 First National Singing Contest "Nicolás Urcelay", third place in the XXIII National Singing Contest "Carlo Morelli", and first place in the Singing Contest "Francisco Araiza" in Mexico City.
Mr. Torre has also participated twice in the Summer Opera Program of EPCASO where he studied with such legendary teachers as Claudia Pinza, Enza Ferrari, Maurizio Arena and the soprano Maria Chiara.