The Italian bass Francesco Ellero d’Artegna studied at the conservatories of Mantua and Trieste and was a prizewinner in a number of competitions, including the Voci Verdiane at Brusseto, the Toti dal Monte at Treviso, the Tito Gobbi Competition in Bassano and the Philadelphia Luciano Pavarotti Competition. He made his début in 1981 at the Verona Arena as Zaccaria in Verdi’s Opera Nabucco, an appearance followed by engagements in opera houses throughout Italy. He made his début at La Scala, Milan in 1986 appearing in productions of Aïda and Nabucco under Riccardo Muti. Guest engagements abroad have taken him to major opera houses in Spain, Switzerland and Germany, undertaking leading rôles ranging from Boris Godunov to that of Escamillo in Massenet’s Don Quichotte.