Michael Chioldi as Rodrigo was excellent.

...one of the production’s outstanding vocal talents.....Rodrigo (baritone Michael Chioldi) tries to remain steadfast and upbeat while his friend plays with decisions that could bring certain death......But the voices come first in this production, and luckily for us, the skilled singers and the musicians who accompany them transport us very nicely indeed.

Baritone Michael Chioldi brought palpable charisma to the role of the unfortunate object of her affections, John the Baptist (called Jochanaan in the Oscar Wilde play on which Strauss based his opera).

"By far the best of the three principal artists was Michael Chioldi as the relentlessly obsessed Giacomo, whose big, open baritone had the power, lyricism and, above all, the style needed to do justice to early Verdi. The father's forgiveness and benediction were among the vocal highlights of Saturday's performance." Read More...

"Place of honor, however, must go to baritone Michael Chioldi as Giacomo, Joan's father. Baritones have never been in short supply in opera; however, Chioldi's voice and his performance indicate that he would stand out, even in a distinguished group, which is not necessarily a description I would apply to any voice range in opera today. Mr. Chioldi possesses a voice of exceptional power and stamina; his performance was not merely special, it is one that I will not forget as long as I attend opera. I feel confident Chioldi could step into any baritone role with any opera company in the world and stand up not only any of his contemporaries, but also invite comparisons with great baritones of the past." Read More...

"Moreover, Michael Chioldi—an Emmy award-winning baritone/sect leader who plays Joan’s father—was my favorite of the night; I very much enjoyed Chioldi’s performance that is at the same time convincing, infuriating, and heart-wrenchingly beautiful. The final act gave me chills (it was so stellar I would love to experience it again)." Read More...

"The soloist that “literally” turned on the lights for the audience was Michael Chioldi in his outstanding performance of Joan of Arc’s father, Giacomo. During the few moments in the opera without some sort of distraction, one of his arias would arrive and quell the storm of Verdi choruses that proceeded. He acted not only as father to Joan, but also to the company of singers as they continued their religious activities."

"...Michael Chioldi’s magnificent Giacomo is a force of nature, intoning Verdi’s soaringly aggressive arias as if they were written for him on the spot."

"Chioldi possessed the strongest voice, a powerful baritone that filled the hall."

"The veteran baritone [Michael Chioldi] sang with an ample, rounded baritone and a nice sense of Verdi style, bringing a humanity to Giacomo ..."

"But the real treat was baritone Michael Chioldi, who sang gorgeously as Joan's father, Giacomo, and was perfect as the sly, charismatic cult leader, pulling the strings for the whole shebang."

"Baritone Michael Chioldi was a standout as Giacomo, Joan’s reproving father, quick to judge and soaring in remorse, and he sang it as one who has inhabited Verdi’s other great paternal roles. One could have closed one’s eyes and come away with a legitimate Verdi experience."

"Baritone Michael Chioldi offers a winning vocal performance as Giacomo, Joan’s father."

"The excellent, resonant baritone Michael Chioldi, was particularly impressive in making his words clear and telling. His key scene with Falstaff, very well vocalized with considerable nuance and shading, proved a highlight."

Baritone Michael Chioldi (Scarpia) was brilliantly cast. His voice is rich, clear and equally powerful, with a dark edge that made his threats real. Chioldi and Gardner (Tosca) fashioned the second act into the highlight of the evening: two perfectly matched adversaries, dueling for their lives.

Lending heft to this fine production was baritone Michael Chioldi, as Giorgio Germont, Alfredo’s father, who gave a sensitive performance. His flexible and lyrical baritone has creamy rich overtones even in delivery from top to bottom of the range. He won rapturous applause for his Act II arias, and his curtain call at the end.

Baritone Michael Chioldi was a solid Giorgio Germont from his first notes. His voice was as powerful as it was expressive, and his charisma dominated whenever he was on the stage.

The American baritone Michael Chioldi ... was an excellent Germont, and won the first warm applause of the evening with his lovely reading of Di Provenza il mar in Act II. His sturdy, big voice has a softness and flexibility to it that made his interpretation of Alfredo’s father less imperious than others, and it was in his duet with El-Khoury, Pura siccome un angelo, that this production of Traviata found its sea legs.

The two singers [Joyce El-Khoury and Michael Chioldi] melded expertly, and in their give-and-take one could hear how Verdi had moved away from the conventions of his time toward an expressive naturalism. Gone are the arias for each emotional arrival; in its place are urgent phrases that move the action along and build the tension gradually.

As Alfredo’s father, Giorgio Germont, whose antique ideas of family honor spoil everything for the young lovers, the American baritone Michael Chioldi was an imposing, patriarchal presence, with a voice to match. His long dialogue with Violetta, as he tries to convince her to leave Alfredo, was one of the emotional high points of the opera, with his resonant cries of Piangi, piangi (Weep, weep). His Di Provenza, in which he reminds Alfredo of their family home, was performed with paternal ardor, with a natural feel for the aria’s long lines of melody.

... baritone Michael Chioldi portrayed Count di Luna with sonic virility. His larger-than-life persona dominated most scenes, but his shrewd restraint in Act IV avoided quashing the tender moment when Manrico learns what Lenora has sacrificed for him.

Guest conductor Larry Rachleff’s lovingly detailed concert with the FWSO was a dramatic demonstration of what’s too often lacking from that very able orchestra. The Fort Worth Opera Festival mounted a gripping Tosca, with a powerful trio of Carter Scott (Tosca), Roger Honeywell (Cavaradossi) and Michael Chioldi (Scarpia). Read More...

Baritone Michael Chioldi sang with power and menace, making Count di Luna a love-to-hate-him villain. Read More...

The Kentucky Opera turned in a production of Puccini’s “Tosca” that opened this season with strong performances by the leads, notably Michael Chioldi as the villain Scarpia.

Puccini's enduring tragedy opened the Opera's season with a bang. Gorgeous costumes, haunting sets and amazing performances by Kara Shay Thomson, Jon Burton and especially Michael Chioldi as the chilling villain Scarpia made "Tosca" a thrill for opera neophytes and aficionados alike.

Chioldi brings real menace and power to this interpretation with his commanding voice and presence. On such an auspicious night, the performances of the three stars of Tosca were exceptional. Scarpia is played younger than I've seen in other productions ... Chioldi's version is young, dark, and merciless, a Marquis de Sade of strutting and finger snapping authority, who can sing about death-dealing and lust against a background chorus of children singing "Te Deum" in the chapel.

Michael Chioldi's Scarpia was especially sinister in his quicksilver switches from aristocratic manners to leering to cool calculation to sheer sadism, his meaty baritone turning to a snarl just when needed. His Act 2 confrontation between Tosca was exquisitely terrifying. Read More...

Opposing the lovers is the villainous Baron Scarpia, a monster of lust and torture played with real physical menace by baritone Michael Chioldi. He strides the stage in his knee-high boots like he owns Rome. Chioldi's Scarpia is a controlling, vengeful tyrant whose desire for Tosca increases the more she resists him. His deep voice resounds effortlessly, conveying his greed and determination to trick Tosca into making love to him.

Chioldi's range and ease as a singer make credible the attraction of a powerful man—and his will to deceive and seduce Tosca is a terrible force opposing the heroine. He lies with smiling conviction, telling Tosca he will arrange a fake execution of her lover—and safe passage for them both out of the country—if she bows to his pleasure. The scene in Scarpia's rooms when he slams the gasping Tosca onto a table as if to rape her then and there is truly wrenching.