The production’s high points were Harmer’s duets with Michael Chioldi as the Dutchman. and the pair’s chemistry was palpable from the moment their characters met.

Chioldi, who last worked with Utah Opera in its 2019 production of La Traviata, has a deep, rich voice that matched Harmer in power and intensity, and he displayed striking musicality, especially when singing directly to Senta…….he gave his character a weight and gravitas that made his suffering real and believable as the production progressed.

The wonderful cast is led by Michael Chioldi, as Henry, with a firm and attractive baritone; he commands the stage whenever he sings. Chioldi was recently in the spotlight when he was seen at the Met in the new production of RIGOLETTO, singing the title role on short notice.

I must start with the surprise of the evening: baritone Michael Chioldi as Rigoletto. His is a true Verdian voice that displays booming power, tender softness, ravaging tragic colors, and that “lagrima nella voice” (the Italian “tear in the sound”—that certain essence of sorrow that practically elicits tears from the audience). This is what a true Verdi baritone does: he is at once capable of heartbreaking, multilayered tenderness and of unleashing an abundance of vocal power that gives the impression that he has hardly reached his limit and has even more to offer behind those roof-blowing cascades of sound. 

"Michael Chioldi, stepping in for an indisposed Quinn Kelsey, scored a triumph in the title role. His baritone is muscular and grand, but can be scaled back for intimate moments with Gilda. His “Cortigiani” was a damning attack on the courtiers he so despises and later, a pathetic plea – warm, sad and tragic. His superb enunciation of the text allowed for a truly terrifying spitting out of the vicious moments – “Si, vendetta” was dangerous."

Those fortunate enough to be in Carnegie Music Hall last evening enjoyed a genuine treat. Michael Chioldi, a truly gifted baritone, sang his way through an interesting and generous program as the second Pittsburgh Festival Opera Legends in the Limelight offering.

As the title character Michael Chioldi is quite simply perfect. Not only does he give us every note in his beautiful baritone, he makes us feel his love, anger, pain and grief at every moment.

Michael Chioldi’s Rigoletto filled the theater with a darkly commanding baritone, while he lent the accursed role a measure of all but redeeming humanity.

Michael Chioldi commands every scene he is in as Giorgio Germont, Alfredo’s father.   As so often is the case with this opera, the most interesting relationship in the show is between the elder Germont and Violetta. Stentorian and incisive in his initial appeal for propriety, Chioldi’s voice and demeanor soften and warm as Germont realizes Violetta is a better woman than he imagined her to be.

I also thought that Michael Chioldi was magnificent as Giorgio Germont, the father.

Michael Chioldi’s performance as Giorgio Germont brings much to the character of Alfredo’s father. The moment he enters the stage, he sings with the commanding power and purpose of a protective father.

“Henry VIII” given full reign at Odyssey Opera

Michael Chioldi sang with a rich, clarion baritone that fully captured all facets of Henry’s tenderness, arrogance, and jealousy. When he sang of Anne in his Act 3 aria, he took on the personal warmth of any potential suitor. But Chioldi’s hefty singing also reflected the bitterness that Henry felt towards Catherine.  At opera’s end his lines smoothed out just enough to capture his concern when he learned that she is close to death.

“Amongst an entirely praiseworthy cast and powerful chorus, the three principals achieved outstanding dramatic and vocal results. Michael Chioldi’s dramatic baritone, an uncommonly versatile voice could summon royal magnanimity, stentorian obduracy, ingratiating charm, veiled or open threats, etc.”.

But the lead singers commanded the show from beginning to end. Michael Chioldi in particular made for a commanding Henry VIII: his mannerisms throughout the performance were pitch-perfect (he elicited some laughs from a particularly well-placed chuckle in response to Anne Boleyn asking him something in Act II), but his voice easily shone above all else. He easily overpowered Saint-Saëns’ thick orchestration with great ease, with a voice that could be both tender and menacing, often at the flip of a hat.

“The gifted Michael Chioldi appeared in the title role, and the audience was treated to some true, world class baritone singing. The voice is scaled for a venue larger than Jordan Hall. It is dark in timbre, and extremely focused. Moments such as Henry's Act IV monologue and the final passages of the opera were nothing short of thrilling.”

...Michael Chioldi embody Henry VIII in the seldom, no, very seldom performed opera by Saint-Säens at Odyssey Opera. Mr. Chioldi filled cavernous Jordan Hall with music of such power and volume that the roof lifted off, and then he took the music inside and sang with an audible splendor that would not blow the glisten off a dandelion. He showed us a monster of a man, cruel, savagely sensual, filled with doubt and rage and the guile of a wild boar rooting in our hearts. His wielding of text and exploration of character was extraordinary, the savage wit, the appetite, the lust disguised as sentimental attraction: this was Henry VIII. Astounding. This is what Opera can do. When it is sung by Michael Chioldi.

Michael Chioldi quite simply owns the role of Scarpia. Not only did he sing magnificently with his thrilling, utterly masculine baritone, but he gave us a Scarpia that the audience loved to hate. He gave us elegantly understated villainy, with an occasional glimpse at the vulnerability of a disturbed soul that desires love without really understanding it, and therefore perverts it

There must be a bad guy in opera, and Michael Chioldi was effective as Scarpia, the evil police chief who lusts after Tosca.  Chioldi used his deep baritone to build a character that was necessary to set up the opera’s central relevance for today, illuminating the Me Too movement.

Beczala is well complemented by the remarkable Miller of Michael Chioldi, brilliant at the third act.

The rest of the company also worked well including the brilliant, powerful, and well phrased Miller of Michael Chioldi.

It is not easy to program Luisa Miller, among other things because beyond the protagonist couple, it requires four other important voices (a baritone, a mezzo and two basses), almost like a Don Carlo. Michael Chioldi's Miller - whose timbre at times reminds one of the great Sherill Milnes - succeeded by the use of his powerful voice and thoughtful phrasing, especially in the second half of the show (splendid next to Radvanovsky in "Andrem raminghi e poveri".)

Michael Chioldi - A perfect Miller

Baritone Michael Chioldi, a local favorite, has appeared in major roles in five Austin Opera productions since 2013, and should be appearing regularly in all the leading houses in North America and Europe. A commanding figure on stage, his voice is enormous; he was totally credible as Iago, the very incarnation of evil.

Desdemona’s infidelity is a lie sold to Otello by his venomous ensign, Iago. Michael Chioldi, a familiar face and voice with Austin Opera, embraced the character’s malevolence with a macho swagger – feet set apart, arms thrown open, smile broad.

Red faced and evil-eyed Iago, played by Michael Chioldi, was venomous - much to the audience's delight. With Verdi's thematic focus of Catholicism, Iago's motivation differed from classical vengeance and more so as if our antagonist wore a friendship bracelet with the devil. A highlight BWW Review: Austin Opera Festively Reimagines Verdi's OTELLO in Austin, TXfrom Chioldi's performance was his rendition of "Inaffia l'ugola" or for the average audience member, "the drinking song from OTELLO". The coloratura Chioldi delivered was catchy and invited the audience to revel in his wickedness.

In a pleasing return, baritone Michael Chioldi’s voice has grown and ripened into something quite powerful since his appearance in WNO’s Lucia in 2011. Tall and ramrod straight of spine, he growled and threatened as Germont.

The villainous "Baron Scarpia" was superbly played by the baritone Michael Chioldi, who - in a powerful and well-modulated voice – matched the histrionic demands of the evil police chief who devises a Machiavellian intrigue to subdue to his lascivious deliriums the desperate Tosca who is willing to do anything to save her Cavaradossi from the scaffold . During the second act, Chioldi took hold of the audience's hatred; and the thunderous ovation he received at the end was a just recognition of his carats.

Baritone Michael Chioldi was extremely impressive in his portrayal of what is lowest in a human being. He took on Scarpia with absolute commitment: he abused his power, cursed, lied and tried to rape Tosca, dying by her knife in his attempt. His performance in the demented sequence of scenes during the second act, shares the masterful capacity to sing and embody evil that brought international fame to Justino Díaz.

American baritone Michael Chioldi scored a triumph as Gérard. His is a fine-grained instrument, wielded with power and finesse. Excellent not only in his singing but in his acting, he relished the chance to explore the contradictions of Gerard, certainly a character of greater complexity than many of opera’s baritone antagonists.

My personal favorite of the evening is Michael Chioldi as Germont, Alfredo's father. Chioldi wrings every ounce of feeling from every note he sings and brought tears to my eyes with his forgiveness and grace.

American Baritone, Michael Chioldi also had a double debut, who sang his first Carlo Gérard at the Liceu. His voice pleasantly surprised from its first moment having great dimensions and with generous harmonics, complex timbre and a dark color ideal for the role. Here his verismo voice sounded ideal for the performances, equaling the orchestral grandiosity with ease, a homogeneous and unalterable tessitura and a facility in the upper register of great power. With correct diction, Chioldi can only be reproached for improving the fluency of phrasing, he has a tendency to sing on the granite of the instrument that at times can remind one of the mythical Sherrill Milnes.

Chioldi became more comfortable as the opera progressed and “Lacrime e sangue dà la Francia!” justifiably deserved the donations from the ostensibly impoverished cittadine. There was powerful singing in the pivotal “Nemico della patria” aria with some robust marcato top E naturals on “e mentre uccido io piango!” The burst of lyricism on “La coscienza nei cuor ridestar delle genti” built to a wonderful climax with a rock-solid sustained F sharp on “un sol bacio.” By the fff top F sharp on “saprò” before the trial scene, Chioldi was very much on vocal terra firma.

The baritone role claims centre stage right from the start which Michael Chioldi ably achieves; he also received a fine ovation for «Nemico de la patria». As far as I can tell this was his European debut in a staged opera - he seemed pleased with his reception as well he should be.

Baritone Michael Chioldi was the star of the evening in this production. Of the principals, his was the most realistic portrayal, with a baritone which was plangent and multi-layered. There was a feeling of sorrow that I felt for his Baron which I have never felt for Milnes, Morris, MacNeil, or any of the other Scarpia's of my generation. His ardor and lust for Tosca was obvious, but he managed to convey a loneliness and tenderness that heretofore has been missing in many portrayals of my experience. His singing of his act two aria, "Ha piu forte sapore" was a highlight.

Michael Chioldi’s Scarpia commands the stage and infuses the chief of police with the evil that he acknowledges when he compares himself with Shakespeare’s arch-villain, Iago, a portrayal distinguished by vocal power that rages over the excellent chorus and orchestra without compromising timbre or intonation, yet is sweetly lyrical when Scarpia feigns civility.

Even more fully-shaped and masterfully depicted was the Scarpia of Michael Chioldi, a favorite with this company – and justly so. Chioldi is the complete artist: a genuine singing actor with a large gorgeous baritone sound, expert musicianship and stage savvy that makes every one of his portrayals a believable human being. In this case, the “human” element was appropriately lacking. Chioldi’s Scarpia was the personification of evil, stentorian in sound but also subtly nuanced and quite terrifying.

Baron Scarpia, the police chief of Rome, appears on most opera lovers’ lists of favorite villains, with his effortless hypocrisy and Dracula-like pleasure in his own evil. His black cape swirling as strutted around the stage, a leather riding quirt in his hand, the baritone Michael Chioldi gave a convincing portrait of a man wholly untroubled by conscience as he used spies and torture to pursue a sexual obsession.

Chioldi made a strong and aptly villainous impression. He brought lusty relish to his voice as he described Cavaradossi’s torture to Tosca, alternately bullying and cajoling her as her pursued his true goal.

Michael Chioldi’s clear diction and strong projection left the audience wishing that Abimélech did not have to meet his demise so early in the plot.

As the High Priest, Michael Chioldi delivered a robust, muscular tone and kinetic phrasing, while conveying the character’s slimy side with extra flair...

As an example of luxury casting, the Dallas Opera engaged the impressive American baritone Michael Chioldi for the relatively brief role of Abimelech.

Chioldi, who is usually entrusted with lead roles [see Michael Chioldi, Micaela Oeste Enrich Washington National Opera’s Theatrically Absorbing “Hamlet” – May 22, 2010] gave a solid performance as the embattled Philistine.

The rest of the cast is equally strong (as Borodina and Forbis).  Michael Chioldi brings Abimélech to life.

Michael Chioldi, in the role of the vicious Abimelech, gives a spirited and naturalistic performance, but is dead by the middle of Act 1.

A very strong supporting cast matched the vocal qualities of Borodina and Forbis with baritone Michael Chioldi as Abimelech.

Similarly did baritone Michael Chioldi (High Priest of Dagon)....... deliver impressively strong singing and solidly dramatic performance, helping direct adversarial thoughts about power and religion.

Michael Chioldi as the Priest offers an earth-rumbling baritone with peals of power and an artist’s precision.

Michael Chioldi’s High Priest, by contrast, oozed confidence and vocal power to match Goeldner, giving the listener no doubts about who was really in love with whom.

Notables from the supporting cast include Michael Chioldi as the High Priest of Dagon and Stefan Szkafarowsky’s portrayal of an Old Hebrew. Chioldi is sonorous and strong like a trombone with a commanding presence.

The baritone Michael Chioldi as the High Priest of Dagon has a powerful Act II show-down with Delilah and makes the character straightforward and unwavering.

Michael Chioldi gave the High Priest of Dagon a lecherous interpretation with his commanding voice.

Lending a great voice to tragedy -

Wednesday’s dress rehearsal at the Marble Museum proved a beautiful and deeply powerful experience, up close and personal.

But it was the storytelling that was most impressive. Chioldi, who made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1996 in “Andrea Chenier” with Luciano Pavarotti, is a big-voiced baritone with a broad palette of colors at his disposal.

Although this work is sometimes performed by three singers, Chioldi moved from one character to another. The text ranges from commentary by Knut Fraenkel, who chastises the leader’s ego, credited with the expedition’s demise. Much more personal are Strindberg’s letters to his beloved wife, Anna, from excitement to loneliness. And Andrée’s are more factual and, in their own way, more haunting.

Argento and, in turn, Chioldi created a dramatic and emotional arc that drew the audience into this intimate storytelling. Although the baritone was suffering a cold Wednesday, his expression delivered the intensity of the drama and the depth of the characters’ experience. It didn’t hurt that Chioldi’s diction was outstanding, making it very easy to follow.

Craig Colclough—also Arizona Opera’s Falstaff—repeated his grandly vocalized, specific and convincing portrait. His strong baritone was matched by the idiomatic, incisively sung Ford of Michael Chioldi. Chioldi and the wonderfully enjoyable Caroline Worra made a sexy couple, well matched in refulgent sound and pointed word painting.

Baritone Michael Chioldi as Ford belted out arias in the second act that were memorable for their passionate intensity.

Michael Chioldi, an impressive baritone whose rich tone and gorgeous, dark timbre, coupled with his soulful, honest approach to Sharpless, makes his my favorite performance.

...a truly world class experience, from the first moments until the final heartrending notes, every breathless second holds the audience in rapt awe. The entire cast is magnificent, every note is perfection, a study in beauty and passion. Michael Chioldi as Sharpless, gives a heartfelt performance as a man caught between the two lovers.

Michael Chioldi’s smooth baritone and stagewise presence made him a memorable Ondino, especially appealing when singing such nonsense syllables as “Brekekekex! Brekekekex!” and “Quorax! Quorax!”

But everyone really sat up and took notice each time Michael Chioldi sang a few measures as the lizard Ondino. His two solos expressing his longing for Rautendelein pealed out in a huge, rich baritone that made one long to hear him take on the greatest of Italian baritone roles, from Verdi’s Macbeth to Zandonai’s Gianciotto.

Michael Chioldi as her friend and later her husband, the lizard, has a big and beautifully colored baritone voice.

The outstanding exception was baritone Michael Chioldi, as l’Ondino, a water spirit. He was consistently audible, expressive, in character, spontaneous, and fully related to everything onstage. This was a lovely, deeply considered performance, all the more remarkable for being carried out in a reptile-suit, with a tail.

Standouts among the large cast include the baritone Michael Chioldi, who booms and blusters as Ondino, king of the frogs, covered in scales.

Baritone Michael Chioldi, a smooth, even tone with an aura of menace.

..and Michael Chioldi's stentorian baritone was heard to imposing effect as L'Ondino.

One of the opera’s most amusing characters is L’Ondino, winningly played by Michael Chioldi, whose bold voice often announced his presence uttering “brekekekex,” an onomatopoetic word that librettist Claudio Guastalla borrowed from Aristophanes’ play, The Frogs. Chioldi also sports one of the most elaborate costumes—one of a handsome array designed by Marco Nateri—that seemed to merge The Creature from the Black Lagoon with the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz.

The best voices in this cast were Michael Chioldi as L'Ondino and Glenn Seven Allen as the Faun. Despite having to spend half of his stage time singing nonsense syllables ("Brekekekxet!"), Chioldi produced a noble tone and compelling presence. despite having to wrestle with claws, full head makeup and a long and unwieldy tail.

The best voices of the night were Michael Chioldi in the role of Ondino, a rich and warm voice baritone, and Kristin Sampson as Magda, a good-natured lyric soprano who conveyed the disbelief and despair of the ringer's wife.

Our lizard, Michael Chioldi, looks like he could catch flies, but his voice was stentorian.

In the title role, Michael Chioldi, who had a big success here two years ago as Macbeth, once more proves himself a genuine Verdi baritone – by definition a unique dramatic vocal type with a big, trumpet-like sound that can weather sustained singing in the highest part of the range. The very sound of Chioldi’s voice is quite thrilling, but he adds to this a three-dimensional characterization that has the viewer hating the jester’s cruelty at the start, yet feeling his anguish – notably in Rigoletto’s great solo, Cortigiani, where the clown lets down his defenses and implores the vicious courtiers to return to him his kidnapped and ravished daughter.

A magnificent central role performance and some marvelous supporting voices made Palm Beach Opera’s production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto one to admire and remember.

Returning to this 1851 mega-hit after an absence of nine years, the troupe’s A-cast mounting was led by baritone Michael Chioldi, who should be close to considering Palm Beach Opera his home company. His strong, rich, mellifluous voice keeps getting better each time he appears, and on Sunday afternoon at the Kravis Center, he unleashed an instrument that was huge and powerful from the beginning and that never lost one iota of strength.

Chioldi has been moving into the Verdi dramatic roles in recent years (he did Macbeth for Palm Beach Opera in 2104), and it suits him ideally. In his reading of the tortured man of mirth for whom his daughter is the only thing that keeps him donning the motley every day, Chioldi made Rigoletto’s anguish and fury plain.

Michael Chiold’s warm and powerful voice and evocative acting made Rigoletto a believable character, whether mocking Ceprano and Monterone and when he himself is treated cruelly and suffers unimaginable grief. Rigoletto’s plea for the return of his abducted daughter, Gilda, Chioldi projected a gamut of emotions, from rage to sorrow, reduced to begging for pity. His outcry over Gilda’s lifeless body in the final moments was delivered with great emotional impact.

The baritone Michael Chioldi captured all sides of this complex character, in an affecting, powerful portrayal. At first, it appeared this would be a Rigoletto in which the character’s bitterness, darkness and aggression would predominate. As he mocked the nobleman Monterone, Chioldi drew out the notes, ramping up the derision in a manner that was more subtle than the usual clowning seen in opera. With his large voice, the aria “Pari siamo,” in which he meditates on what he does for a living, came off with cavernous dark tones. And he gave a thunderous cry of rage and horror, “Ah, la maledizione!” when he discovers his daughter Gilda’s disappearance.

He expressed his love for her through violence, pushing her maid around as he demands that he keep her safe. Later in the opera, as he pleads with the courtiers to return her, singing in the Duke’s cold court, he gave a deeply moving performance, singing “Marullo, Signore,” with melting warmth.

Michael Chioldi was a force of nature as Iago. His is a true Verdi baritone: a big voice with wonderful legato and clear diction, dark-timbred but with shining high notes. He also has a magnetic stage presence.

But the one who stole the show was Michael Chioldi, a superb baritone whose large, and very well-toned voice as well as his huge and intense histrionic capacity gave us an Iago that would have delighted Verdi himself, who on more than one occasion thought that this opera should have been named for this character.

Also, making his debut in the role, U.S. baritone Michael Chioldi, did so on a great level. Iago is a role that requires the greatest sinuosity. Verdi and Boito sought to create the essence of evil, both perfidious and subtle. Chioldi handled his powerful sonorous instrument with intelligence, shading his singing, and interpreting step by step the development of evil until the crowning moment of his “Credo en un Dio crude!” 

Michael Chioldi was a force of nature as Iago. Here is a voice of a true Verdi baritone: big, with impeccable technique, wonderful legato, dark timbre with shining high notes and a clear diction. He also has a magnetic stage presence and embodied Iago to perfection. One of the highlights of the performances was his "Credo in un Dio crudel", which he sang with Machiavellian flavour. His brindisi in Act I was also superbly sung and he knew how to create a rich portrayal of the character, full of nuances and colors, without falling into the confort zone of just being the "bad guy". His scene and duet with Savage's Otello "Desdemona rea?... Era già notte... Sì pel ciel marmoreo guiro" was another highlight of the performance.

“Another impressive singer was the American baritone Michael Chioldi, the embodiment of the evil and jealous Iago, whose powerful, masculine, robust and dramatic voice gave us a singing for the books.”

The Filarmónica de Jalisco presented an Otello to a full audience on a high level that has not been seen in recent memory in Mexico. Some highlights were the Credo and si per ciel of Michael Chioldi as Iago.

The singer-actors were believable and eloquent. They thrilled and excited with their voices. They created their characters, gave them skin, body, soul and guts.

Especially the Iago of the American baritone Michael Chioldi, who adds one more to his Verdean villains, of which he is becoming one of the worlds specialist: Evil and hypocrisy are with him part of his terrifying being.

As the title character, Michael Chioldi's rich baritone voice powered relentlessly through the music, his earthy resonations packing a real punch. Ambitious and authoritative, he is the ideal portrayal of one of the most infamous characters put to page. Watching his psyche splinter as his paranoia increased in the second act was projected well. Overall, his character's development was exciting to watch as the intensity of his emotions came in waves, from his first spark of ambition, to the dismissal of his wife's suicide, to his lamenting death as he curses the witches who brought this fate upon him. This was an ideal portrayal of Macbeth.

Resonating off the walls of the theater, the audience made their appreciation known for the vocal deliveries of the singers, specifically during Macbeth's lamentation aria "Pieta, rispetto, amore" and Macduff's vengeful "Ah, la paterna mano."

As Tonio, Michael Chioldi delivered the Prologue with startling impact, his burnished tone matched by dynamic phrasing. The baritone's singing remained impressively muscular throughout the opera.

Michael Chioldi was a fine choice for the title role. With his deep, resonant baritone, he was able to project his dark, foreboding, haunted character in precisely the manner the composer intended. By the final act, with the audience fully convinced of his villainy, he nonetheless evoked sympathy with his lamentation aria, “Pieta, rispetto, amore” (Pity, respect, love), and his dying aria, “Mal per me” (Badly for me), in which he curses the witches who foretold his fate.

The opening aria sung in front of the curtain by Tonio (Michael Chioldi), takes things to soaring heights right away, with Chioldi demonstrating world class power, tight control and harrowing emotion, setting the bar high for the rest of the show.

Soprano Kelly Kaduce sang Nedda, the adulterous wife who pays with her life for her romantic yearnings. She sang the role superbly, with a rich, powerful voice that soared and made the climactic moments thrilling.

Equally arresting was baritone Michael Chioldi as Tonio, who precipitates the tragedy with his lust for Nedda. He set a high bar in the opening “Prologue” with his theatricality and ringing voice.

Both male leads were impressive, : Count di Luna (the younger Count) may not be very nice character, but baritone Michael Chioldi made him the most powerful – he has a beautiful voice!  (Chioldi) displayed impeccable vocal technique well worth making an effort to hear.

Baritone Michael Chioldi, all done up in oversized glasses and a loud sport jacket that looked like something you have to plug into the wall at night, had an estimable success as Schicchi. He moved his ample, finely burnished voice with fluidity and employed some comical falsetto effects in his ruse as the dying Buoso.

Schicchi, the clever rogue who outwits the relatives and grabs most of the inheritance for himself and his daughter Lauretta, was dressed like Austin Powers, complete with shades and smoking jacket. The character was strongly sung and winningly played by baritone Michael Chioldi.

COT has assembled an engaging cast for this rousing ensemble piece. Leading the way in the title role is baritone Michael Chioldi, who has singing strength and comic wit. His bluster is engaging as he happily embodies the idea of cunning chicanery.

Michael Chioldi plays the slippery titular character with flamboyant joie de vivre. 

... it is Chioldi as Schicchi who offered my favorite performance. Bursting onto the stage like some bizarre love-child of Andy Warhol and Liberace, this version of Gianni Schicchi is nothing like anything Puccini dreamed up, and is all the more delightful because of that.

Michael Chioldi played the titular Florentine trickster with robustness and magnetism. His ample baritone added bite to Schicchi’s wry sarcasm, easily projecting over a sometimes unruly orchestra. I found his slapstick delivery at times exaggerated but generally entertaining throughout the performance.

The company’s other standout, baritone Michael Chioldi, unfortunately had no contact with Ms. Moore since he performed in an alternate cast. This ferocious artist, a standby of America’s regional opera companies, is quite simply a terrific Scarpia, conveying the character’s venomous evil while pouring out warm, virile baritone sound. His was by far the fullest and most detailed characterization of any performer in either cast.

As Scarpia, the baritone Michael Chioldi brought a powerful, gravelly voice to the role and seemed the most grounded of the leads, though his acting tended toward the melodramatic. There were moments when this production took off, like the surefire scene in which Cavaradossi is being tortured offstage while Scarpia tries to get Tosca to reveal where her lover has hidden Angelotti. Here, Ms. Sampson and Mr. Chioldi kicked this production into gear.

As the lecherous Scarpia, baritone Michael Chioldi fared noticeably as the best of the three leads, with a strong stentorian voice that captured the part’s vigorous evil.

Baritone Michael Chioldi absolutely stole the show as a juicy-toned, lubricious Scarpia who relished his villainy while wallowing in the masochistic guilt of false piety.

Yet the real star of the evening was Michael Chioldi as Scarpia. Vocally commanding, he was able to expand the role beyond the one-dimensional villain archetype, avoiding cliché and overacting. His Scarpia was both frightening and pathetic, and I’m pleased to report th at he successfully melded religious apostasy with sexual surrender.

The baritone Michael Chioldi held the three acts together from the middle, singing Scarpia’s Act II efflorescence of evil with a gusto that left his fellow cast members sounding pale.

The real story of this production, though, is Michael Chioldi as the ultimate opera villian Scarpia. He’s easily the best actor in the cast, projecting a truly elegant surface under which murky waters roil. This was definitely a “love to hate you” kind of Scarpia, with vocal power, confidence and technique to back it up. Overall, a rock-solid Tosca, not at all a bad way to get NYCO back on its feet.

NYCO fielded two casts for the production; among the opening-night principals, only Michael Chioldi, the Scarpia, delivered a convincing portrayal. His police chief was very much in the Tito Gobbi mold—sardonic, self-satisfied, amoral. An appropriate hint of a snarl colored his vocal tone. With Scarpia dominating, Act II was easily the most effective portion of the evening. At times, Chioldi may have scored his points too emphatically, but you had to admire his attempt to add some oomph to the lackluster proceedings.

IN GIACOMO PUCCINI'S TOSCA (seen Oct. 12), the iconic arias go to the soprano and tenor but in many ways the juiciest role belongs to the baritone. Michael Chioldi, as Baron Scarpia in Utah Opera’s season-opening production, had plenty of meat to sink his teeth into, and he did so voraciously.
During the first act, Chioldi’s oaken-toned voice thundered menacingly as he bullied his way into the church and dripped with cunning deception, during the Te Deum. His characterization, aided by director Kathleen Clawson’s dramatic vision, was chilling, especially during the violent Act II victimization of Tosca. But what made Scarpia’s attempt to extort sexual favors interesting was Tosca’s singular defiance to the man before whom all others cowered.

...A great singing actor is needed to make the story (Rigoletto) believable, plausible. Great celebrities have given life to this personage, 'all too human' as Nietzsche would say, celebrated singers that we all remember and venerate. But in this performance a new and different character emerged. One who moved and captivated all who were present in the audience:

The Italian-American, Michael Chioldi, in his tenth Verdi role and at the age of 45, gave life to a passionate, enthralling Rigoletto. Michael in his Rigoletto debut at the Teatro Degollado, brought the audience to our feet. We were presented with a unique, emotive, and passionate artist who moved us all.

The star of the night was without a doubt the baritone Michael Chioldi, who redeemed the missteps of the others and made of the production something absolutely essential to hear.

Chioldi offered a powerful, virile and dramatic voice, to the Guadalajaran public. His Rigoletto gave me goosebumps. He fulfilled and went beyond expectations, even more when considering this was his debut in the role. The rendition of his aria 'Cortiggiani vil razza dannata' was a heartrending interpretation of the desperation of a father who has had his daughter snatched away from him. Without a doubt this singer was the icing on the cake in this evenings performance

Maestro Marco Parisotto "gambled" entrusting the lead to Michael Chioldi. It was a privilege to hear him debut this role and who, I am sure, will inherit the baton of the great Rigoletto of our time, Leo Nucci. What a great, powerful voice and what an enthralling actor. It is the most emotional and compelling Rigoletto I've seen live.

The highlight of opening night was the chemistry between soprano Kara Shay Thomson as Floria Tosca and Michael Chioldi as Baron Scarpia. Chemistry often implies flirtation or sexual attraction, but in the case of Tosca and Scarpia the chemistry was her palpable disgust at his touch, and his brutish lust. Chioldi first caught my attention in Utah Opera’s 2012 production of Il Trovatore. I had high expectations for his portrayal of Baron Scarpia and he exceeded those handily. He seemed to relish the opportunity to portray such a menacing character so well.

The fact that Thompson's Tosca holds her own with the savage police chief, Baron Scarpia — one of the most vivid villains ever to grace the opera stage — is no small feat, especially when Scarpia is played by as strong a singing actor as baritone Michael Chioldi. His performance on Saturday was a tour de force, so expertly shaded that listeners could hear as well as see the charm, the casual cruelty and the terrifying outbursts of brutality.

Resplendent in tailored suit and red pocket handkerchief, baritone Michael Chioldi made a jut-jawed figure as the all-powerful but clueless King of Castile, whose arbitrary choice of Rodrigo’s aged father over the ambitious Count of Gormas for a prestigious position at court is the “insult to honor” that starts the opera’s chain of retributions. Although his character tended to defer to God or even to Chimène when deciding whether to punish or promote Rodrigo, Chioldi’s clear, powerful singing kept up regal appearances.

Michael Chioldi brought a fine strong baritone to the role of the King.

As Don Fernand, the indecisive and rather oblivious King of Castile, Michael Chioldi sang with regal tone and vocal power to spare. His stentorian bass gave the illusion of anchoring the turbulent emotional action unfolding around his character, even as the King actually drove it, vacillating on making important decisions and ignoring (and offending) important ministers, thus setting in motion Le Cid’s dramatic trajectory.

Michael Chioldi was an elegant and resonant King of Castile....

Michael Chioldi was a multifaceted Macbeth. There was colour and nuance in his big, sturdy baritone, and his acting left nothing to be desired.

Chioldi sang a powerful version of the "Tomorrow and tomorrow..." soliloquy then fought a physically demanding battle which ended in his character's fatal wounding, then offered a dying aria which wrung the heart.  What an amazing treat to have such singing taking place in our county.

Michael Chioldi as Ford and George Cordes as Page are smart and sympathetic, and Chioldi is especially moving in his “Pardon me” plea.

The large cast that Odyssey Opera has assembled for Sir John in Love is filled with singing actors who project the music and the plot with charm, humor, and verve. The two married couples—Ford (Michael Chioldi) and his wife (Courtney Miller), and Page (George Cordes) and his wife (Mara Bonde)—are involved in the battle of the spouses, all clearly carrying their vocal parts and words. Ford has the largest serious moment in the opera when he contemplates the thought that his wife has actually accepted a private meeting with Falstaff; Michael Chioldi carried it off with energy and strength. Later on, he was suitably humbled when he realized that his jealousy was pointless and his wife refused, for a time, to forgive him.

As Lucia's villainous brother, Enrico, baritone Michael Chioldi was the vocal powerhouse of the night. Rich in tone and wide-ranging -- those top notes! -- Chioldi also proved to be a fine singing actor. Ever the cad, his Enrico showed a believable touch of remorse with the realizations of the cost of his wicked ways.

Michael Chioldi’s Enrico

I had admired Michael Chioldi’s work in another important role for the lyric baritone, the title role in Ambroise Thomas’ “Hamlet” [see Michael Chioldi, Micaela Oeste Enrich Washington National Opera’s Theatrically Absorbing “Hamlet” – May 22, 2010.]

Chioldi as Enrico displayed a large, dark voice with power. He inhabited this role, convincing us of the desperate straits of a man with the weight of an estate’s future on his shoulders, having to conspire against a sister he loves to shake her out of what he considers a disastrous relationship.

As Enrico, Michael Chioldi fit perfectly into the role of a man who becomes a villain not out of choice but from necessity.

A wonderful surprise in this production was sensational baritone Michael Chioldi as the mysterious prophet Jochanaan. Wild-eyed and radiating primitive energy and righteousness as you might expect from the fiery yet austere prophet who first proclaimed Jesus to the world, Mr. Chioldi backs up his character’s pronouncements of Apocalyptic doom with the force and vocal clarity of his clean, clear and authoritative instrument.

His stage presence in this production was immense and effective even though this part is relatively small. As a result, the end of the performance left the audience left with the clear sense that, while Jochanaan may have lost his head, he has clearly won the moral, philosophical and religious argument decisively when measured against Herod’s depraved court.

Baritone Michael Chioldi’s righteous Jochanaan matched her (Salome) note for note with warm timbre and phrasing.

John the Baptist-Jochanaan-powerfully sung by Michael Chioldi-was the prisoner of the tetrarch Herod, kept hooded and contained in a dark rusty tank from which his beautiful, powerful voice continued to rail at the sinful Herodias.

The performance was magnificent. Michael Chioldi as Jochanaan has a powerful voice as he holds fast in his religious conviction.

Michael Chioldi’s strong and pure baritone furnishes the perfect counterpoint to Salome’s heedlessness.

John the Baptist, as sung by Michael Chioldi, was true to his biblical description: wild-eyed and holy. Rebuking Salome's advances and mercurial infatuation, and piously crusading for Christ, his baritone was pure and piercing.

Chioldi next sang the “Te Deum” that closes Act I of Puccini’s Tosca, backed by the illustrious chorus. He was magnificent. His ripe, rich, warm, manly voice soared over the excellent chorus as Scarpia calls out the name of Tosca, the opera singer he most desires.

Vocal honours were clearly taken by Michael Chioldi as Renato. Chioldi came late to the production, taking over for a cast member who fell by the wayside, but provided charisma and sheer vocal power that thrilled the audience. His rendering of “Eri tu” in Act III Scene 1 was splendid.

The standout of the evening was baritone Michael Chioldi, a last minute replacement for the role of Renato. Chioldi's bold and rich timbre is everything one seeks in a Verdi Baritone, and he performs his character with depth and honesty. He was a joy to watch, both as Riccardo's loyal and loving friend, and even more so as his vengeful enemy. His performance alone was worth attending this particular production.

Baritone Michael Chioldi was brilliant as Riccardo's friend (and eventual assassin) Renato, his penetrating voice easily filling the 2,000 seat hall.

Michael Chioldi, making his Boston debut, stood firmly at the center of the evening as Belfiore, the counterfeit king, possessing a powerful and gorgeously rich baritone voice ideally suited to Verdi.

What can be said about Chioldi's bad guy, the corrupt satyr, Il Baron, but, wow!

His dramatic baritone with that razor edge and raw vibrancy, added a machismo quality to each encounter, whether with Cavaradossi, his own men, or the leading lady. Chioldi ramped up the intensity to the point where some in the student audience cheered softly as he took in Tosca's dagger.

American baritone Michael Chioldi, as Macbeth, and Hungarian soprano Csilla Boross, as Lady Macbeth, were both captivating. Not only did each impress with their vocal abilities but the chemistry between them was palpable. The supremacy they crave unites them, and despite the moments when the ever sensual Lady Macbeth pushes and criticises her husband, they show a lot of love for each other, represented by their physical proximity on stage.

Chioldi's warm, lyrical baritone and stage presence also revealed multiple characters, from intensely ambitious to paranoid and vulnerable. Boross's range and control were superb, especially in the sleepwalking scene, when she tries to wash the blood off her hands, which is notoriously difficult to sing. Their performances were so memorable and admirable they should be invited back for future performances at the ROHM.

Michael Chioldi is a baritone in great demand, appreciated for his warm, rich tone, and deeply communicative phrasing. Following his stunning debut at the Met in 1995, Chioldi has performed in the major opera houses of America as well as abroad, receiving numerous awards. Michael Chioldi has enormous on-stage charisma, commanding the stage with his impressively powerful and versatile voice. His performance at the ROHM was incredibly moving, frequently taking my breath away.

In the role of Macbeth the production has the great fortune to have a superb American baritone in the person of Michael Chioldi, a fast rising star in the opera world.

This passionate night at the opera gained a good deal of its steam from Michael Chioldi in the title role and Francesca Mondanaro as Abigaille. The baritone's hefty, hearty voice filled out the music with considerable vibrancy, and his phrasing consistently hit home. Chioldi's portrayal could have used more animation, but his sterling vocalism more than compensated.

Michael Chioldi, a bigger than life Belfiore, set the tone for what was best in this account with his robust singing and boisterous presence. The rest of the cast rose to his level to varying degrees.

As the title "King for a Day," Michael Chioldi proved himself a force with which to be reckoned. He has a baritone of great size and beauty. Furthermore, he sings with musicality and nuance, and is a wonderfully charismatic stage presence. This is a true "Verdi baritone."

At the center of the action is baritone Michael Chioldi, who cuts an appealing figure as the uncomfortably conflicted Belfiore - although you might be so bowled over by his voice, which is marked by not only deep color but surprising reserves of power, that you don't even notice his acting chops.

As the king of the titular one-day reign, baritone Michael Chioldi was the vocal and dramatic standout of the evening. With such imposing regal bearing, it’s no wonder no one questions his masquerade. Yet at the same time he is entirely sympathetic as a man who’s caught between love and honor. He easily dominates ensembles with his dramatic baritone, but just as easily modulates his instrument down to intimate asides.

As Belfiore, the false king of the title, Michael Chioldi, possessed a strong and rich baritone, and if he acted a little pompously in his absurd cardboard crown and sash that was because the role called for it. Still, he gave me chills at the opera’s conclusion when in full resonant voice he proclaimed himself to be the Cavaliere di Belfiore, not the King of Poland.

Baritone Michael Chioldi was a solid Nabucco, whose elegant singing in the mad scene inspired genuine sympathy.

The title character, King Nabucco of Babylon (Michael Chioldi) is a force to be reckoned with. Often storming the stage, his sturdy baritone sound blasts through soldiers, members of court, even the peasants without fear. Shifting dynamically from a powerful leader, to a stricken madman and once more to his position of king, Chioldi delivers a brilliant rendition of this man. His pompous yet empowering solo “Giù! prostrate! non son piu re, son Dio!” creates a harsh contrast to his desperate plea during “Deh perdona ad un padre che delira!” This song of desperation is filled with vulnerability and yearning; a remarkable transition for Chioldi before once more becoming triumphant, yet forgiving in his final number “Ah, torna Israello alle gioie del patrio suol!” - DCMetro Theater Arts

In the title role, Michael Chioldi offered stellar singing, an exceptionally warm, solid tone, and deeply communicative phrasing that got to the heart of Nabucco’s heaven-defying vanity at the opera’s start, his subsequent madness and spiritual awakening.

From his first entrance, Chioldi’s voice was bronze but youthful, and when it came to his fine reading of the great Act IV aria Pieta, rispetto, amore, that quality made him sound like a vigorous man cut down in his prime rather than a haunted, shaken shell. He sang beautifully throughout the opera, and this is a good role for his voice type and physical stature.

But the star of the show was baritone Michael Chioldi as Joan's father. Chioldi, doubling as a sort of onstage manager, sang with unfailingly glorious sound.

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.

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.

His was a shining example of how important good, focused theatrical skill (not the hammy stuff of the less experienced) is to selling a character.