Ottavio Garaventa (Genova 1934 - Savignone2014)

Raised in a family of popular origins dedicated to music (his maternal grandfather was a renowned standard of folk songs from Genoa and Rosetta Noli aunt a leading soprano floor of the fifties), in 1959, at age 19, after a brief period of study Magenta with the teacher, made his debut as a baritone in Lucia di Lammermoor, but despite the vocal quality, career failed to take off.

He interrupted his studies, he found work as a crane operator in the port of Genoa. Later, after the wedding and the birth of his daughter, and after overcoming a serious health problem, he resumed the study and in 1963 he made his debut as a tenor in Cavalleria rusticana in Cincinnati. In 1964 he won in the new register the competition "New Voices" and in 1965 as "Verdi Voices" in Busseto and As.Li.Co., making his debut in Italy at the Teatro Nuovo in Milan, for over ten years from the first onset and starting a bright career.

He has performed in the greatest theaters in the world, including the San Carlo in Naples, the Vienna State Opera, La Scala in Milan, the Bunkakaikan of Tokyo, the Rome Opera House, the Earl Court in London, the ' Arena di Verona, the Kennedy Center in Washington, in addition to the Aix en Provence Festival. With the La Scala Opera has collaborated on several important international productions: two editions of La Bohème by Puccini, conducted by Georges Pretre and Carlos Kleiber, Maria Stuarda, represented after 136 years, and in the season of the American Bicentennial Simon Boccanegra, Requiem and Macbeth, conducted by Claudio Abbado. He also performed Madama Butterfly, Luisa Miller, Tosca, Linda di Chamounix, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Arabella, Maria di Rohan.

It had assets of a vast repertoire of 113 titles and lyric tenor lyric-driven, especially of Verdi and Donizetti theater, not disdaining the roles of Puccini and verismo. He took part in the world premiere of Il Gattopardo by Angelo Musco in Palermo and sang in Falstaff by Giuseppe Verdi in Florence, directed by Eduardo De Filippo. He participated in some shooting not performed works for decades: Lithuanians Ponchielli RAI, Les Martyrs and The Flood by Donizetti, respectively, to Genoa and La Fenice in Venice.

In 1981 in Florence he was awarded the title of Academician of the Muses.

For some years he was artistic director of the Savignone International Music Festival and founded with his daughter Marina musical association that deals with young artists. Garaventa was also a good painter, with assets of several exhibitions in Italy and abroad.

While not large, his recording catalog is significant not only for the executive look for the distinction of different titles.

Photography autograph of the famous tenor at fistival of Gljnderbourne La Bohème

Excellent condition