Most likely the Dominican Republic’s most successful tenor ever, Francisco Casanova died at 61 in Rhode Island, USA due to health issues. Born in the Dominican Republic, he studied music with his mother and then took lessons from Enrique Estevez Pacheco.
In 1996 he jumped to international acclaim after he replaced Luciano Pavarotti in a concert with the New York Philharmonic. He would make his Metropolitan Opera debut in 2001, performing 39 times with the company, according to the Opera Wire.
Casanova would perform at the Wiener Staatsoper, Berlin State Opera, Teatro Massimo, Opera Orchestra of New York, and Carnegie Hall, among other world halls.
Casanova received distinguished awards such as the Beniamino Gigli d’Oro 2004 (Recanati) and the Beniamino Gigli d” Oro (Helsinki 2007). He was the first non-Italian singer ever to receive this award.
Casanova was recognized as the Singer of the Year 2002 by the Berlin Opera. He also won the First Grand Prize for Male Voices of the 28th Edition of the Francisco Viñas Singing Competition and the Special Prize La Traviata (Barcelona 1990), the Second Prize for Male Voices of the Bilbao III Singing Competition (Bilbao 1990). He was also a National Finalist of the Metropolitan Opera Guild Singing Competition in 1989.
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Opera Wire
30 September 2019