Marco Tutino was born in Milano in 1954. Since his debut in 1976 at the “Gaudeamus festival” (Holland) his compositions have been programmed in prestigious Opera Houses and concert venues worldwide, earning a large success of public and critics.
His activity mainly concentrates on musical theatre. From 1985 - when his first opera Pinocchio was commissioned by the I.C.O.S.S. in Vienna and the “Carlo Felice” in Genova - Tutino composed: Cirano (1987, commissioned by the “Laboratorio Lirico” in Alessandria, directed by Gabriele Salvatores and restaged in 1990 by the “ Arena di Verona” La Lupa (1990, written for the Mascagni centenary in Livorno), the dramma concertante Vite immaginarie (1990, “Teatro Comunale” in Bologna), Federico II (1992), commissioned by the “Oper Bonn”, Il gatto con gli stivali (1994), Dylan Dog (1999) and Peter Uncino (2001) commissioned by the “Arena di Verona”, Vita (2003), commissioned by the “Teatro alla Scala” in Milano, Le Bel indifférent (2004), commissioned by the “Macerata Opera Festival”, La bella e la bestia (2005), commissioned by the “Teatro Comunale” in Modena, The Servant (2008), commissioned by the “Macerata Opera Festival”, Senso (2010) commissioned by the “Teatro Massimo” in Palermo for the opening of the 2011 season.
Tutino was the creator and promoter - together with six other composers he invited - of the Requiem per le vittime della mafia (Requiem for the Mafia victims), performed in the Cathedral of Palermo on March 27th, 1993.
La Lupa was restaged at the “Szeged Opera House” (Hungary) in 1994 and in 1995, becoming the most important operatic success of its last 10 years. The recording of that opera, in 1990, received a prize awarded by the Presidency of the Italian Republic.
In 1994 the “Teatro alla Scala” commissioned and performed a Concert for clarinet, that will be also presented two years later by the “BBC Symphony Orchestra” in London.
His ballet Riccardo III (with the choreography of Gheorghe Iancu) was composed in 1995 for the “Teatro Sociale” in Rovigo and the “Teatro Comunale” in Treviso and reprogrammed the following year at the “Teatro La Fenice” in Venezia.
In the spring of 1997 the “Arena di Verona” honoured Marco Tutino with two opera’ commissions: Il Gatto con gli stivali and Pugacev. The first one was restaged during the 1999/2000 season at the “Opéra-Théâtre de Metz Métropole” thanks to an international coproduction.
In March 1998 the “Teatro Massimo” in Palermo included in his season’ program a new staging of La Lupa, with Marjana Pentcheva performing the main role.
In 1999 the lyric ballet Dylan Dog was performed for “Futuri”, a project created by Tutino for the “Arena di Verona”.
In 2000: two new staging of the Gatto con gli stivali took place in France and Germany; the Kyrie and the Agnus Dei were commissioned by the “Sagra Musicale Umbra” for the Jubilee celebrations in Rome; the musical Peter Pan was commissioned by the “Piccolo Teatro di Milano” and the “Teatro Vittorio Emanuele” in Messina put on stage Vite immaginarie.
In 2001 a new opera named Peter Uncino was commissioned by the “Teatro Filarmonico” in Verona with a text written by Michele Serra and with Milva and Riondino among the interpreters. The show was toured around Italy for thirty performances .
On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of its foundation, the “Opéra-Théâtre de Metz Métropole” produced a new staging of Cirano (March 2002). In September of the same year La Lupa had its German premiere in Erfurt.
In March 2003 a new staging of Il Gatto con gli stivali was presented in Erfurt; in the 2003/2004 season the opera was performed at the “Teatro dell’Opera” in Roma.
On April 28th, 2003 the Canto di Pace for tenor, choir and orchestra was broadcasted worldwide from the “Teatro delle Muse” in Ancona. Canto di Pace was composed by Tutino on the words by Pope Giovanni Paolo II and sung by Plácido Domingo. Subsequent interpretations of that piece were made by Roberto Alagna (September 2003) and by Andrea Bocelli with the “Maggio Musicale Fiorentino” Orchestra and Choir (April 2006).
The opera Vita, commissioned by the “Teatro alla Scala”, was performed in May 2003 by Anna Caterina Antonacci and Michele Pertusi.
The success of La Lupa was confirmed by two other new staging: in April 2006 at the “Teatro Sociale” in Rovigo (together with the ballet Dylan Dog ), and in 2008 at the “Teatro Comunale” in Bologna with Roberto Alagna in the main role.
Federico II was premiered in Italy in 2004 at the “Teatro Lirico” in Jesi , where it obtained a large success of public and critics.
After the huge success of Le Bel indifférent performed at the Macerata Festival as well as at the “Teatro Stabile” in Torino (2006), at the “Teatro Lirico” in Cagliari (2006) and at the “Montpellier Festival” (2007), Tutino presented in December 2005 a new opera for the “Teatro Comunale” in Modena: La bella e la bestia.
“Macerata Opera Festival” asked Tutino to compose a new opera based on Robin Maugham’s play The Servant. This opera was premiered in 2008 under the direction of Gabriele Lavia, earning an unanimous success of public and critics.
The Ostrava Opera House (Czeck Republic) performed many times La Lupa (2008) and Vita (2009), which was also staged in Szeged.
In 2010 the Servant was performed in Pilsen (Czeck Republic) and in Szeged (Hungary). Tutino’s music by this time became part of the great operatic repertoire.
In 2011, year of the 150th Italian Unification Anniversary, the “Teatro Massimo” in Palermo opened its season with a new opera by Tutino, Senso, with a large success of public and critics.
The “San Francisco Opera” asked Tutino to write a new opera (inspired to Alberto Moravia’s La Ciociara) for its 2014/2015 season. After Puccini, this was the first time that an United States theatre commissioned a new work to an Italian composer.
From 1990 Marco Tutino held important positions as a Musical Manager for Italian Opera Houses.
He was the artistic consultant of the “Teatro Valli” in Reggio Emilia from 1990 to 1993, where he realized, in coproduction with Bonn, a memorable Verdi’s Otello with Domingo and Nucci.
From 1990 to 1994 he was the artistic director of the “Pomeriggi Musicali” in Milano (cultural institution in charge of symphonic and lyric production for the Lombardia region).
From 1998 to 2002 he was appointed Artistic Consultant and Composer-in-residence at the “Arena di Verona”, where he created the project “Futuri”, a festival dedicated to the musical theatre for the new generations.
In 2002 he was appointed Artistic Director of the “Teatro Regio” in Torino, that he led to its artistic pinnacle: the “Teatro Regio” became the Italian Theatre with the highest number of subscribers and it acquired an International prestige.
In October 2006 he was appointed General Manager and Artistic Director of the “Teatro Comunale” in Bologna, where he started a challenging action aimed to settle its debts and reducing its economic deficit.
Marco Tutino was the founder of the “Scuola dell’Opera Italiana” (2008), an opera studio devoted to transmit and enhance the Italian style and tradition with the purpose of training highly qualified artistic and technical professionals.
From 2009 to 2011 Tutino was the President of the “Anfols”, the chamber of Italian Opera Foundations. During his mandate he started the renovation of a new collective agreement for the Italian Lyric Foundations employees.
Since 1990 Tutino has been publishing most of his works at Casa Musicale Sonzogno in Milan.
Costume design by Ivan Stefanutti for La Lupa (1990, Leghorn)
Costume design by Guido Fiorato for Cirano at the Opéra of Metz (2002)
The composer Marco Tutino, the protagonist Milva and the librettist Michele Serra after the first performance of Peter Uncino (Peter Hook) at the Teatro Filarmonico of Verona (2002)
Milva is Captain Hook, David Riondino is Peter Pan
The CD of La Lupa (Foné), winner of the Prize of the President of the Republic
