Known for his refined interpretations of the buffo and bel canto repertoire, Italian bass Donato Di Stefano has built an international career distinguished by vocal warmth, musicality, and a strong stage presence.

In the 2024–25 season, he returns to the role of Don Pasquale at the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe and Oper Frankfurt, following recent performances of the same role at the Tiroler Festspiele Erl. He also sings Don Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro at the Oper Frankfurt and takes on the title role of Gianni Schicchi in Oldenburg. Among his upcoming engagements is the role of Geronte de Ravoir in Puccini’s Manon Lescaut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona.

Recent highlights include the title role in Don Pasquale at the Donizetti Bicentennial Festival in Bergamo, Mustafà in L’Italiana in Algeri at the Rossini Opera Festival in a celebrated production by Dario Fo, and Don Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro at the Salzburg Festival under the baton of Nikolaus Harnoncourt and direction by Luc Bondy. He performed Dulcamara in L’Elisir d’amore at the Savonlinna Festival, and sang the title role in Falstaff at the Saito Kinen Festival under Seiji Ozawa.

A sought-after artist in major houses across Europe, North America, and Asia, Di Stefano has appeared at Teatro alla Scala, the Rossini Opera Festival, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Teatro San Carlo, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Teatro Massimo, Teatro La Fenice and Teatro Regio di Parma. His international engagements include appearances at the Metropolitan Opera, Dallas Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Minnesota Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, Staatsoper Berlin, Oper Frankfurt, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Staatsoper Hamburg, the Canadian Opera Company, Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Opéra de Montréal, Opéra Garnier, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Teatro Real Madrid, São Carlos Lisbon, New National Theatre Tokyo, Shanghai Grand Theatre, and the Israeli Opera, among many others.

He has worked with a prestigious roster of conductors, including Seiji Ozawa, Riccardo Muti, James Levine, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Chailly, Bruno Campanella, Pier Giorgio Morandi, and Lorenzo Viotti, as well as acclaimed directors such as Dario Fo, Luc Bondy, Robert Wilson, Giancarlo Del Monaco, Hugo De Ana, and Pier Luigi Pizzi.

His discography includes L’Italiana in Algeri (Opéra National de Nancy), Le Nozze di Figaro (Naxos), La Traviata (Philips), Il Matrimonio Segreto (Innsbruck Festival), and several televised productions for RAI and French national television. He was nominated for Canada’s Dora Mavor Moore Award for his portrayal of Don Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia.

Donato Di Stefano studied at the Conservatorio “L. Refice” in Frosinone and was a prizewinner at numerous competitions, including the Giuseppe Verdi (Parma), As.Li.Co. (Milan), and Mario Del Monaco competitions in Castelfranco Veneto and Marsala.