Santiago Ballerini is recognized in the Americas as one of the leading tenors in Bel Canto repertoire. Respected and celebrated by his colleagues, directors and theaters around the world, Ballerini hails from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and has sung in all major opera houses in South and north America.   Ballerini   will be covering the roles of Don Ottavio in Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” and  Count  Almaviva in Rossini’s  “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in season 2016- 2017.  He also returns this season to the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires as il Tenor Italiano in “Der RosenKavalier” from Strauss and as Don Ramiro in “Cenerentola” at Teatro Argentino. 

This past season, Ballerini made his United States debut at the Caramoor Festival in New York as Fernand in “La Favorite” to rave reviews. He will return to Caramoor in July of 2017 to sing Gualtiero in Bellini’s “Il Pirata.” He also sang the role of Tybalt with The Atlanta Opera in its production of “Romeo et Juliette”in 2016. 

  After singing the role of Conde Libenskof in “Il Viaggio a Reims” at the prestigious Teatro Bellas Artes in Mexico City in 2016, Ballerini returned to the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires to sing Jünge Graf in Zimmerman’s “Die Soldaten.”

In January of 2016, Ballerini was awarded the Grand Prize at the “Laguna Magica” international Vocal Competition in Chile, receiving invitations to sing Cassio in Otello with Teatro Artgentino and to sing with Tenerife Opera. Ballerini was a semifinalist in the “Fancisc Vinas” at the Liceu Theatre and the Argentine Finalist at the Neue Stimmen Competition in Dresden, Germany. He won First Prize at the National Competition of “Festivals Musicales,” The “ Americas society Competition,” and the “Opera San Juan Competition.”  

 Highlights of past seasons include performances at Teatro Solis in Montevideo singing the role of Nemorino in Donizetti’s “L’elisir d’amore” with baritone Mr. Erwin Schrott, and multiple performances at Teatro Colon including Prometeo in “Prometeo” from Luigi Nono, and Arbace in Mozart’s “Idomeneo.” He also performed Lindoro (“Italiana in Algeri”) at Teatro Argentino, Belmonte (“Die entfürung aus dem Serrail”), Lord Perci (“Anna Bolena”), Gennaro (“Lucrezia Borgia”), Ferrando (“Cosi fan Tutte”), Ernesto (“Don Pasquale”) Alfred (“Die Fledermaus”), Tebaldo (“I Capuleti e I Montecchi”) at Teatro Avenida, Don Ottavio (“Don Giovanni”), Romeo and Tybalt (“Romeo et Juliette”), Jaquino(“Fidelio”) at Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and  Tamino (“Die Zauberflöte”) at Teatro Libertador in Cordoba. Also sang Beethoven’s 9th at Colsubsidio Theatre’s  re-opening, in Bogota, Colombia. 

In 2014, Ballerini was awarded the “Upcoming Opera Singer” in Argentina by the Congress of Argentina and the Argentine Association of Critics. He also was a featured soloist for the “50th MET Anniversary Gala” honoring Sherrill Milnes, and was a scholarship recipient to study with Mr. Milnes.  Before starting his professional singing career, Ballerini was a pianist for nine years, and also studied Music Therapy at the Universidad de Buenos Aires, specializing in addiction treatment.