Giacomo Rimini

Giacomo Rimini (March 22, 1887 – March 6, 1952) was an Italian-American operatic baritone. He was most admired for his interpretations of the works of Giuseppe Verdi.

Biography Giacomo Rimini was born and raised in Verona, Italy. His father, Riccardo Rimini, descended from Sephardic Jews long resident in Verona; his mother, Giulia Sottopera, was Catholic. Rimini studied at the Verona Music Conservatory with Amelia Conti Foroni. He began his operatic career in Italy in his early twenties. His first lead role was as Escamillo in Bizet's Carmen at the age of 22. In 1910 he sang the role of Albert in Massenet's Werther at the municipal theater of Desenzano. He sang with many notable Italian opera houses over the next several years including the Teatro Regio (Turin), the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, and at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome. In 1915, Rimini was chosen by Arturo Toscanini to sing the title role in Verdi's Falstaff at the Teatro del Verme in Milan. He reprised the role later that year with Toscanini at La Scala in the presence of King Victor Emmanuel III.

Also in 1915, Rimini met in Bologna Polish Jewish opera singer Rosa Raisa and the two of them fell in love with each other. They moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1916 where they would both establish a long association with the Chicago City Opera Company, the Chicago Civic Opera, and the Ravinia Festival. Rimini had been married once previously to a woman from Rome, Raffaella Bettei. Rimini and Raisa married in 1920 after moving to Chicago and became naturalized citizens of the United States in 1923.

In addition to Falstaff and Escamillo, Rimini was admired for his portrayals of the title role in Verdi's Rigoletto, Iago in Verdi's Otello, Amonasro in Verdi's Aida, Renato in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera, Figaro in Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia, Tonio in Pagliacci, Barnaba in Amilcare Ponchielli's La Gioconda among others. In addition to frequently singing opposite his wife on the operatic and concert stage, Rimini also performed frequently with Amelita Galli-Curci. The two of them sang their first Figaro and Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia together with the Chicago Opera Company among many other performances.