Considered one of the most important baritones of his generation, Roberto Frontali has gained attention at such leading theaters as the Royal Opera House, the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Wiener Staatsoper, Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels, Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Staatsoper Hamburg, and San Francisco Opera. At the beginning of his career, Frontali dedicated himself to the bel canto roles of Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti, later moving on to Verdi and more recently Puccini and verismo repertoire. In the early 90’s, he debuted in the United States at the Metropolitan Opera with L’elisir d’amore and in Milan at La Scala with Beatrice di Tenda.

In the 2016/17 season, Frontali sang De Guiche in Cyrano de Bergerac at the Metropolitan Opera, Carlo Gérard in Andrea Chénier at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Scarpia in Tosca at the Caracalla Festival, the title role of Rigoletto at Wiener Staatsoper, Il Conte di Luna in Il Trovatore at the Teatro Lirico in Cagliari, and Tonio in Pagliacci at the Teatro Regio di Torino. Other notable productions include Jack Rance in La fanciulla del West at the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, Michonnet in Adriana Lecouvreur, Carlo Gérard at Wiener Staatsoper, the title role in Guillaume Tell at the Teatro Massimo Palermo, Alfio in Cavalleria rusticana and Tonio at the Royal Opera House, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly at the Metropolitan Opera, Amonasro in Aida at Staatsoper Hamburg, the title role in Simon Boccanegra with Opéra de Lausanne, and Scarpia at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples.

Frontali has worked with a number of important conductors in many notable engagements throughout his career, including Claudio Abbado in Il Barbiere di Siviglia; Riccardo Muti (with whom he worked for a decade at La Scala) in La traviata, Falstaff, and Don Pasquale; Zubin Mehta in La forza del destino, Lucia di Lammermoor and Falstaff; Myung Whun-Chung in Don Carlos at Semperoper Dresden and Rigoletto at La Fenice; and Semyon Bychkov in La bohème, Eugene Onegin and Don Carlos. 

Highlights from recent seasons include Michonnet in Adriana Lecouvreur at Wiener Staatsoper and La Monnaie; the title role in Simon Boccanegra at Teatro Colon, Wiener Staatsoper and in Berlin; Iago in Otello at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Teatro Regio di Torino, and Macerata Festival; the title role of Rigoletto at the Metropolitan Opera and Teatro Real; Miller in Luisa Miller at Staatsoper Hamburg; the title role in Falstaff at the Los Angeles Opera and Opéra de Lausanne; Jack Rance in La fanciulla del West at the San Francisco Opera and Teatro Massimo di Palermo; Alfio in Cavalleria rusticana at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma; Scarpia at the Royal Opera House, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, San Francisco Opera, and in Venice, São Paulo and Tokyo; Michele and Schicchi in Il Trittico at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Theater an der Wien, and in Copenaghen; the title role of Macbeth in Paris and Golaud in Pelléas et Mélisande in Florence, both under Daniele Gatti; and Giorgio in La traviata in Rome.