Alfredo Costa

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Alfredo Costa (1874–1913) was an Italian operatic baritone from Rome who built an international career from 1900 until his death at 39. He sang in Italian and French operas and performed in Italy, Brazil, Chile, France, Portugal, Ukraine, and the United States. His voice was recorded for Pathé in 1908, as well as for Odeon and a Buenos Aires project.

Costa began as a photographer with his father in Rome. He studied singing at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia under Antonio Cotogni from 1894. He made his professional debut in 1900 as Renato in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera at Pinerolo, and that same year sang Lescaut in Manon in Mirandola.

He worked at many Italian theaters in the early 1900s, including Rome, Milan, Naples, Prato, Trieste, and Sassari, taking roles such as Alfio, Figaro, Marcello, and Silvio. His first performances outside Italy came in Bucharest in 1901 as Silvio, and from 1901 to 1903 he sang at Lisbon’s National Theatre, including Caoudal in Sapho and reprises of De Siriex, Marcello, and Silvio.

In 1902 he made his South American debut as Figaro in Rio de Janeiro, followed by performances in São Paulo and Odessa (1903–04). He performed in Paris in 1905 and in Chile in 1908–09. In 1910 he joined the Chicago Grand Opera Company, touring to Philadelphia with the company and staying with them through 1912, singing roles such as Amonasro, Count di Luna, and Silvio, among others.

Costa died of nephritis in Naples in 1913. He was married to soprano Isabella Orbellini.