Tito Capobianco

Tito Capobianco (born 28 August 1931, in La Plata, Argentina) is a noted stage director of opera.

He made his official debut with Aïda, at the Teatro Argentino, La Plata, in 1953, then worked at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. His American debut came in 1964 with a production of Carmen at the Philadelphia Grand Opera Company, with Jean Madeira in the title role.

Capobianco is former Artistic Director of the Cincinnati Opera Festival (1961 to 1965) and the Cincinnati Opera (1962 to 1965) before moving to the New York City Opera in 1965 with Les contes d'Hoffmann, a production which included Beverly Sills and Norman Treigle in the cast. Then followed posts at the San Diego Opera and the Pittsburgh Opera, 1983–2000, where his 17-year tenure was described as: "armed with a towering personality, glittering charisma and determined artistic vision, he's ruled the Pittsburgh Opera - sometimes, say his critics, with an iron fist."

A man who has been described as difficult to work with and who "admits his intense management and directing style was at times hard on his singers and staff: "I am obsessed with something that does not exist: perfection.", Capobianco seemed to relish the control which the post of general director gave to him: "The impetus of general director was the assurance to me that I could do whatever I wanted. There will be nobody except the board to stop me. I don't believe in democracy in the arts. You don't use four persons to do the same painting."

Capobianco was to become one of the City Opera's important directors, mounting ground-breaking productions including Alberto Ginastera's Don Rodrigo (with Plácido Domingo), Giulio Cesare (which brought Sills to preëminence in 1966), Le Coq d'Or, Manon, Mefistofele (with Treigle in his greatest role), Lucia di Lammermoor, Les contes d'Hoffmann, I puritani, Il turco in Italia and the world premiere of Menotti's La loca.

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