Mario Cassi made his operatic debut in 2001 within "Voci in Musica", workshop organized by Musica per Roma, performing Guglielmo (Così Fan Tutte) and Signor Lupo (Henze’s Pollicino) conducted by Claire Gibault and directed by Daniele Abbado. He won several prestigious international competitions: "Toti Dal Monte" in 2002; "Viotti" in 2002 ("Cesare Bardelli" Special Prize); Placido Domingo Operalia in 2003 (Zarzuela Prize); and Spiros Argiris in 2004 (2nd Prize). He is specializing under the guidance of Bruno De Simone and Alessandra Rossi De Simone. He also graduated in Economics form the University of Florence.
He has collaborated with such conductors as Riccardo Muti, Corrado Rovaris, Patrick Fournillier, Donato Renzetti, Christophe Rousset and Paolo Olmi and directors as Pier Luigi Pizzi, Stefano Vizioli, Stefano Mazzoni di Palafrera, Micha van Hoecke, Irina Brook, Daniele Abbado, Antonio Calenda, David McVicar, Carlos Saura and Micha Makeieff. His operatic repertoire spans from Handel, Porpora and Mozart to contemporary music, with special attention to the Italian belcanto works.
He participated in several premières, including: Luca Lombardi’s Palermo e Corona at the Accademia Filarmonica in Rome in 2001; Veiano (music by Matteo D'Amico and text by Sandro Cappelletto) at the Todi Arte Festival, broadcast live by Italy’s public radio RAI-Radio 3; Marchetti's Romeo e Giulietta at the Festival della Valle d'Itria in Martina Franca; L'Ape Musicale produced by Attilio Cremonesi in Jesi; and La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein (Barone Grog) at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice.
Mr. Cassi is a returning guest at many of Europe’s most prestigious theaters and festivals. Among his successful collaborations: La Scala di Seta(Germano), recorded for Bongiovanni (2001); Hansel und Gretel (Father) at the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome; Ravel’s L'Enfant et les sortilèges(Horloge Comtoise and Le Chat) at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, Don Pasquale (Dottor Malatesta) in Ravenna, production that will be soon released in DVD and was toured in Moscow, Liège, Cologne and Paris under the baton of Riccardo Muti; La Cenerentola (Dandini) in Treviso, Pisa, Lucca and Livorno; a Gala concert with Placido Domingo and the other winners of the Operalia 2003 in Mainau Island (broadcast by Germany’s public television); Così Fan Tutte in Trieste, Lucca, at the Piccolo Teatro in Milan and at the Opéra de Lausanne; Il Signor Bruschino (Bruschino Padre) and La Cambiale di Matrimonio at the Galuppo Festival in Venice; Gianni Schicchi (title role) in S. Giovanni Valdarno; Salieri's La Grotta di Trofonio(Plistene) conducted by Christophe Rousset in Lausanne, production recorded with Les Talens Lyriques for the label Ambroisie (2005); Faust (Valentin) at the Ravenna Festival under the baton of Patrick Fournillier and at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia; Il Turco in Italia (Prosdocimo) at the Teatro Regio in Turin and in Rome; Giulio Cesare(Achilla) staged by Irina Brook at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris; Falstaff (Ford) opposite Renato Bruson in Chieti and Salerno; L'Italiana in Algeri (Haly) in Bologna; Il Califfo di Bagdad (Cadi) with Les Talens Lyriques and Chrtistophe Rousset in Granada, Madrid and Barcelona; Maria Stuarda(Lord Guglielmo Cecil) in Macerata; Un Ballo in Maschera (Silvano) in Florence; Il Matrimonio Segreto (Conte Robinson), Maria Stuarda (Roberto Conte di Leicester) and Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro) at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie in Liège; La Favorita in Bergamo; Il Matrimonio Inaspettato in Ravenna and Piacenza; and Iphigenie en Aulide in Rome.
He has recently performed La Calisto(Mercurio) in Paris; Carmen and La Cenerentola (Dandini) in Valencia; Die Zauberflöte, Le nozze di Figaroand La Bohème (Marcello) in Liège; I Pagliacci(Silvio) at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan; I Due Figaro in Ravenna and Salzburg conducted by Riccardo Muti; Il Barbiere di Siviglia and a recital at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro; Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro in Liege; I Due Figaro in Madrid under Riccardo Muti; L'Elisir d'Amore (Belcore) in Palermo.
His future collaborations include L'Italiana in Algeri, Lucia di Lammermoor and La Cenerentola in Liège; L'Elisir d'Amore(Belcore) at the Wiener Staatsoper; La Bohème and Rigoletto in Milan; Il Barbiere di Siviglia in Valencia; Così fan tutte in Bari; Maria Stuarda in Florence; I Pagliacci in Toulouse.
