Born in Cadegliano, Italy, 7 July 1911
Died in Monte Carlo, 1 Feb 2007
- Gian Carlo Menotti had already written two operas by the time he enrolled at the Milan Conservatory at 13 years old. When he was in his late teens, he emigrated to the U.S. to study at the Curtis Institute, where he developed a close friendship with fellow student Samuel Barber. The two would become life partners and collaborate on several works together.
- Menotti built a successful career for himself as a librettist, composer, and director. He wrote the libretto for two of Barber’s operas as well. He fused music and theater, with many of his operas produced on Broadway rather than in the opera house.
- In 1950, Menotti won his first Pulitzer Prize for his opera, The Consul. He earned a second Pulitzer in 1955 for his opera, The Saint of Bleecker Street.
- The Consul marked the first time an opera had won a Pulitzer Prize.
- Fun tie-in to radio: Commissioned by NBC in 1939, The Old Maid and the Thief was one of the earliest operas written specifically for radio.
- Furthermore, Amahl and the Night Visitors, also commissioned by NBC, was the first opera specifically written for television.1
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Biography via Ricordi
Sources
- Bruce Archibald and Jennifer Barnes, “Menotti, Gian Carlo,” Grove Music Online (2024), accessed May 27, 2026, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000018410.