He was born in Cremona on 19/07/1920. At the end of the World War II, he began his studies at the Conservatory of Music of Parma and in1948 he won the first prize at the Bologna International Vocal Competition. His first performance took place the same year, on 9/10/1948 at the Teatro Pergolesi in Jesi, Italy, where he sang Figaro in the opera Il barbiere di Siviglia. An important milestone in Protti’s life was the year 1950, when he appeared for the first time at La Scala in Milan, as Amonasro in Aida, together with Maria Callas. This interpretation of his gave rise to many other appearances in the most important opera houses in the world, including the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where he played Rigoletto in the opera of the same name by Verdi, a role with which he spent most of his life and for which he was engaged 425 times(!), at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, where he appeared as Marcello (La bohème) and Barnaba (La Gioconda), but also in the Arena di Verona where he sang the role of Don Carlo in Giuseppe Verdi’s opera La forza del destino. Since 1957, Protti worked regularly with the Vienna State Opera, where he sang all the important and demanding roles of the repertoire, especially during the period when Herbert von Karajan was artistic director (1957-1964). For his charismatic voice and the uniqueness of his interpretations, he received several awards both on a national and international level. At the Greek National Opera, he sang twice (1962 & 1968) the role of Nabucco. His last stage appearance was in 1989, when he performed excerpts from Nabucco in Verdi's hometown, Le Roncole in Parma. He passed away on 10/08/1995 in Cremona. // Last update of the biography: October 2023 - The list of the productions below is complete.