“We spend all our lives trying to find the right tone… I say forget the tone…Find yourself, and then you can sing.”
“You have only two jobs to do as a performer…Make me laugh…make me cry.”
-Daniel Ferro
Daniel Ferro was graduated from The Juilliard School and Columbia University. As a Fulbright Fellow, he studied in Europe at the Accademia Chigiana, Siena, the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Rome, and at the Mozarteum of Salzburg. Subsequently, Mr. Ferro performed opera and concert engagements throughout Europe. Upon returning to the United States, he chaired the voice department at Butler University, and later at the Manhattan School of Music. In 1972, Mr. Ferro joined the vocal faculty of The Juilliard School and continued on the faculty until 2006, when he received the distinction of becoming vocal faculty emeritus. He continued his affiliation at Juilliard by providing master classes. Mr. Ferro maintained a private studio, working with international artists including: Kathleen Battle, Barbara Hendricks, Evelyn Lear, Ruggero Raimondi, Régine Crespin, Anna Moffo, Neil Shicoff, Lucille Beer, Alan Titus, Neil Rosenshein, Richard Stilwell, Joann Grillo, Patricia Brooks, Thomas Stewart, Sándor Kónya, Ruth Welting, Berit Lindholm, Judith Raskin, Florence Quivar, Spiro Malas, Michael Devlin, Susanne Mentzer, Mayda Prado, Ning Liang, Kevin Short, Gail Dobish, Hei-Kyung Hong, Young OK Shin, Frederick Burchinal, In Hye Kim, Arthur Woodley, Robert Smith, Carolyn Sebron, Theresa Santiago, Ying Huang, Martin Bruns, Ricardo Herrera, Don Frazure, Peter Castaldi, Daniel Ihn-Kyu Lee and Alexander Hajek. Mr. Ferro’s singers continue to distinguish themselves in opera houses worldwide and in major competitions such as the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the Walter W. Naumburg Competition and the Licia Albanese-Puccini International Vocal Competition. In 2008, Robert Dean Smith, a Juilliard graduate, made his Metropolitan Opera debut in the role of Tristan in a high profile performance of Tristan and Isolde.
Mr. Ferro also counted among his students many who have become successful teachers at leading conservatories and universities.
Mr. Ferro dedicated himself to sharing his knowledge at institutions throughout the world, including: Conservatoire de Musique, Montréal; Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto; Rubin Academy , Jerusalem; Aspen Music Festival; Shanghai Conservatory of Music; The Royal Academy of Music, Stockholm, Sweden; Britten-Pears School for Advanced Musical Studies; Accademia Chigiana; Opéra de Paris; Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris; Fondation Royaumont of France; Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico; Holland Music Sessions; Yeong Pyong Festival, South Korea; Australian National Academy of Music; and San Francisco Opera Center. Mr. Ferro also founded the Spoleto Vocal Institute. Mr. Ferro was Founder and Artistic Director of the Daniel Ferro Vocal Program, which is celebrating it’s twenty-fourth year in Greve-in-Chianti, Italy.
In 1988, he was decorated by the French government with the title “Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.” In 2001, he received the distinction of Honorary Citizen of Greve in Chianti. In 2002, Mr. Ferro received an Award of Appreciation from the Republic of Korea for his years of teaching and dedication.
In a career that stretched across five continents, six decades, and included decorations by three governments for his extraordinary contributions to the arts, Daniel Ferro has taught some of opera’s most legendary voices. He counted among his students many who have become successful teachers at leading conservatories and universities worldwide.