As he walks onto the stage at the Düsseldorf concert hall in Germany, Ricardo Marinello literally lights up the room. There’s a cherubic charm and inner beauty to this man that—even if he couldn’t hold a note—would still demand you sit and listen to him. As luck has it, he is one of the most brilliant tenors I have ever listened to, and clearly, he is walking in the footsteps of Pavarotti. Talent is in abundant supply in Europe, and there is surely no shortage of tenors who aspire to take the place of the great Pavarotti.
So, what makes Ricardo Marinello stand out?
At the young age of 36, Ricardo is taking the classical music world by storm and, in his own way, reimagining what this niche of the music industry is—and can be. His audience is infinitely more diverse than one would expect. Grey hair was in evidence throughout the venue as I sat awaiting his appearance, but there was a highly visible and surprising concentration of youth that evening, which is a testament to Ricardo’s ability—and commitment—to bring younger audiences to the table.
The snobbish “royalty only” perception of opera is broken down from the very first moment you encounter Ricardo. In a world of hate and anger, war, and financial crisis after financial crisis, there’s a monumentally calming effect to great music—especially classical music performed with heart.
For me, it’s a momentary escape from the negative headlines of CNN or Rome’s La Repubblica, and a chance to regain some calm and comfort in your life. In the words of Ricardo Marinello:
I want to make people happy. A teacher once told me: If one person walks into your concert one way, and walks out changed, you’ve won. If I can lift someone who’s had a bad day, just by singing one song, that’s worth more than money to me.”
— RICARDO MARINELLO
“Music is peace.”
As you would expect, he is a big man with a big voice and an even bigger passion. Music entirely consumes his life. Whether it’s his fascination with Elvis or his love affair with Pavarotti, musicality runs through his blood.
“I sing all the time. I sing in the shower, I sing on the streets, I sing when I am sitting alone or working out in the gym. It’s just what I do. I sing every day. I sing when I make my espresso. I cannot shut my mouth. And even if I don’t have the voice, I do it internally. It’s crazy. Try telling your brain to turn off. It’s like my passion—so music, for me, is like breathing!”
Born to a German mother and an Italianfather who hailed from a small town,Roccamena, in the province of Palermo, Sicilia, Ricardo Marinello’s love affair with musicsurprisingly didn’t come from his parents.It began instead at the tender age of 8, when he first saw Pavarotti on TV.
“My passion began with the Three Tenors.I saw them at home on TV and I was so in love with their voices. But of all the three,it was Pavarotti that went into my heart right away. I started to copy the voices. Ihave some recordings from 2001—when I was a little kid—I sang Ramazzotti, Tiziano Ferro, and Michael Jackson. My voice was hilarious, but the coluor wast here already.”
“And then, in the ’90s, I listened toPavarotti and Friends, with Pavarotti singing alongside contemporary musicians like Sting, George Michael, and Celine Dion. That’s where my passion grew. So, at 16 years old, I started my profession. I went to a teacher for classesand training.”
Little did the young Marinello know howrapidly Ricardo Marinello’s career would take off.
Just three years later, Marinello found himself on the stage of Germany’s Got Talent. In a sea of amazing capabilities,his voice and persona stood out—and he won the competition. His final performance, Andrea Bocelli’s signature Time to Say Goodbye, clinched the title.
I first encountered Ricardo Marinello on an Instagram post—an Instagram post of a TikTok video where he garnered over five million views by unexpectedly breaking into song in a restaurant and capturing the surprised reactions of patrons. When you encounter artists of this calibre, it’s surprising to see a second talent surface.In this case: marketing.
At first, I thought it was a little gimmicky—that it might undermine the talent he clearly possessed. But on reflection, I realized it was his way of broadening the market and appeal of classical music, allowing it to cross over into younger demographics.
I brought this up with him, referencing Pavarotti being booed at La Scala in his later years when his voice broke. Critics had said he had abandoned his classical roots for popularity.
Ricardo scoffed:
“Listen, firstly, every great singer’s voice will occasionally break. The opera snobs love to attack this—but the masses still love Pavarotti. He broadened the appeal of opera by collaborating with popular musicians of the day. And as you said, he was criticized because of his popularity during Pavarotti and Friends—but you know what? I don’t give a damn. We are singers. We want to perform for the people—whether it’s opera or crossover. Music is for everybody. It’s not just for queens or aristocrats. Even Mozart wrote music for everybody.”
And to be certain, this is exactly what Marinello is doing today.
…music, for me, is like breathing!
— RICARDO MARINELLO
Watching him walk through the streets of Düsseldorf was like hanging with a rock star. Constantly being stopped for autographs. Constantly posing for selfies. His notoriety in Europe is exceptional—and his trajectory is thrilling to witness.
“When I started my career as a singer, there were tons of kids who listened to my music. They loved it. I got messages from all over the world from parents saying: When I saw your videos, my kids wanted to go to the opera. That is the best compliment I can get. We all know opera is in decline. It’s not because people don’t want it—but because we don’t have a superstar like Pavarotti anymore. That voice, that passion, that color in the tone that goes straight into the heart—that is what opera needs. And even if you sing Mozart and even if you sing Puccini, that doesn’t exist anymore. That’s the key.”
Marinello’s reach across social media is astounding.
“I don’t call myself an influencer. I want to bring emotion to people. I think, with my followers, I’m the biggest in terms of social media in classical music. Aida Garifullina has 1.1 million followers on Instagram. On TikTok, I have 1.1 million. On Instagram, 650,000. That’s more than Jonas Kaufmann.”
With all his references to the great Pavarotti, I asked if he had ever seen him perform live. A sad, pained look crossed his face.
“No, no. That’s a shame. He came here in 2005 for his farewell tour. A friend of mine was there. But at that time the tickets were, I don’t know, 500 euros—and that was a lot back then.”
I got messages from all over the world from parents saying: When I saw your videos, my kids wanted to go to the opera. That is the best compliment I can get.
— RICARDO MARINELLO
Humility is typically in short supply in the entertainment world, but not with this man.
“I don’t know if I have the most beautiful voice—I don’t know. But I love to sing. I can’t say, ‘I have the biggest voice.’ I’m a singer. I want to make people happy. A teacher once told me: If one person walks into your concert one way, and walks out changed, you’ve won. If I can lift someone who’s had a bad day, just by singing one song, that’s worth more than money to me.”
From my perspective, great performers make you laugh, reflect, and cry. At the Düsseldorf concert, Marinello made me do all three.
“That’s a big compliment. I think a lot of performers make it about themselves and forget the joy of sharing. But you also have to do it for yourself. Otherwise, you get drained. You need people around you who lift you up, not pull you down.”
From the moment I met him, I could feel the love in his heart. He radiates warmth. As a single father to an adorable daughter, Mariella—who I had the privilege of meeting at the concert—the father-daughter bond is clear.
“She’s so intelligent. She can sing, dance, draw like crazy. She makes me happy. She’s full of light. Sometimes I only see her once every two weeks—and if I can’t on that day, it breaks my heart. But I work. I work for her too.”
I couldn’t help but ask if there’s someone special in his life now.
“Women fall in love with me, but then they see what I do. I just want to come home and relax—and to find someone who talks to you in a positive way is very rare. When you’re single, you have no problems. You can do whatever you want. But long term? You don’t want to die alone.”
So what’s next? What does the future hold?
“You have to love what you do. I want to make more videos, do more concerts—that’s what I love. And I have a project in the works to make my own music—not songs I write, but ones written for me. Because in today’s world, you need something that feels personal. Like Bocelli—when you go to his concert, you want to hear Time to Say Goodbye. You can imagine, back in ’99, when the Three Tenors sang Nessun Dorma, it hit the pop charts. I want a career like Mario Lanza—he was the first real crossover tenor, doing opera and movies. That’s what I want.”
He shared an incredible story about composing a melody in his sleep.
“Last year in February, I woke up at 5 a.m. with a melody in my head. I went to my piano and recorded it. I forgot about it until a friend—he’s a producer in Germany—said he wanted to work with me. I played him the song. We wrote lyrics that same day. Now we’re waiting on a singer who won Britain’s Got Talent—Sydnie Christmas. She’s in New York performing with David Foster, but she told me, ‘I saw your videos—I’m in love with your voice.’ That means the world to me.”
And then—mid-dinner, mid-interview—he breaks into “Come Prima… For The First Time I’m In Love.”
Patrons turn to smile. Phones come out. The street traffic slows as passersby are treated to this impromptu serenade by a world-class tenor.
The heir-apparent to Pavarotti? With a little luck, we’ll see Ricardo Marinello cross over the Atlantic soon—perhaps even in Canada. – VV
Photography by Michael S. Media
