The tenor Vittorio Grigolo was born on February 19, 1977 in Arezzo, Tuscany, and grew up in Rome in a family of music lovers. He discovered a passion for music at the age of 4, then joined the Sistine Chapel Choir at the age of 9, where he remained there for four years as a soloist. Vittorio Grigolo made his opera debut at 13 as Little Shepherd in Tosca at the Rome Opera House, opposite Pavarotti. From then on, he was nicknamed Il Pavarottino (the Little Pavarotti) by the Italian press. Vittorio Grigolo joined the Vienna Opera at the age of 18 before becoming the youngest singer debuting on the stage at La Scala in Milan at 23 for two concerts conducted by Riccardo Muti. Attached to his roots, Vittorio Grigolo distinguished himself in various Verdian roles and having studied at a French college, the tenor developed a great interest in French romantic opera.