Native New Yorker Mark Cortale will sing the role of Biaso in Wolf-Ferrari’s I Gioielli della Madonna in May 2010 with Teatro Grattacielo at Lincoln Center. This October he appears with the New York Repertory Orchestra singing Chausson’s Poeme de L’Amour and de la Mer under the direction of Maestro David Liebowitz.

Mark sang the role of Dr. Blind in Die Fledermaus this past March, 2009 with New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera. In the fall of 2008 he appeared with Varla Jean Merman at the Boston Center for the Arts for Theater Offensive’s Out on the Edge Festival. In April 2007, Mark made his debut at Sydney Opera House singing the role of Samson in Anatomically Incorrect. He also sang Jacquino in Fidelio with the Cape Cod Opera and Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors with the California Opera Ensemble.

Mark has worked with Concert Opera Philadelphia where he performed the role of Tonio in La Fille Du Regiment.   He apprenticed with the Des Moines Metro Opera and then toured with Opera Iowa singing Ferrando in Cosi Fan Tutte. Other regional credits include Nemorino in L’Elisir D’Amore, Beppe in Pagliacci, Henrik in A Little Night Music, Nikolai in Chess and Pirelli in Sweeney Todd.

Mark has also appeared Off-Broadway in Splendora, The Matchmaker and Flahooley.  He worked with Provincetown Repertory Theatre where he performed the role of Tony in their acclaimed production of Terrence McNally’s Master Class. He made his European debut as Remy in Ken Hill’s Phantom of the Opera at the Frankfurt Oper. Oratorial work includes Uriel in The Creation and the Mozart Requiem with the North Shore Symphony on Long Island. Mark studied with Antonietta Stella and Nicola della Santina at the Giovani All’ Opera in Rome. He is a graduate of the Mannes College of Music and the William Esper Acting Studio. He won a Max Kade Fellowship this past summer to study and sing in German at Middlebury College.