What he's doing with us: Italian Ferruccio Furlanetto, one of the world's most famous basses, makes his COC debut in the title role of our spring production of Massenet's Don Quichotte.

Where you might have seen him: A starring artist at the Metropolitan Opera for over 30 years, Ferruccio Furlanetto may be most recognizable for his performance as Philip II in the Met's 2010 production of Don Carlos, which was broadcast on Met Live in HD. But he has dozens of recordings and DVDs under his belt, and opera aficionados may be most familiar with recordings of his performances with the Royal Opera House and the Vienna State Opera.

His background: Ferruccio started at the top and never looked back. His professional debut was in 1974, and by 1979 he was on stage at La Scala in Verdi's Macbeth, and made his debuts at the Glyndebourne Festival and the Metropolitan Opera the next year. While he's performed at all the major opera houses worldwide, his North American appearances have primarily been at the San Diego Opera and the Metropolitan Opera, so Toronto audiences are in for a treat this spring when he makes his first Canadian appearance!

Interviews and profiles:  Musical Criticism spoke to Ferruccio about his performance in Verdi's Attila and his time working with current Don Quichotte co-star Quinn Kelsey, ConcertoNet recently spoke with Ferruccio about his most famous role as Philip in Don Carlos, and Opera Now dedicated a three-page spread to Ferruccio's history and career.

What's next for Ferruccio: A world-famous bass never rests! Ferruccio spends this fall performing in Don Carlos and Simon Boccanegra at the Vienna State Opera, in Aida at Teatro di San Carlo, and as the title character in three different productions of Boris Godunov in the winter before he joins the COC for Don Quichotte.

You can find more interviews, videos and audio clips of Ferruccio on his official website.

Watch Ferruccio in the video below, singing the famous "Catalog Aria" from Don Giovanni.

Photos: (top) Ferruccio Furlanetto. Photo by Igor Sakharov.