The Italian Baritone Paolo Ruggiero had his debut in German speaking countries in 2002 at the Stadttheater Klagenfurt with the part of Scarpia (Tosca). Followed by Nabucco in spring 2003 and 2004, he also sang the part of Mustafa (Italiana in Algeri) and several Wagner gala concerts. In the summer of 2003 Paolo Ruggiero had his debut in Germany with a tour, that brought him to several different cities. Within this tour he sang the part of Amonasro (Aida), at the Monschau Festival, at the Hachenburg Festival and at the Ludwigsburger Festival, and the part of Nabucco at the Schwetzinger Festival, Koblenz Festival, Innsbrucker Festival and the Aschaffenburger Festival. In September 2003 he sang Morales (Carmen) in Gelsenkirchen (Arena Auf Schalke). Then he sang among others, Macbeth at the Opera National de Sofja (November 2003), Gomez (I Guarany) in a concert performance in Budapest (March 2004), Sharpless (Madama Butterfly) at the Teatro Pérez Galdos, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and Friedhold (Richard Strauss’ Guntram,) in Catania and Palermo (2005).
In the season 2004/05 he guested a.o. as Don Alfonso (Così fan tutte) and in the title role ofDon Pasquale at the Stadttheater Klagenfurt, as Jago (Otello) in Sofia, as Sharpless (Madama Butterfly) in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, as Don Alfonso (Lucrezia Borgia) at Stadttheater Gießen as well as Macbeth at Theater Augsburg.
In the season 2005/06 Paolo Ruggiero returned to Stadttheater Gießen as Ford (Falstaff). In the season 2006/07 he sings, a.o., Dulcamara (L’elisir d’amore) at Stadttheater Klagenfurt, Scarpia (Tosca) at Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe as well as in May 2007 Germont (La Traviata) at Oper Frankfurt and in the summer of 2007 Nabucco in St. Margareten.
In the season 2007/08 he sang at Theater Erfurt a.o. Germont (La Traviata), Amonasro (Aida), Scarpia (Tosca) and Renato (Un ballo in maschera). In June 2008 he returned to Stadttheater Gießen to sing Gerard (Andrea Chenier). He was then reinvited to sing Alfio and Tonio (Cavalleria Rusticana/I Pagliacci) in 2008 as well as Rigoletto in 2009. Then he guested as Sharpless (Madama Butterfly) at the Teatro Opera Giocosa di di Savona, followed by the same role at the Teatro Principal di Zaragoza and the Gran Teatro Falla di Cadiz in Spain as well as the title role in Nabucco at Teatro Marruccino di Chieti.
In October 2009 he sang Amonasro (Aida) with Cape Town Opera. He was re-invited for 2010 to sing Enrico (Lucia di Lammermoor) there. In 2011 he sang Sonora (La Fanciulla del west) with Teatro Politeama Greco di Lecce and Scarpia (Tosca) in various Spanish opera houses. From October 2011 he guested as Don Diego (L’Africaine) at Mainfrankentheater Wurzburg.
The repertoire of Paolo Ruggiero includes many roles of the Italian repertoire, such as Lescaut(Manon Lescaut), Marcello and Schaunard (La Bohème), Sharpless (Madama Butterfly), Jack Rance and Sonora (La Fanciulla del West), Jago (Otello), Germont (La Traviata), Conte di Luna (Il Trovatore), Ford (Falstaff), as well as the title roles in Nabucco, Macbeth, and Rigoletto, and Alfonso (La Favorita), Belcore and Dulcamara (L’Elisir d’amore) and Malatesta (Don Pasquale).
Paolo Ruggiero performed at a lot of different stages in Italy, such as the Teatro La Fenice (Venice), the Festival Pucciniano (Torre del Lago), the Teatro Regio di Torino, the Festival International di S. Gimignano, the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, the Festival Estate Fiesolana, and the Teatro Castello Vigoleno di Vernasca under the support of Fondazione Arturo Toscanini.