Rosario La Spina is an Australian operatic tenor who has had an active international career since the early 2000s. He has worked with many leading opera houses and orchestras, singing under such conductors as Renato Palumbo, Bruno Bartoletti, Gary Bertini, Daniele Callegari and Richard Hickox. Since 2005, he has been particularly active with Opera Australia.
Rosario La Spina is of Sicilian descent. He was born and raised in Brisbane, Queensland. He first became a bricklayer in his family's business until a work accident at the age of 23 gave him time to take singing lessons.
In 2002, La Spina took first prize in the Mario Del Monaco International Opera Competition. That same year he returned to La Scala for his first principal role at the house as Riccardo in Giuseppe Verdi's Oberto. Later that year he sang Riccardo again at the Teatro Carlo Felice, portrayed The Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto in Tuscany and Rodolfo in La bohème in Calabria.
In 2007, La Spina made his American debut as Rodolfo at the Seattle Opera. For Opera Australia under conductor Richard Hickox he performed The Prince in Rusalka which was released on compact disc.
In 2008 and 2009, he sang Don Jose and Pinkerton for Opera Australia at the Sydney Opera House and the Arts Centre Melbourne, and portrayed Radames (Aida) at both the Seattle Opera and Opera Australia. In 2009, La Spina released the solo-CD Rosario with arias and songs.
In August 2010, Rosario and his sister Anna-Maria La Spina released an orchestral/pop crossover album called Always You.