The baritone António Maria Celestino (1824–1871) was born in Lisbon and began his musical studies at the Cathedral school, where he studied with José Gomes Pinzetti—first as a choirboy and later as a singer. In 1844, he was engaged by the Teatro de São Carlos as a comprimario bass and understudy, performing numerous substitutions over the following years.
His debut took place on January 15, 1845, in Lucrezia Borgia, in a secondary role, and from that point on he also appeared regularly at the Teatro de São João in Porto.¹
In 1853, he temporarily moved to Spain, where he was engaged to perform at the Teatro Principal in Seville, achieving considerable success, but he soon returned to the Portuguese capital.² Alongside his work at the Teatro de São Carlos—where he spent most of his career—he also performed in other theatrical venues in Lisbon, as well as in the city’s main concert halls of the time, including the Academia Melpomenense and the Assembleia Filarmónica.
In 1863, he departed for South America, where he performed in the following years in Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, and Montevideo, among other cities, and where he died in Rio de Janeiro in 1871.³
