In 1956, the fledgling Lyric Opera of Chicago needed a conductor to replace the ailing
Tullio Serafin in several performances.
Tito Gobbi, the acclaimed Italian baritone, recommended the young Mr. Bartoletti, who was overseas. He flew across the Atlantic to make a hastily-planned U.S. debut, conducting Verdi's "Il Trovatore". It would be the first of nearly 600 performances of 55 operas with the Lyric Opera over the next five decades.