Vincenzo Scalera was born in New Jersey, USA, into an Italian-American family and began studying piano at the age of five. He graduated from the Manhattan School of Music and, early in his career, worked as assistant conductor at the New Jersey State Opera.
After moving to Italy to continue his musical training, he joined the music staff of Teatro alla Scala in Milan in 1980 as a pianist and vocal coach, a position that shaped much of his professional life. At La Scala he worked in rehearsals and vocal preparation with distinguished conductors including Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Chailly, Gianandrea Gavazzeni and Carlos Kleiber.
Throughout his career he has appeared at major international festivals such as Edinburgh, Martina Franca (Festival della Valle d’Itria), Jerusalem, Istanbul, Les Chorégies d’Orange, Carinthian Summer, the Salzburg Festival and the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro. As a recital pianist and vocal accompanist he has collaborated with singers including Carlo Bergonzi, Andrea Bocelli, Montserrat Caballé, José Carreras, Juan Diego Flórez, Leyla Gencer, Vittorio Grigolo, Sumi Jo, Raina Kabaivanska, Katia Ricciarelli, Renata Scotto, Cesare Siepi and Lucia Valentini Terrani.
His discography includes recital recordings and televised concerts. Highlights include La Promessa with Sumi Jo, The Complete Songs of Verdi with Renata Scotto, Carlo Bergonzi in Concerto, Art of Bel Canto – Canzone with Bergonzi and the Comeback Concerts series with José Carreras, as well as Elegie with Anita Rachvelishvili and A te, Puccini with Angela Gheorghiu.
A Steinway Artist, he is currently a member of the faculty at the Accademia d’Arti e Mestieri of Teatro alla Scala and maintains a long-standing artistic partnership with tenor Juan Diego Flórez.