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Baritone Massimiliano Fichera was born in Acireale, near Catania, in 1971. He began his musical studies at the age of seventeen, with the soprano Cecilia Fusco. Then he completed regular studies at the Music Conservatory of Trieste, graduating in 1993 with full marks. From 1996 he studies in Turin, with Maestro Andrea Genovese.

In 1991 he won the Concorso Ismaele Voltolini of Mantova and received the prize Ettore Campogalliani, in 1994 in the Concorso Viotti of Vercelli (monographic competition on Giuseppe Verdi) he was awarded the gold medal and qualified himself as finalist; he was also finalist in 1997 in the Concorso Voci Verdiane of Busseto, qualification that allowed himt to to make his debut in Japan.
On May 24th, 2002 he won the Concorso Giuseppe Di Stefano in Trapani; in July he was awarded the "Targa d'Onore" as the better baritone voice in the Concorso Tito Gobbi, in Bassano del Grappa.
He also won the Primo Concorso di Musica Sacra in Rome.

In 2002, besides giving many concerts in Italy and abroad, he sung the roles of Paolo in Simon Boccanegra, Lescaut in Manon Lescaut and Monforte in I Vespri Siciliani (this opera was conducted by Maestro Steven Mercurio).

This year he has sung Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, conducted by Maesto Karl Martin, in Rome (at the Auditorium Nuovo Parco della Musica and at Università di Tor Vergata). He also has parteciped in the world premiere of Pietro Mascagni's opera In Filanda at Teatro Mercadante of Naples. This performance has been recorded by Bongiovanni, and it will be soon released.

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During the last years...
In 1992 he took part in the staging of Addio Giovinezza at Teatro Verdi of Trieste, show that was broadcasted by RAI 2.

In 1994 he sang the part of soloist baritone in Carl Orff 's Carmina Burana, at Teatro Regio of Turin.

The official debut in opera was in 1995 in Fano, where he sang the part of Ping in Turandot, with Francesca Patanè and Lando Bartolini, anddirected by Beppe De Tomasi. Always in 1995 he sang for the first time the role of Georgio Germont in La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi at Teatro Chiabrera of Savona and at Teatro Civico of La Spezia.
In the same year he partecipated in the opening concert at the Auditorium Giovanni Agnelli in Turin.

In 1996 he sang Marcello in La Bohème at Teatro of Udine, and then made his debut in the role of Enrico Ashton in Lucia di Lammermoor at Teatro Chiabrera of Savona. In the same year there was his debut as Figaro in the Barbiere di Siviglia by Rossini at municipal theatres in Puglia.

In 1997 he sang at the Teatro Rendano of Cosenza the part of the Dottor Malatesta in Don Pasquale. In October 1997 he took part, in the role of Don Silvio, in Il Marchese di Roccaverdina by Dino Milella, at Teatro Orfeo of Taranto, conducted by Marcello Rota.

In 1998 he was protagonist in the world premiere of Pasqua Fiorentina at Teatro Grande of Brescia. Then he sang again Ping in Turandot at Teatro Petruzzelli of Bari , with Maria Dragoni and Maurizio Frusoni. In the same year he participated in a production of La Bohème, that toured in Spain (Granada, Zaragoza, Burgos, Zamora, Alicante, Sevilla, Cordoba, Aviles, Cadiz), Switzerland (Genève) and France (Paris, Grenoble, Aix-les-Bains, Poitiers).

In 1999 he added to his repertoire the role of Riccardo in I Puritani, performed at Stadttheater of Giessen (Frankfurt).
He sang Marcello at Teatro dell'Opera of Rome, with conductor Marco Balderi.
In December participated i the world premier of Salvo D'Acquisto, by composer Antonio Fortunato, at Teatro Impero of Marsala.

In 2000, at Teatro dell'Aquila of Fermo (Ascoli Piceno) he sang the role of Guglielmo in Le Villi by Puccini; and played Conte di Luna in Il Trovatore in Cremona .
At Teatro Sociale of Rovigo he sang the parts of the Count and Nicola in the opera by Gaetano Donizetti La Romanziera e l'Uomo Nero, with Michele Placido as director. On 5 December 2000 he took part in the concert organized by Progetto Italia Verdi' s Prayers, near the Dome of Monreale in Palermo, with the Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana conducted by Marcello Rota, concert that was broadcasted in Eurovision.
In December 2000 he also participated in the concert at the Europauditorium of Bologna, with Maria Dragoni and Vincenzo La Scola, Marcello Rota conducting.

In 2001 he opened the Teatro Giordano in Foggia singing De Siriex in Fedora.
Then he sang his first Escamillo in Carmen by Bizet at municipal theatres in Piemonte, and in Carrara the role of Silvio in Pagliacci.
He participated in the concert for the reopening to the public of the Tower of Pisa, with artists like Cecilia Gasdia and Andrea Bocelli.
In July 2001 he played again Georgio Germont in La Traviata produced by Teatro Municipale of Piacenza and staged at Farnese Palace, always in Piacenza.
He took part in another world premier singing the Messa Solenne by Alberto Mazzuccato.