by InTrieste
The city of Trieste this week conferred its Bronze Medal on Ramin Karimloo, the internationally acclaimed actor and singer best known for his performances in The Phantom of the Opera on London’s West End and Broadway, recognizing both his artistic achievements and his role in promoting the city abroad.
The ceremony took place in the Salotto Azzurro of Trieste’s City Hall, an ornate municipal reception room typically reserved for official honors. Mr. Karimloo, an Iranian-born Canadian artist whose career has spanned continents and major theatrical capitals, received the award from Mayor Roberto Dipiazza in the presence of Vice Mayor Serena Tonel and senior leadership from the Politeama Rossetti, Trieste’s principal theater.
“Thank you for helping to carry the name of Trieste into the world and for the affection you have shown toward our city,” Mayor Dipiazza said as he presented the medal. “That affection makes Ramin Karimloo one of us.”
The Bronze Medal is among the city’s formal civic distinctions, granted to individuals who have contributed to Trieste’s cultural profile or international standing. City officials framed the award not only as recognition of Mr. Karimloo’s artistic stature, but also of his repeated collaborations with the Politeama Rossetti, which in recent years has positioned itself as a hub for large-scale international musical productions.
Mr. Karimloo first performed in Trieste in 2023 during a run of The Phantom of the Opera, a production that drew audiences from across Italy and neighboring countries. Since then, he has returned frequently, most recently to appear in From the Rehearsal Room: Trieste – Il ritorno, staged again at the Rossetti.
“It is an honor to welcome Ramin Karimloo here in the Salotto Azzurro,” Vice Mayor Tonel said. “He is an ambassador of our city to the world. Through his work, he has brought visibility and prestige to Trieste, helping to introduce it to international audiences.”
Born in Tehran and raised in Canada, Mr. Karimloo has built a career that bridges classical musical theater and contemporary interpretations of iconic roles. He has portrayed Jean Valjean in Les Misérables, Enjolras in the same musical’s 25th anniversary concert, and the Phantom in multiple major productions, becoming one of the most recognizable voices in modern musical theater.
Yet during the ceremony, the focus shifted from résumé to relationship. In remarks delivered after receiving the medal, Mr. Karimloo spoke at length about his personal connection to Trieste, describing it as a city that grew on him gradually and deeply.
“My love for Trieste began when I first came here for The Phantom of the Opera in 2023,” he said. “People arrived from all over the world to support the show, but they left loving the city. My own love story with Trieste grew in the same way.”
He described the city as a place that balances innovation with tradition, praising its sense of community and what he called its enduring values. “It feels like a gem that needs to be preserved,” he said. “It looks forward, but it has also kept its culture, its respect for family and for community. These are things we should never lose.”
Trieste, long shaped by its position at the crossroads of Latin, Slavic, and Germanic cultures, has in recent years invested heavily in cultural programming as part of a broader strategy to attract international tourism and artistic collaboration. The Rossetti, in particular, has expanded its musical theater offerings, bringing large-scale productions typically associated with London or New York to northeastern Italy.
Mr. Karimloo suggested that the city itself has become part of the draw. “Now I think people come half for the show and half for Trieste,” he said.
He also spoke of his hope to continue working in the city, framing it partly as a professional aspiration and partly as a personal one. “As an artist, selfishly, I hope to have as many opportunities as possible to come back and work here,” he said. “But it also means a great deal to have friends here outside the entertainment industry, people who make me feel at home.”
By the end of his remarks, the language of diplomacy gave way to something more intimate. “I feel this city as a new home,” he said.
For Trieste, a city that has long wrestled with questions of identity and visibility on the international stage, the sentiment appeared mutual.
