Born in Milan, Armando Ariostini studied with Lia Guarini, and then at the Scuola di Perfezionamento per Artisti Lirici at the Teatro alla Scala. After winning various prizes he made his début as Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus under Peter Maag. At the 1984/85 opening of La Scala under Claudio Abbado he sang a leading rôle in Carmen. He sang also in Il viaggio a Reims under Abbado and in Lʼoccasione fa il ladro under Daniele Gatti. He has sung Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia to great acclaim in theatres all over the world.