Born in Pisa, Italy, Berrugi was a clarinetist, graduating summa cum laude from the Istituto “Mascagni” of Livorno.

[6] In 2010 Giorgio Berrugi was invited by opera director Eytan Pessen[7] to the ensemble of the Dresden Semperoper where he stayed until 2013; with that company he debuted roles including Don José in Carmen, Riccardo in Un ballo in maschera, Mario Cavaradossi in Tosca, Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore,[8] Duca di Mantova in Rigoletto, and Gennarino in the world première of Hans Werner Henze‘s Gisela!.

International appearances include the San Francisco Opera (Rodolfo), the Deutsche Oper Berlin (Rodolfo), the Opéra de Marseille (Cavaradossi),[15] Oviedo (Rodolfo), Lucerne (Verdi Requiem), the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (Verdi Requiem), the Gewandhaus, Suntory Hall, Japan, Wigmore Hall, London, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, (Cavaradossi), and the Savonlinna Opera Festival (Pinkerton).

[11] Berrugi has collaborated with prominent conductors including Zubin Mehta,[16] Daniel Oren, Christian Thielemann, Fabio Luisi, Gustavo Dudamel, Pinchas Steinberg, Nicola Luisotti, Myung-whun Chung, and Jaap van Zweden.

[11] Mentioned by Placido Domingo as one of his vocal successors,[17][18] Berrugi’s voice has been described as a tenor of radiant, honeyed color, "clear bright tone"[19] and typically Italianate timbre, contributing to his association with the tenor roles of Puccini and Verdi, but he has performed numerous French roles and sings a varied repertoire including modern works by Henze and others.