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MARIA PELLEGRINI, Soprano

Maria Pellegrini is one of the world's brightest stars. She enjoys a brilliant career which has taken her to the leading opera houses and concert halls of Europe, Great Britain, Canada, United States, Asia, and the Caribbean including Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, Royal Albert Hall, Welsh National Opera, English National Opera, Scottish Opera, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Teatro Felice di Genoa, Teatro Regio di Parma, Teatro Giuseppe Verdi di Trieste, Teatro Massimo di Catania, Taormina, Teatro Massimo di Palermo, New York City Opera, New Jersey State Opera, Baltimore Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Vancouver Opera, L'Opera de Montreal, Teatro del' Opera di Santo Domingo, Taipei Opera Festival among many others. She has performed with leading orchestras including BBC Symphony, Royal Opera House Orch, London Philharmonic Orch, Cincinnati Symphony Orch, Montreal Symphony, National Arts Centre Orch etc...

Upcoming engagements include gala concerts with the with Orchestra Sinfonica di Lecce in Italy and the Princeton Symphony in Palm Beach USA. Furthur appearances in Italy include Madama Butterfly and Gala for the opening a new opera house in her native town of Pescara Italy. Recent engagements in 2001-02 include Gala Concert at Dvorak Theatre in Czech Republic and Traviata in Poland for the Teatr Weilki where critics said “a star turn as Violetta”..” arias sung in her rich and warm soprano voice” Warsaw Voice Oct 2001.

Past performance highlights

Through out her career Miss Pellegrini has left her mark interpreting Puccini's heroines, among them her internationally acclaimed Cio-Cio-San remains in the minds of opera aficionados everywhere. As Madama Butterfly Pellegrini has sung in many of the world's leading opera houses such as The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Sadlers Wells, Il Teatro G. Verdi di Trieste, Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova, Scottish Opera, Welsh National Opera, New York City Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Teatro Nacional di Santo Domingo, New Jersey, Vancouver Opera, Canadian Opera Company.

Her 1999-2000 seasons included great successes as Madama Butterfly at The Ford Centre in Toronto and for Il Teatro Curci di Barletta in December 1999. In March she triumphed in a concert with Windsor Symphony Orchestra. A nationally broadcasted recital for CBC Radio Canada in May and a summer concert tour of Italy with the Molova State Opera Orchestra.

Her 1997-1998 seasons included she received great acclaim for her debut as Aida with Opera Lyra Ottawa"Maria Pellegrini sang well and brought great sensitivity to the role. Her voice was beautiful in the lower register and the full lyric voice was also stunning and dramatic when appropriate. Her artistry could be most appreciated during her aria 'O patria mia'." OTTAWA CITIZEN As Aida she has also been heard with Sadlers Wells, Canadian Opera Company, and The Welsh National Opera.

Durning 1996-1997 seasons she made her debut as Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly with Opera Lyra Ottawa to a sold-out house and critical acclaim “Maria Pellegrini all but owns the title role nowadays and despite a little shrillness in her first act entrance she really was superb. In addition to her convincing portrayal of the young geisha, she has the ability to refrain from overwhelming the rest of the cast. Her big numbers, Un bel di and Tu! Tu! Piccolo Iddio are among the glories of the dramatic soprano repertoire…Pellegrini sings them like a Butterfly rather than a Brunhilde.”OTTAWA CITIZEN

In 1994-1995 season Miss Pellegrini triumphed as Violetta in with The Baltimore Lyric Opera, "Maria Pellegrini illuminated the Lyric Opera... to a packed house and a heartfelt standing ovation. Her performance as Violetta was a perfect combination of grace and humility, fitting the part with not only the beauty of her incredible voice, but also with her impressive ability as an actress... The Baltimore Times would like to salute Maria Pellegrini for a magnificent performance in Baltimore." THE BALTIMORE TIMES, USA. As Violetta she performed countless times with Il Teatro Petruzzelli di Bari, Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, Baltimore Lyric Opera, Teatro Nacional di Santo Domingo, Pittsburgh Opera, New Orleans Opera, New Jersey State Opera, Buffalo Lyric Opera, Canadian Opera Company in Toronto, L'opera de Quebec, and Vancouver Opera. The season was also marked with a memorable concert at Toronto's Ford Centre for The Performing Arts.

In 1992-1993 seasons she debuted as Desdemona for Buffalo Lyric Opera and The Taipei Music Festival, both filmed for international broadcasting as was her debut as Lucia di Lammermoor at Il Teatro Nacional di Santo Domingo. In 1993 she sang Butterfly for Toledo Opera, USA again to great success"Her Butterfly moved in the wispy world of adolescent dreams, but always with the cultivated charm and free, beautifully spinning voice of a mature woman...her voice has a focus and clarity to it that sounds young." THE BLADE -TOLEDO

In 1990-1991 Miss Pellegrini won great success as Violetta in Buffalo Lyric Opera's Traviata," As Violetta soprano Maria Pellegrini displayed radiant vocal fireworks throughout, with a voice that exploded in moments of passion. Her hopeless love for Alfredo Germont was revealed in countless gestures and expressions that bore the sting of realism." BUFFALO TRIBUNE In 1990 she performed the role of Liu in Turandot for Buffalo Lyric Opera "Liu Maria Pellegrini spun out a properly Italianate line, capturing the audiences heart in Tu che di gel." OPERA NEWS "Maria Pellegrini as Liu was undoubtedly the actress in the production, giving as much to her drammatical performance as to her singing." NIAGARA FALLS REVIEW As Liu Pellegrini performed with The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Buffalo Lyric Opera, Vancouver Opera, L'opera de Montreal, Manitoba Opera and Edmonton Opera.

To great critical acclaim she has performed Nedda in I Pagliacci, with the companies of The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Luglio Musicale Trapanese, New Jersey State Opera, and The Canadian Opera Company, "Would it be an exaggeration to say she is one of the great Nedda's of our ime? Vocally and visually she seemed everything expected of this arouser of violent and tragic passions" TORONTO STAR

As Mimi "Maria Pellegrini is a singer and actress of compelling sincerity" - New Jersey "If Pellegrini is The Greatest Butterfly Alive' then er Mimi and Violetta cannot be far behind." - TORONTO STAR She has performed Mimi opposite Luciano Pavarotti at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Sadlers Wells, Il Teatro Bellini di Catania, Luglio Musicale Trapanese, Palm Beach Opera, New Jersey State Opera, Calgary Opera.

Miss Pellegrini 's Manon Lescaut has been heard with companies including The Welsh National Opera, Sadlers Wells, Opera Hamilton, and Manitoba Opera. "Miss Pellegrini's performance was superb. She was in turn a ravishing coquette, a sophisticated femme du monde and a woman of fire. Her aria Sola perduta abbandonata, diffused grief, passion, and despair, and the will to live."- MANITOBA

She has "mesmerised" audiences in the role of Gilda in Rigoletto "Pellegrini was superb. 'Caro nome' was sung with the agility and solidity that would do justice to any performance, but in this one is was simply another jewel in the crown..The aria has everything from top C's to trills and all sorts of coloratura leaps, and Miss Pellegrini brought them off with an elan that a Sutherland or Nilsson would be happy to have. In the rest of the performance she was nothing short of brilliant." - TORONTO STARPellegrini debuted as Gildaat the age of 19withThe Canadian Opera Company and then was quickly engaged for her debut with Pavarotti at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Appearances as Gilda also include Il Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova, Luglio Musicale Trapanese, Teatro Bellini di Catania, Connecticut Opera, and The Canadian Opera Company where she performed the role for six productions.

Audiences and critics around the world have praised her in many other roles including an award winning Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte, Amelia in Simon Boccanegra, Alice in Falstaff, Amina in La Sonnambula, Loretta in La Rondine, Elvira in I Puritani Amalia in I Masnadieri and the Verdi Requiem. Her discography includes Covent Garden Anniversary (DECCA SET 392-3) a complete 1995 recording of Madama Butterfly, and a recent recording of operatic selections entitled 'Passione' released in 1999.

Among her many artistic achievements, Miss Pellegrini has been awarded 1991 Ponte d'Oro, Il Primo Soprano d'Italia, the coveted Caravella d'Oro Award for her performances in Electra and Cosi fan tutte in Italy. Her performances of Madama Butterfly at Il Teatro Comunale Giuseppe Verdi di Trieste and Il Teatro Comunale di Treviso were given the singular honour of being presented The Puccini Medallion a specially minted medallion commemorating both her and the composer Giacomo Puccini. No less gratifying was Lord Harewood's declaration that "Maria Pellegrini is the greatest Butterfly Alive." The Societe Radio Canada created a film production of Madama Butterfly for international broadcast starring Miss Pellegrini in the title role as well as a Biographical Profile which has been aired over many of the world's major networks. International televised broadcasts include productions of Madama Butterfly, Traviata, Manon Lescaut in Canada, Lucia di Lammermoor in Santo Domingo and Otello in Taipei and Buffalo. Miss Pellegrini's magnificent voice has earned the epithet of 'Primo Soprano' and "Callas of Canada" she has appeared with the world's finest singers, directors, and conductors in her performances on the international stage including Sir George Solti, Sir Charles Mackerras, Sir Colin Davis, Sir Edward Downes, Anton Guadagno, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Ernesto Barbini, Birgit Nilsson, Franco Corelli, Gweneth Jones, Rolando Panerai, Sergio Cappuccilli, Gianni Raimondi, Renata Scotto, Kiri Te Kanawa, James Mc Cracken, Jon Vickers, Ermanno Mauro, Renato Bruson, Lando Bartolini, and Luciano Pavarotti.

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annamaria.pellegrini@tiscalinet.it