Tuesday, July 14, 2009

LADY MARIA PELLEGRINI - Opera Singer


Throughout her career, Lady Pellegrini (recipient of the Cavalleressa del Ordine del Merito Italiana) 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, Maria has sung in many of the world’s leading opera houses, including The Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Sadler Wells, Il Teatro Giuseppe Verdi di Trieste, Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova, Scottish Opera, Welsh National Opera, New York City Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Teatro Nacinal di Santo Domingo, New Jersey Opera, Vancouver Opera, the Taipei Music Festival and the Canadian Opera Company. She has graced the stages with other opera greats, such as Luciano Pavarotti, Sir George Solti, Sir Charles Mackerras, Sir Colin Davis, Sir Edward Downes, Anton Guadagno, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Ernesto Barbini, Birgit Nilsson, Frano Corelli, Gweneth Jones, Renata Scotto, Kiri Te Kanawa, Jon Vickers, Ermanno Mauro, Renata Bruson and Lando Bartolini. Her discography includes Passione, a collection of well-known arias recorded live. Among her many artistic achievements, Lady Pellegrini has been awarded the Ponte d’Oro, Il Primo Soprano d’Italia, the coveted Caravella d’Oro Award, the Puccini Medallion and was proclaimed by Lord Harewood as “the greatest Butterfly alive”. The Societe Radio Canada created a film production of Madama Butterfly for international televised broadcasts starring Lady Pellegrini, as well as productions of Traviata, Manon Lescaut, Lucia de Lammermoor and Otello. More recently, Bravo! has created a documentary called The Life & Times of Maria Pellegrini, Canada’s Butterfly, which is aired regularly on the Bravo! channel. We are both pleased and honored to have Lady Pellegrini play the role of Queen Mara Whitewood in the film Strafe.