Maria Novella Malfatti

Praised both for the beauty of her voice and for her musical and stage abilities, Maria Novella Malfatti graduated from the Ryan Opera Center of the Lyric Opera of Chicago in April 2022. During the most recent season, she made highly successful debuts in the roles of Violetta in La traviata, Leonora in Il trovatore, Gilda in Rigoletto, and Mimì in La bohème.

As a member of the Ryan Opera Center, she made her debut at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, taking part in several productions, including Macbeth (directed by Sir David McVicar and conducted by Enrique Mazzola), L’elisir d’amore (Adina), and Die Zauberflöte (Pamina) in Barrie Kosky’s productions, as well as Woglinde in Das Rheingold.

Since 2017 she has regularly performed at the Tiroler Festspiele in Erl with Maestro Gustav Kuhn, singing roles such as Tamiri in Mozart’s Il re pastore, Musetta in La bohème, Cleone in Rossini’s Ermione, a Young Shepherd in Tannhäuser, as well as in Bach’s St Matthew Passion and Christmas Oratorio.

Other highlights of her career include La bohème (Mimì) at the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago, La traviata (Violetta) in Nantes, Rennes, and Angers, Semiramide and Norma (both in concert form) conducted by Michele Mariotti at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny by Kurt Weill at the Aix-en-Provence Festival with Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting and Ivo Van Hove’s staging, and Iphigénie en Tauride in Athens with George Petrou.

Maria Novella Malfatti graduated with highest honors in Classical Voice from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam under Sasja Hunnego. Prior to her vocal studies in Amsterdam, she studied violin at the “L. Boccherini” Conservatory in Lucca with Alberto Bologni before dedicating herself to singing, working with Janet Perry and Raina Kabaivanska at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, with Don Marrazzo, and attending masterclasses at the Mozarteum in Salzburg.

She has also distinguished herself in international opera competitions: District Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2021, finalist at the 52nd International Vocal Competition in ’s-Hertogenbosch (Netherlands) in 2018, and Third Prize at the International Opera Singing Competition “Ferruccio Tagliavini” in Deutschlandsberg (Austria) in 2016.

Recent engagements: La traviata, Rigoletto (Gilda) and Il trovatore (Leonora) at Teatro Municipale di Piacenza; La bohème (Mimì) at the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago; La bohème (Musetta) at Teatro Regio di Parma and Reggio Emilia; La traviata (Violetta) in Nantes, Rennes, and Angers and at Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf; La bohème (Mimì) at Opera Lombardia theatres; La bohème (Musetta) at Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa; and Le nozze di Figaro (Countess Almaviva) at Teatro Comunale di Bologna.

Future projects: recital in Tokyo; Turandot at Teatro del Giglio in Lucca; Turandot (Liù) and Rigoletto at Teatro Lirico di Cagliari; La traviata at Teatro Regio di Torino; and Butterfly Lovers, a new opera by Andrea Granitzio, on tour in China with Teatro Lirico di Cagliari.