Daniela Dessì is internationally recognized as one of the leading contemporary interpreters of the Italian repertoire, especially Verdi, Verista and Puccini. Her artistic temperament, steadfast technique and constant musical research have led her to to range over a repertoire - from Monteverdi to Rota - of more than 70 titles. In the past decade, a constant focus on the 20th century operatic repertoire has earned her international triumphs in such titles as Adriana Lecouvreur, Tosca, Fanciulla del West, Il Trittico, Turandot, Sly, Francesca from Rimini. Daniela Dessì′s interest and care for this period of music have rekindled public and critical attention for a repertoire, sometimes unjustly undervalued, to to which the Soprano has restored a bel canto aura in the highest sense of the term, purifying it of a now obsolete performance practice. from a similar recovery of the chamber music repertoire of the early Italian twentieth century was born in the project Novecento Italiano Rarities, in collaboration with the young pianist Simone Di Crescenzo. A collection of authentic pearls, with romances by well-known composers that experimentally anticipate important later works and compositions by minor composers that encapsulate moments of rare beauty. The musical program also highlights the relationship between poetic text and music, on the double track of inspirational literary sources: from on the one hand a direct poetic provenance from veristic and decadent production, and on the other hand the forms and themes of 14th-century medieval literature.

DANIELA DESSÌ

With a vast repertoire spanning more than seventy operatic titles, today Daniela Dessì is among the world′s leading sopranos and one of the leading singers of the Verdi, Verista and Puccini repertoire. Born to Genoa, she graduated in singing and piano from the Conservatorio Arrigo Boito in Parma and specialized in singing from chamber at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena. She made her debut at the Teatro dell´Opera Giocosa in Genoa with La serva padrona by Giovan Battista Pergolesi, beginning an outstanding career. In 1980 she won Auditorium, first prize in the Rai International Competition. In demand in the world's most important theaters and festivals, she boasts a repertoire that goes from Monteverdi to Prokofiev and includes a major contribution to the Mozart repertoire-under the baton of Maestro Riccardo Muti-with great interpretations of Così fan tutte, Nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni. Strong in impeccable technique and exceptional dramatic instincts, Daniela Dessì has collaborated with such great conductors as R. Muti, Z. Metha, L. Mazeel, C. Abbado, C. Kleiber, R. Chailly, J. Levine, C. M. Giulini, and G. L. Gelmetti. Recent successes include the debut of Norma to Bologna (for which she received the Abbiati Prize in 2008), Andrea Chenier to Barcelona (for the opening of the opera season at the Liceu 2008), Tosca to Florence (where she granted an encore performance of Vissi d´arte to 52 years since Renata Tebaldi′s last encore) ), Fanciulla del West at the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago (on the occasion of the centenary ofopera). 2010 saw her in Aida to Tokyo, in Andrea Chénier to Madrid, in Tosca to New York and to Genova, in I vespri siciliani to Parma, in Madama Butterfly to San Francisco, in Francesca from Rimini to Salerno. In 2011 she made her debut in La Gioconda at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, where theopera had not been performed from 41 years, and starred in Madama Butterfly to Vienna. With tenor Fabio Armiliato, a partner in art and life, to Liege performs Desdemona in Otello and Leonora in Trovatore, recording the two titles for the SoloVoce label. The Tokyo Opera House City Hall / Takemitsu Memorial hosts the duo´s recital with Fabio Armiliato. In 2011 Vier letzte Lieder by R. Strauss, with the Rome Symphony Orchestra, is another important debut and recording engagement. 2012 sees her in Madama Butterfly at the Teatro dell′Opera in Rome, directed by Giorgio Ferrara; in Gioconda by to. Ponchielli at the National Theater in Mannheim; with Fabio Armiliato in AdrianaLecouvreur at the Gran Teatre de Liceu in Barcelona. The calendar of summer engagements begins with Norma at the Teatro Antico in Taormina (with television taping for the international Microcinema circuit) and Tosca at the Herodion Theater in Athens. For Spoleto55 Festival dei 2Mondi, she is the long-awaited star of the recital Novecento Italiano Rarities. This will be followed by concerts in Brazil, with Fabio Armiliato, accompanied by the Teatro Municipal Orchestra of Sao Paolo and conducted by Maestro Abel Rocha. The fall season includes revivals of Madama Butterfly at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo and the Astra Theater in Gozo to Malta. In November, the unmissable debut at the Théâtre National Marseille, in the role of Paolina in G. Donizetti′s Poliuto. Daniela Dessì also has a very extensive discography to her credit and devotes part of her time to teaching. She has been the protagonist of several television programs for the popularization of the art of opera and has received important awards such as the prestigious Abbiati Prize, the Giacomo Puccini Prize to Torre del Lago, and the Zenatello Prize of the Arena of Verona. More recent is the awarding to Daniela Dessì of the Rodolfo Celletti Belcanto Prize, conferred on her with the distinction of absolute soprano.

SIMONE DI CRESCENZO

Born to Guardiagrele (Chieti) in 1985, he undertook his musical studies to just four years old and graduated brilliantly in piano at the Luisa D´Annunzio Conservatory in Pescara. He later improved with internationally renowned masters such as Antonio Ballista (Milan), Paolo Bordoni (Bologna), Bruno Canino (Florence) and Piero Rattalino (Lanciano). He graduated from the Accademia di Arti e Mestieri del Teatro alla Scala in Milan where he attended the training course for independent musical activity. He owes his operatic training to the famous soprano Mirella Freni and pianist Paola Molinari, with whom he studied at the Centro Universale del Bel Canto in Modena, where he was also a collaborating maestro. He also studies musicology at the University of Cremona and composition at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan. He has won prizes and awards in numerous music competitions (Coppa Pianisti d´Italia, Seiler Prize, Nuovi talenti per piano e canto - Rotary Club, Città di Caserta Prize). He has performed in many prestigious festivals both as a soloist and in various vocal and instrumental ensembles, and more recently he has given concerts at: the Chamber Music Festival in Tallinn (Estonia), the Amici del Loggione del Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Teatro Lauro Rossi in Macerata, Teatro Cassia in Rome, Teatro Marrucino in Chieti, Villa Viviani to Florence, Festival delle Muse in Cremona, Piazza Maggiore to Bologna, Associazione Giuseppe Verdi in Busseto, Amici della Musica in Alcamo. Very active in chamber music, he collaborates with musicians and singers of international prominence both in concert activity and as musical trainer. He was maestro on piano in G. Bizet′s Carmen, performed in concert form at the Teatro Angeletti in Macerata, where he returned with G. Puccini′s Madama Butterfly and G. Verdi′s La Traviata . He is the author of essays and articles to musicological character published in specialized magazines and journals such as Musica e Scuola, Il Trovatore, Golfo Mistico and has been editor of hall notes and listening guides in collaboration with several theaters including Teatro Dal Verme, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Teatro della Fortuna in Fano, Teatro Rossini in Pesaro, Teatro Lauro Rossi in Macerata. From 2008 to 2010 he was artistic and organizational manager of the MITOFringe project at the MITO Settembre Musica International Festival in Milan-Turin, curating a program of more than 60 concerts. In 2010 he was assistant artistic director, head of the artistic secretariat, master trainer and vocal coach for the School ofOpera Italian at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna. He was the author and music manager of the project "Impariamo l′Opera! - Madama Butterfly Pocket" carried out with the Pergolesi Spontini Foundation in Jesi. In 2011 he was assistant artistic director at the Festival della Valle d′Itria in Martina Franca and music manager for the Accademia del Belcanto "Rodolfo Celletti" of the Fondazione Paolo Grassi. He was artistic director and organizational manager for concerts organized with the G. Symphony Orchestra. Rossini of Pesaro at: the Teatro Dal Verme in Milan, the Teatro della Fortuna in Fano, the Teatro Rossini in Pesaro. In 2012, he was music manager and vocal coach for a new production of Tosca by G. Puccini at the Stadttheater in Klagenfurt, Austria. He currently holds the position of artistic coordinator at the International Opera Festival of Miskolc "Bartók +" (Hungary). He is a member of the Centro Studi Giacomo Puccini of Lucca, the Milan Foundation for La Scala and was artistic director of the Salvadei Opera Prize. He received the Diploma d´Oreno for the Music Critic section of the XII TIM - Torneo Internazionale di Musica di Roma.

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