MARIA PELLEGRINI

Soprano, born in Pescara Italy, 15 July 1943, naturalized Canadian in 1965. Emigrating to Canada in 1958, she studied in 1960 - 1964 with Emesto Vinci at the RCMT, then in London with Joe macko. She sang with the COC first (1963) as the High priestess in Aida, then in 1965, her debut in a major role as Gilda in Regdetto. Further COC roles have included Nedda in I Pagliacci (1966), Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly (1971 and 1975), and Violetta in La Traviata (1974 and 1978). She was a 1967 metropolitan Opera auditions Winner and made her debut at Covent Gartden (1968) and Sadler's Wells (1969) as Gilda and Cio-Cio-San respectively.
Spcialized in the Puccini repertoire, she has appeared with the Edmonton, manitoba, Quebec, Southern Alberta (Calgary), and Vancouver opera and opera hamilton, and has sang in Genoa, Trieste, Parma and Canania in Italy, in Pittsburgh and New Orleans in the USA, in Santo Domingo and with Welsh national Opera. She appeared in the 1977 CBC TV production of madama Butterfly with Pierre Duval, Bernard Turgeon, Judith Forst, and a CBC orchestra contacted by jean Deslanriers, and was Musetta in the 1980 production of La Boheme in Ottawa.
After her performance in the title role of Opera hamilton's 1982 production of Madama Butterfly, Arthur Kaptainis wrote: "Chief among a strong and even cast was Maria Pellegrini...(who) waltzed through all the cognettish fan - fluttering motions with balletic ease. but her performance was still fresh and immediate, thanks to acting that conveyed innocense, and appearance that conveyed youth, and singing that was handsom and intense from begining to end" (Toronto Globe and Mail, 18 Sep. 1982).

Bibiography:

Mercer, Ruby "Maria Pellegrini" OpCan, Fall 1971
'Tragic lady of Opera" Ibid. Dec. 1977
Jones, Caynor, "More than a butterfly, Maria Pellegrini is trying to shake her image as the "Butterfly Soprano" Music, Jun 1980

from Encydopedia of Music in Canada

(Harvey Chusid)