Maria Russo

Maria Russo graduated in piano from the "Vincenzo Bellini" Conservatory of Catania in 2003 and in opera singing from the "Giuseppe Verdi" Conservatory of Turin in 2005.

She has participated in numerous international masterclasses in Italy and abroad. She refined her skills under the guidance of Salvatore Fisichella in Catania, Franca Mattiucci in Turin, Edda Moser in Cologne, and more recently with Carmelo Corrado Caruso in Noto (SR).

Maria Russo is the recipient of several prestigious awards in international opera singing competitions, including the "Lorenzo Perosi" International Competition in Tortona (AL) in 2006; the "Primo Palcoscenico" competition in Cesena in 2010, where she performed the role of Rosina in Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia; the 3rd Prize at the "Città di Deiva Marina" Competition in 2014; the 3rd Prize at the "Vincenzo Bellini – Lions" International Competition in Catania in 2017; and a special mention for the role of Angelina in Rossini's La Cenerentola at the "Lirica sul Tevere" competition in Orte (VT) in 2019. Most recently, she was awarded 3rd Prize at the "Jole De Maria" International Competition in Tivoli (RM) in May 2023.

Her extensive career has seen her perform on stages and in festivals of international renown, including the Baltic Opera House in Gdańsk, the National Opera House of Helsinki, the "Coccia" Theatre in Novara, the "Dante Alighieri" Theatre in Ravenna, the "Sociale" Theatre in Rovigo, the "Vincenzo Bellini" Theatre in Catania, and the "Nuovo" Theatre in Turin, among others. She has also been featured in prestigious festivals such as the "NotoMusicaFestival" in Noto and the "Back to Bach" Festival in Turin. Her repertoire spans from opera to chamber music, from the Baroque period to contemporary compositions.

Notable roles in her operatic career include "Angelina" in Rossini's La Cenerentola (Teatro Nuovo of Turin, Teatro Coccia of Novara, 2014), "La Musica" in Monteverdi's Orfeo at the "Marchesato Opera Festival" in Saluzzo (2015), "Second Woman" and "Second Witch" in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas in Turin and Rovigo (2013), and "Une musicienne italienne" in Lully's Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme at the Strauss Festival in Turin (2018). She has also performed as the contralto soloist in Bach's Magnificat in Turin (2016), Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle at the "Alighieri" Theatre in Ravenna (2019), Mozart's Requiem with the Chorus of the "Vincenzo Bellini" Theatre in Catania (2019), and in Mozart's Coronation Mass at the same theatre under the baton of Maestro E. Laro (2019). Other performances include the contralto soloist role in Pergolesi's Stabat Mater in Padua and Turin, as well as various cantatas and sacred works by J.S. Bach, A. Vivaldi, and other Baroque composers.

In addition to her live performances, Maria Russo has participated in the recording of two albums for Deutsche Harmonia Mundi – Sony, alongside the baroque orchestra "Academia Montis Regalis" and the "Maghini" Choir of Turin in 2011.

In August 2021, she performed the role of Giovanna in Verdi's Rigoletto at the Ancient Theatre of Taormina, alongside baritone Leo Nucci, who also directed the production, under the baton of Maestro Placido Domingo. In September 2021, she was the contralto soloist in Brahms' Liebeslieder Walzer at the Summer Festival of the "Vincenzo Bellini" Theatre in Catania. In 2022, she performed the role of Suzuki in Puccini's Madama Butterfly at the Garibaldi Theatre of Modica (RG), the role of Lola in Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana at the Agimus Summer Festival in Ragusa, and the role of Clarina in Rossini's La Cambiale di Matrimonio in Lisbon, under the direction of Maestro Jean Bernard Pommier.