Catherine Malfitano

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Catherine Malfitano as Violetta in La traviata (1980)

Catherine Malfitano (born April 18, 1948 in New York City ) is an American opera singer ( soprano ).

Life

Catherine Malfitano was introduced to classical music at an early age. Influenced by the artistic lifestyle of her parents - the ballet dancer Maria Maslova and the violinist Joseph Malfitano - it was an obvious step for them to pursue a professional career in show business . She received her first singing lessons from her father, with whom she recorded her first album "Music for Voice and Violin" in 1976.

She later studied at the Corsaro Studio and the Manhattan School of Music . In 1966 she won the Daily News competition for new singers, and in 1973 the Opera America competition. Catherine Malfitano made her debut on the Central City Opera stage in 1972 as Nanetta in Verdi's Falstaff and then became a member of the ensemble of the Minnesota Opera and later the New York City Opera. Her career also took her to European stages quite early on, where in 1974 she gave Susanna in " Le nozze di Figaro " at the Nederlands Oper . In 1976 she performed for the first time at the Salzburg Festival in Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's production of " La clemenza di Tito " (conductor James Levine ). She remained loyal to the festival for many years and celebrated some of her greatest successes there, such as in " Les contes d'Hoffmann " (1981/82, staged by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, conductor James Levine), Luc Bondy's version of " Salome " (1992, Conductor Christoph von Dohnányi ) and Patrice Chéreau's production of " Don Giovanni " under Daniel Barenboim 1994/95.

One of Catherine Malfitano's qualities is that she is never limited to a certain type of music. As a result, she has built a substantial repertoire of classical and contemporary roles and sings in English, German, Italian, French and even Czech. Slowly she deepened her lyrical soprano into a more dramatic subject. She often chose complicated female role characters, which she attributes to a kind of schizophrenic need to embody all of her inner sides. To do justice to her characters, she also took acting classes. "Singers shouldn't just be machines, people not only expect pure voices, but also people who are believable to them." This attitude has brought her together with many of the most famous directors. Apart from those already mentioned, she worked with Robert Altman , Götz Friedrich , Jürgen Flimm - and she sang at all the important houses in the world. Among her most outstanding designs include their Salome , " Madama Butterfly " and the Floria Tosca in the famous TV live broadcast of "Tosca" (conductor Zubin Mehta , director Giuseppe Patroni Griffi ), filmed on location, for it with the Emmy Award awarded has been.

In addition to her career as an opera singer, Catherine Malfitano has also made a name for herself as a lieder singer. She is married to Stephen J. Holowid and has one daughter.

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personal data
SURNAME Malfitano, Catherine
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American opera singer (soprano)
DATE OF BIRTH April 18, 1948
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City