Loriana Castellano

Mezzo-Soprano

Biography

Loriana Castellano, born in Altamura, Italy, graduated with honours in Vocal Studies from the “Tito Schipa” Music Conservatory in Lecce with Amelia Felle. She then continued her studies with Claudio Desderi, Edward Smith and Sara Mingardo. In 2008, she studied at the Belcanto Academy in Bad Wildbad with Raul Gimenez and Alberto Zedda. She has been the recipient of prizes at several international competitions, including: “Città di Adelfia” in 2005 (1st prize); “Terra di Leuca” in 2006 (1st prize); “Roma Festival” in 2006 (1st prize); and “Campolieto” in 2010. She represented Italy in the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition 2013.

After winning the 64th “International European Competition for Young Lyric Singers” in Spoleto, she studied with Renato Bruson, Norma Fantini and Enza Ferrari and there she was able to make her house debut and role debuts in Il matrimonio segreto, Elisir d’Amore, Madama Butterfly, Pipa and Balafuso, and Reality Opera.

Ms. Castellano made her professional debut in 2005 as Fulvio in Duni’s Catone in Utica, during the Duni Festival in Matera. Other important debuts followed: Dorotea in Donizetti’s Le Convenienze e Inconvenienze teatrali at the Teatro Orfeo in Taranto; Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro in Rome, Second Woman and Second Witch in Dido and Aeneas at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna; Zulma in L’Italiana in Algeri; and Bradamante in Handel’s Alcina with Le Parlement de Musique conducted by Martin Gester at the Vannes Theatre. She was also involved in a series of concerts for Van Westerhout Cultural Activities in New York and then in a concert tour in China. Other early engagements included: Zelinda in the modern premiere of Myslivecek’s Medonte, with L’Arte del Mondo led by Werner Ehrhardt, recorded for DHM; Vivaldi’s Juditha Triumphans at the Soli Deo Gloria Festival – Braunschweig and at the Festival de Beaune, with Modo Antiquo and Federico Maria Sardelli (Arte TV); Ser Marcantonio in Bad Wildbad, recorded for Naxos; Vivaldi’s Catone in Utica with Modo Antiquo and Federico Maria Sardelli at the Theater an der Wien and at the Opera Rara Festival in Krakow; Stravinsky’s Pulcinella with the Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra conducted by Thierry Fischer in Utrecht; Così Fan Tutte in Matera; and Madama Butterfly in Palermo.

Having won the Toti dal Monte Competition 2012, she made her debut as Fidalma in Cimarosa’s Il matrimonio segreto in Treviso, Ferrara, Rovigo, Ravenna and Lucca. Ms Castellano has recently made her debut in La Cenerentola (title role) in Sao Paolo and performances in recent seasons have included La Traviata at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo with Marco Armiliato; Vivaldi’s Farnace (1738) in Florence under the baton of Federico Maria Sardelli ( Dynamic DVD); La Cambiale di Matrimonio in Ingolstadt; Mozart’s La Betulia Liberata in Wroclaw; Il Barbiere di Siviglia in Trento and Seul (Art Center); J.M.Kraus’ Begrabnis Kantate, recorded for DHM at the Berliner Philarmoniker; Battistelli’s Il Medico dei Pazzi in Nancy and Venice; Vivaldi’s Gloria and Kyrie RV 578 with the Haydn Sinfonietta Wien in Linz Brucknerhaus; Mozart’s Don Giovanni (Zerlina) with Paolo Arrivabeni at Opera de Monte-Carlo; Isabella in L’Italiana in Algeri at Lucca Opera Festival; Zaida in Il turco in Italia in Piacenza, Ravenna and Modena; The Witch in Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas at Teatro Regio di Torino with Federico Maria Sardelli; Tisbe in La Cenerentola under the baton of Speranza Scappucci; Fidalma in Il Matrimonio Segreto at Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik with Alessandro De Marchi; Lucia in La Gazza Ladra at Petruzzelli with George Petrou, and Bradamante in Vivaldi’s Orlando Furioso with Diego Fasolis.

Loriana’s sacred music repertoire includes Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle; Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and Salve Regina; Vivaldi’s Gloria, Magnificat, Kyrie RV 578 and Juditha Triumphans; Handel’s Messiah, Schubert’s Mass No. 5 in A flat major, J.M. Krauss’s Begrabnis Cantate, Porpora’s Salve Regina, and Mozart’s La Betulia Liberata.

She studies with Sara Mingardo, with whom she has recorded duet for the album: ‘Se con stille frequenti’ (Arcana).

Recent engagements include Adriana Lecouvreur at Opéra de Monte-Carlo and Orlando Furioso at La Fenice in Venice.
The 2018/19 season will see Ms. Castellano perform the role of Almirena in Festival della Valle d’Itria’s production of Rinaldo; Mercedes in Carmen at the Shaanxi Grand Opera House; and sing in the premiere of 7 Minuti by Giorgio Battistelli with the Opéra National de Lorraine.

Not to be altered without permission from IMG Artists.

”De son côté, la mezzo italienne Loriana Castellano – déjà applaudie in loco l’été passé dans Orlando Furioso de Vivaldi – compte parmi les très bonnes chanteuses du moment. Son timbre sombre et sensuel, sa ligne de chant déliée, sa belle projection, sa puissance et sa noblesse de phrasé en font une très belle Almirena, piquante et espiègle, particulièrement tendre dans le magnifique « Augelleti che cantate », un des rares airs conservés de la partition originale, où les notes perlées qu’elle y distille se mêlent à une flûte ici pleine d’humour et de pépiements”.

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