Cecilia Bartoli facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cecilia Bartoli
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Bartoli at the Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels in 2007
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| Born | 4 June 1966 Rome, Italy
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| Education | Conservatorio Santa Cecilia |
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| Years active | 1987–present |
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| Spouse(s) |
Oliver Widmer
(m. 2011) |
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Cecilia Bartoli (born June 4, 1966) is a famous Italian opera singer. She is a mezzo-soprano, which means her singing voice is in a middle range, not the highest or the lowest. She is known for her powerful and unique voice.
Bartoli is an expert in singing music from the Baroque (1600-1750) and Classical (1750-1820) eras. She loves to perform music by composers like Mozart, Rossini, and Vivaldi. She is also famous for finding and singing beautiful music from the past that had been forgotten.
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Early Life and First Steps in Music
Cecilia Bartoli was born in Rome, Italy. Music was a big part of her family life. Her parents, Silvana Bazzoni and Pietro Angelo Bartoli, were both professional singers. They were her very first music teachers.
Her talent showed up early. When she was only nine years old, she performed on stage for the first time. She played the part of a shepherd boy in the opera Tosca. Later, she studied music seriously at a famous school in Rome called the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia.
When she was 19, she appeared on an Italian TV talent show. Even though she didn't win, her performance was so impressive that she was invited to sing at a special concert in Paris to honor the great opera singer Maria Callas. This was the start of her amazing journey.
A Star on the Opera Stage
Bartoli's professional opera career began in 1987. She quickly became famous for her wonderful performances in operas by Rossini and Mozart.
Becoming a Rossini and Mozart Expert
In 1988, she played Rosina in Rossini's fun opera The Barber of Seville. Critics loved her performance, and she became known as one of the best singers of Rossini's music.
She also focused on roles in Mozart's operas. She worked with famous conductors like Daniel Barenboim and Nikolaus Harnoncourt. She sang roles like the clever servant Zerlina in Don Giovanni and the thoughtful Dorabella in Così fan tutte.
Her career took her to the world's most famous opera houses.
- In 1990, she sang at the Opéra Bastille in Paris.
- In 1991, she made her debut at the legendary La Scala opera house in Milan, Italy.
- In 1996, she first appeared at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City as Despina in Così fan tutte.
Rediscovering Old Music
Bartoli is like a musical detective. She loves to explore music from the Baroque period. This was a time of fancy, dramatic music written by composers like Handel and Vivaldi. She has recorded many albums of their work, often performing with music groups that use instruments from that time, like Il Giardino Armonico.
In 2012, she started a special project called Mission. It was about a little-known Baroque composer named Agostino Steffani. She released an album of his music and even made a music video where she dressed up as the composer to tell his story.
Singing in the Bel Canto Style
Bartoli is also a master of bel canto, which is Italian for "beautiful singing." This is a style of opera from the early 1800s that requires a very smooth, flexible, and emotional voice.
In 2007, she released an album called Maria. It was a tribute to the legendary 19th-century singer Maria Malibran. Bartoli studied Malibran's life and the music that was written for her. She even performed in an opera called Clari, in a role that was first sung by Malibran herself.
A Leader in the Music World
Besides being a singer, Bartoli is also a talented arts administrator. This means she is in charge of planning and leading musical events.
Salzburg Whitsun Festival
In 2012, Bartoli became the artistic director of the Salzburg Whitsun Festival in Austria. She changed the festival by creating exciting programs and inviting amazing artists. Her leadership made the festival very popular, and it is now a major event on the international opera calendar. Each year, she also stars in one of the main operas.
Opéra de Monte-Carlo
In 2023, Bartoli took on another important role. She became the director of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo in Monaco. She is the first woman to ever hold this job.
Personal Life
Cecilia Bartoli lives in Switzerland with her husband, Oliver Widmer, who is also an opera singer. They got married in 2011. She also spends part of the year living in her hometown of Rome.
Awards and Honors
Bartoli has won many awards for her incredible contributions to music. Here are a few of them:
- Five Grammy Awards for Best Classical Vocal Performance.
- The Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.
- The Polar Music Prize, which is sometimes called the "Nobel Prize of Music."
- She was voted into Gramophone magazine's Hall of Fame in 2012.
Famous Albums
Bartoli has recorded many successful albums. Here are some of her most well-known recordings.
Opera
- Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville)
- Rossini: La Cenerentola (Cinderella)
- Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro)
- Bellini: Norma
Recitals
- The Vivaldi Album (1999)
- The Salieri Album (2003)
- Opera Proibita (Forbidden Opera) (2005)
- Maria (A tribute to singer Maria Malibran) (2007)
- Sacrificium (2009)
- Mission (Music of Agostino Steffani) (2012)
See also
In Spanish: Cecilia Bartoli para niños
