Cecilia Fusco facts for kids

Maria Cecilia Fusco (born June 10, 1933 – died November 26, 2020) was a talented Italian opera singer, known as a soprano. She was also a voice teacher, helping others learn to sing. Cecilia Fusco had a long and successful career. She often performed at the famous La Scala opera house in Milan, Italy. She also sang in many other top opera houses both in Italy and around the world. Her singing range was very wide, from old Italian operas to brand new ones.

Cecilia Fusco's Early Life and Career

Cecilia Fusco was born in Rome, Italy, and grew up in a very musical family. Her father, Giovanni Fusco, was a composer who wrote music for movies. His music was used in films by famous directors like Michelangelo Antonioni. Cecilia's mother, Adriana Dante, was a pianist. Many famous musicians and composers often visited the Fusco family home. These visits helped young Cecilia develop a strong love and talent for music.

Becoming an Opera Star

Cecilia Fusco studied music at the Conservatorio Santa Cecilia in Rome. She won a special competition named after the famous composer Puccini, organized by RAI (Italy's public broadcaster). In 1958, she made her first big performance in Genoa. She sang the role of Gilda in Verdi's opera Rigoletto.

In 1960, Cecilia Fusco performed for the first time at La Scala in Milan. This is one of the most famous opera houses in the world! She sang the part of Barbarina in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro. A very famous conductor, Herbert von Karajan, led the orchestra. At La Scala, she also sang in other well-known operas. These included La bohème by Puccini and La sonnambula by Bellini. She even sang in a brand new opera called Il buono soldato Svejk in 1962.

Performing Around the World

Cecilia Fusco's career lasted until the late 1970s. She performed in many opera houses across Italy. Some of these included La Fenice in Venice and the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples. She also sang in other countries, such as at the Liceu in Barcelona, Spain, and La Monnaie in Brussels, Belgium.

She worked for a long time with a group called I Virtuosi dell'opera di Roma. This group specialized in older Italian music from the 16th and 17th centuries. With them, she even performed at the Expo '70 in Osaka, Japan!

Cecilia Fusco had the chance to work with many legendary conductors. These included Igor Stravinsky and Claudio Abbado. She also gave concerts in famous venues like Carnegie Hall in New York City and the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Teaching and Later Life

From the 1990s, Cecilia Fusco started teaching voice. She taught at music schools in Italy, like the Giuseppe Tartini Conservatory in Trieste. She also held special classes, called master classes, in different parts of Italy.

Cecilia Fusco passed away on November 26, 2020, after being ill for a long time. She was in a hospital in Latisana, Italy.

Films

Cecilia Fusco also appeared in a couple of films where she performed opera roles:

• 1962: L'ajo nell'imbarazzo, an opera by Donizetti, directed by Vasco Ugo Finni
• 1963: Rita, another Donizetti opera, directed by Filippo Crivelli

See also

In Spanish: Cecilia Fusco para niños