biography
Hailed as having a voice of “such strong presence and beauty of tone that she left one longing for more.” (Opera News), Irish-American soprano Francesca Federico was born in Paris and is based in New York City. She is a Fulbright Scholar, and completed a performance residency in Ireland, focusing on the origins of Irish traditional music in classical art song by Irish composers and poets.
Projects this season include the title role of Strauss’s Salome with Heartbeat Opera; soloist in Mahler’s Symphony No.4 with the New York Session Symphony, soloist in Beethoven’s Mass in C Major with the Greenwich Choral Society, and soloist in Bach’s BWV 140 with the Westchester Choral Society. Francesca will also release her debut album, Visions and Ecstasies, on Odradek Records, for which she was awarded a production grant from the Anna Sosenko Assist Trust.
Projects in the 2023-24 season included a return to Salt Marsh Opera as Nannetta in Verdi’s Falstaff; Anna di Resburgo (cover) in the modern premiere of Carolina Uccelli’s Anna di Resburgo with Teatro Nuovo; guest soloist with the Connecticut Choral Society in Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, Fauré’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah and Monteverdi’s Vespers; soloist in Mozart's Mass in C Minor with the Westchester Oratorio Society; soloist in Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de confessore with the Hudson Chorale, and soloist in Douglas Knehans’ Backwards from Winter with Marshall Opera.
The 2022-23 season included a debut at Carnegie Hall as soloist in John Rutter’s Requiem with the New England Symphonic Ensemble, conducted by Maestro Rutter; Eurydice in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld with Opera Ithaca and Raylynmor Opera; Night in Overtone Industries’ Iceland; Marjorie in the premiere of Fizz & Ginger with The Curiosity Cabinet; and Soloist with the American Contemporary Music Ensemble at The Morgan Library, performing Ravel’s Chansons Madécasses and the premiere of Clarice Jensen’s Enheduanna.
Other roles include Alice Ford in Verdi’s Falstaff (Wexford Festival Opera); Clorinda in Rossini’s La Cenerentola (Raylynmor Opera); Frasquita in Bizet’s Carmen (Salt Marsh Opera); La Donna in Zandonai’s Giulietta e Romeo (Teatro Grattacielo), and Sor Andrea in Carla Lucero’s Juana (dell’Arte Opera); Ninetta cover in Rossini’s La Gazza Ladra (Teatro Nuovo), and Anna Gomez in Menotti’s The Consul (Bronx Opera).
Francesca was winner of the Anna Sosenko Assist Trust and the Lotte Pulvermacher Grant; finalist for a Career Bridges Grant; finalist in the John Alexander National Vocal Competition; finalist in the Vermont Vocal Competition; finalist for The American Prize, and semi-finalist in the Opera Columbus Cooper-Bing Competition. Her voice appeared as the Soloist in Brian K. Bowers’ short film Reverie (WINNER: New Creators Film Award, 'Best Original Music'), and on Clarice Jensen’s album Esthesis.
Francesca received a Masters Degree in Vocal Performance at the Mannes School of Music, studying under Bonnie Hamilton. She completed her undergraduate degree in Global Politics at New York University. She studies with Mark Schnaible in New York.
Photo credit: Jordan Tiberio