Maria Pellegrini

Maria Pellegrini (born 15 July 1943 in Pretoro, Italy) is a Canadian operatic soprano of Italian birth who has had an active international career since the 1960s. She is particularly associated with the operas of Giacomo Puccini and Giuseppe Verdi. In 1965 she became a naturalized Canadian citizen.

Born in Pretoro, Pellegrini emigrated with her family to Canada in 1958 at the age of 15. In 1960 she entered The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) in Toronto where she studied voice for the next four years with Ernesto Vinci. She later pursued further vocal studies in London with Joe Macko.

Pellegrini made her professional opera debut in 1963 as the High Priestess in Verdi's Aida with the Canadian Opera Company. She was heard there the following year as Annina in La traviata and again in 1965 as Gilda in Rigoletto. She returned several more times to the COC through the late 1980s, portraying such roles as Aida, Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly, Nedda in I Pagliacci, and Violetta in La traviata among others.

In 1965 Pellegrini won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, but never was engaged to sing a role at the Met. In 1968 she made her debut at the Royal Opera, London as Gilda and in 1969 she made her first appearance with the Sadler's Wells Opera as Cio-Cio-San. She also performed and recorded the role of Musetta in La bohème with the Royal Opera, London in 1969.

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