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Bel Canto

Bel Canto

Summer Vocal Programs for Youth and Adults

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Licia Albanese

Licia Albanese

For more than a quarter of a century Licia Albanese epitomizedItalian opera on the world’s greatest stages. Her first appearance was as a replacement for an indisposed soprano at the Teatro Liricoin Milan as Cio-Cio-San in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. It was with this role that she made her American debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1940 and it has become synonymous with her name to this day. Her list of roles is impressive: Mozart’s Countess,Massenet’s Manon, Bizet’s Micaëla, and Verdi’s Violetta. However, it is as an interpreter of Puccini’s heroines, particularly Cio-Cio-San, Mimì and Liù, that she is most highly regarded. During 26 seasons at the Met she sang 427 performances of 17 roles; she also sang with the San Francisco Opera for 20 seasons, in addition to international appearances. Since her retirement from the Met in 1966, she has given generously of her time and knowledge to help young singers. Mme. Albanese is chairman of The Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation and is an avid supporter of the Bel Canto Institute for which she was honored in 1998.

© Copyright 2021 Bel Canto

Bel Canto Institute 2021 Summer Programs in Florence, Italy are in a fluid state due to the pandemic. This means we are not accepting applications for 2021 at this time. With the United States Department of State advisory ‘Reconsider Travel to Italy’ and the current conditions in Italy and the United States, we are not able to move forward at this time. Safety of participants is always a major concern to this organization. Please check this site after January 1 for updates. We are hopeful.