Cecilia Gasdia

In 1981 she made her operatic debut in Florence as Giulietta in Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi and rose to prominence following her successful debut at La Scala in 1982 when at very short notice she replaced Montserrat Caballé in the title role of Donizetti's Anna Bolena.

John Von Rhein of the Chicago Tribune wrote of her performance:"With her pale features and petite, high-waisted figure, Gasdia looked as if she had stepped out of a painting by Raphael.

She sang with a sweetness, purity and fluency of tone that was rich in soft shadings and consistent in quality from the top to bottom of her range.

[3] Throughout the course of her career, she has worked with Claudio Scimone and I Solisti Veneti both on the concert stage and in the recording studio.

In 2018 she became General Manager and Artistic Director of the opera at the Arena di Verona Festival.