Marcella Lotti della Santa

Marcella Lotti della Santa (sometimes incorrectly called Marcellina) (September 1831 – 9 February 1901) was an Italian opera singer who had an active international career during the 1850s and 1860s.

[1] Born Marcella Lotti in Mantua, Lotti della Santa studied singing with Alberto Mazzucato in Milan before making her professional opera debut in 1850 in Constantinople with a traveling Italian opera troupe as Alice in Meyerbeer's Robert le Diable.

At La Scala she drew particular acclaim for her portrayal of Odabella in Giuseppe Verdi's Attila.

[1] On 16 August 1857, Lotti della Santa sang Mina in the world premiere of Verdi's Aroldo for the opening of the Teatro Nuovo in Rimini.

While there she notably created parts in several world premieres, including the title heroines in Saverio Mercadante's Virginia (1866), Errico Petrella's Giovanna di Napoli (1869), and Gaetano Donizetti's Gabriella di Vergy (1869).