Francesca Rachel Mondanaro

In recent seasons, her current students have performed on stage with The Metropolitan Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Grimeborn Opera Festival, Boston Baroque, Santa Fe Opera, Israeli Opera, the Tanglewood Festival, Philadelphia Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Métropolitain, and Defiant Requiem, among many other companies. Her singers also presently hold chorus appointments with companies such as Opéra de Montréal, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opernhaus Halle, Dutch National Opera, and Chicago Lyric Opera. Before the pandemic, Francesca taught at and was invited as regular guest teaching faculty for the Yulanda M. Faris Young Artist Program at Vancouver Opera under Adrianne Wurz.

During her performing career, recognized for her “electric…high impact singing” (Opera News), “riveting performances” (Washington Post) and ability to create “thrilling and shattering music-drama” (Parterre), Francesca specialized in the dramatic soprano and bel canto repertoire. Starting with her debut at age 19 as Olga in Eugene Onegin and Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro with Skylight Opera Theatre, as well as Gilda in Rigoletto with Anchorage Opera while still studying at the Curtis Institute of Music, she eventually grew into heavier repertoire to perform roles such as Abigaille in Nabucco, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, the title roles of Madama Butterfly, Norma, and Anna Bolena, Margherita and Elena in Mefistofele, Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, the Mother and Witch in Hansel and Gretel, and Fata Morgana in L’amour des trois oranges. Along with several seasons as a guest artist with Deutsche Oper Berlin, Francesca performed roles with the Spontini Festivale, Opera Baltimore, Delaware Opera, Sarasota Opera, New Jersey State Opera, the Baltimore Opera (formerly Baltimore Concert Opera), Opera Las Vegas, Nashville Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Opera Delaware, and many more. She ended her performing career as Margherita in Mefistofele, featured in a filmed performance by Teatro Grattacielo, for the 100th Anniversary of Beniamino Gigli’s appearances at the Metropolitan Opera.

In addition to her studies at Curtis, Francesca studied under Marilyn Horne at the Music Academy of the West, and Joan Dornemann at IVAI in Montreal and Tel Aviv, where she was the winner of the Silverman Award by unanimous faculty vote. She was the Stanley L. Richmond Award Winner at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis after two seasons as an Ensemble Artist, and the recipient of many grants, including a two time grantee of the Olga Forrai Foundation, The Career Bridges Foundation Awards, the Amadeus Fund, and the Richard Tucker Foundation. Francesca won 1st place in District for the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition Northwest Region, was a finalist in the Licia Albanese – Puccini Foundation Competition, and placed in such competitions as the Anna Maria Saritelli diPanni Competition, the Mario Lanza Institute Scholarship Competition, and the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts.