Lucia Casagrande Raffi

Born in Italy, in Gubbio (PG). She completed most of her musical studies at a very young age at the "F. Morlacchi" Conservatory in Perugia, graduating first in Singing and then in Music Education with top marks. She devoted herself to teaching for several years and within the Conservatory she met important musical figures such as the pedagogue A. M. Freschi, the musicologist R. Meucci and the composer F. De Rossi Re, personalities who marked her from a cultural and musical point of view. During her teaching years she approached the creative-interpretative side of music, discovering contemporary languages ​​and subsequently the possibility of tackling various expressive ranges through her voice.
She made her debut at the age of 21 at the Cantiere Internazionale D'Arte in Montepulciano with the "Stabat Mater" by G.B. Pergolesi. In the same years he met Father Evangelista Nicolini, a man of profound humanistic culture but above all a refined musicologist and musician, a student of D. Bartolucci, founder and director of the Cantori D’Assisi until his death in 2004, with whom he studied the sacred profane repertoire and the influence of Gregorian chant in vocal music.
He obtained a second level specialist degree - Musical Disciplines in SINGING, interpretative - compositional, with a thesis on the "Scena della pazzia" from Lucia Di Lammermoor by G. Donizetti.
He performed in numerous operas, concerts, recitals in Italy and abroad (Greece, United States, Spain, Germany, Argentina, Israel, Japan).
He initially studied with Anna Panni and Marinella Meli, then perfected his skills with Raina Kabaivanska, Claudine Ansermet, Gloria Banditelli and Roberta Invernizzi.
Over the years she has collaborated with numerous nationally and internationally renowned artists such as Dimitra Theodossiou, Carmela Remigio, Norma Fantini, Piero Giuliacci, Umberto Gazale, Sara M‘Punga and directors such as: L.G.Dolcini, M.Belli, P.Baiocco, G.Marras, G.Ferrari, G.Scandella, G.Pressburger, A.Cuocolo, P. Fosso, A. Allegrezza.
She debuted the role of Gilda in “Rigoletto” and Violetta in “La Traviata” by G. Verdi, receiving critical and public acclaim (Operaclick, L’Opera, Classic Voice, Corriere dell’Umbria, Repubblica, Into the theatre, Nuove Dimensioni Musicali).
She is also Carlotta in the first modern revival of the opera “Carlotta and Werther” by Coccia, Ifigenia in “Ifigenie en Tauride” and Euridice in “L’Orfeo e Euridice” by C. Glück, Valencienne in “The Merry Widow” by F. Lehàr, Pamina in “Die Zauberflöte” and Countess and Susanna in “The Marriage of Figaro” by W.A.Mozart, Priestess in “Aida” by Verdi, Alisa in “Lucia di Lammermoor” by G.Donizetti, Melia in “Apollo et Hyacintus” by W.A.Mozart, Musetta in “La Bohéme” and Lauretta in “Gianni Schicchi” by G. Puccini, Giulietta in “I Capuleti e i Montecchi” by V. Bellini, Micaela in “Carmen” by G. Bizet.

She is also very active in sacred, oratorial and symphonic music, important productions such as: “Messa da Requiem” by G.Verdi, “Stabat Mater” by G.B. Pergolesi, “Carmina Burana” by C. Orff, “Mass for the Jubilee” by M. Hayden, “Gloria” RV 588, RV 589 ” and "Magnificat" by A. Vivaldi, “Missa Brevis” K 275, “Vesprae Solennes De Confessore”, “Requiem”, “Coronation Mass in C KV 317”, “Mass in C Minor KV 427” by W.A.Mozart, “Petite Messe Solennelle ” and “Stabat Mater” by Rossini, “The Messiah” by G.F. Handel, “Ninth Symphony” by L.V.Beethoven, “Messe G-dur”, “Magnificat D 486”, “Tantum ergo D460”, “Salve Regina D686” by F. Schubert, “Symphony n° 2 - Lobgesang” by F. Mendelssohn Bartholdy, “Requiem” by G. Fauré, “Messe solennelle Sainte Cécile” by C. Gounod.
She was awarded in 2010 at the “Beniamino Gigli” in Helsinki.
With Francesco Marchetti she worked on “Requiem” and “The Composition”, part of the soundtrack of the homonymous film by A. Bergamo in competition at the 2012 Venice Film Festival and “L’Apocalisse-L’Opera” with the extraordinary presence of Gigi Proietti and Enzo Decaro.
With Paolo Fosso in 2014 she worked on the music for "Quasi una canzone d'amore" a show by P.Fosso that will also feature the actress Laura Lattuada.
Thanks to her excellent command of the Spanish language, she explores the Piazzolla and Latin American repertoire, giving life to the musical projects "Italian Dream In Buenos Aires" (2012) staged at the Gubbio NoBorders Music Festival (PG) and "Mujeres: Pasiones y Milagros al Sur" (2018), which debuted at the "Cantalice Artem Festival" (RI) and subsequently in the Aquilana Music Season, receiving critical and public acclaim. The project is produced by the Sheva Collection label.
In 2016 she debuted the role of Poppea by C. Monteverdi with the Ensemble Strumentale della Cappella Musicale S. Petronio in Bologna conducted by Michele Vannelli.
Over the years, she has increasingly deepened her study of Baroque singing and repertoire, studying Renaissance and Baroque singing at the Conservatory of L'Aquila under the guidance of Roberta Invernizzi and collaborating with influential musicians in the sector and important chamber groups such as Accademia degli Unisoni, ARTeM, Solisti Aquilani, Ensemble Strumentale della Cappella Musicale S. Petronio. With the Hermans Academy directed by Fabio Ciofini, she has participated in numerous productions as a solo soprano and in the recording of the Bottega Discantica "O Magnum Mysterium".
She is a guest at prestigious festivals such as Festival Villa Solomei, Sagra Musicale Umbra, Barattelli Concerti, Festival Arti in Movimento, Todi Festival, Perdonanza Celestiniana, Artem Festival and Hermans festival.
With Roma Barocca Ensemble and the direction of Lorenzo Tozzi, he published in 2020 for Bongiovanni the "Cantata a due voci con violini in onore di Sant' Antonio da Padova" by Girolamo Rossi and in 2021 and 2022 for Da Vinci “Il Giudizio Universale, Cantate Spiritual Vol.I e Vol.II ” by Francesco Feo. In 2024, he recorded again with Roma Barocca Ensemble for Brilliant Classics “Cantatas - di Antonio Cesti”.

last update 30 lug 2024

web-site: www.luciaraffi.it