Francesca Manzo

Forged artistically at Teatro alla Scala and increasingly in demand on the international stage, Italian soprano Francesca Manzo has built a career distinguished by stylistic elegance, vocal warmth and a natural affinity for the Italian and French lyric repertoire. Combining expressive sincerity with refined musicianship, she continues to establish herself as a versatile interpreter of Mozart, Verdi and Puccini.

Her artistic foundation was laid at the Giuseppe Martucci Conservatory in Salerno before she was admitted in 2016 to the prestigious Accademia Teatro alla Scala in Milan. Under the guidance of Luciana D’Intino, Eva Mei, Renato Bruson and Vincenzo Scalera, she developed into one of the Academy’s most promising young sopranos before becoming a regular performer at Teatro alla Scala between 2016 and 2019.

During these formative years she appeared in a broad repertoire including Blonde (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel), Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), Adina (L’elisir d’amore), Annina (La traviata) and the High Priestess in Aida. She also performed Gilda alongside the legendary Leo Nucci, an experience that marked an important milestone in her artistic development. A particular highlight of her years at La Scala was her participation in the world premiere of Salvatore Sciarrino’s Ti vedo, ti sento, mi perdo, directed by Jürgen Flimm and conducted by Maxime Pascal. During this period she collaborated with conductors including Daniel Oren, Myung-Whun Chung, Marc Albrecht and Paolo Carignani, and worked with internationally renowned directors such as Franco Zeffirelli, Liliana Cavani, Woody Allen and Sven-Eric Bechtolf.

A prizewinner at several international singing competitions, including the Riva del Garda International Competition and the Giancarlo Aliverta Competition, Manzo has since established herself at many of Italy’s leading opera houses while steadily broadening her international career.

Recent seasons have marked a significant expansion of her international profile. Following her acclaimed debut as Mimì at the Hyogo Performing Arts Center in Japan, she returned on tour with Teatro Massimo di Palermo under Francesco Ivan Ciampa. Her growing presence in Asia has since included her debut as Lauretta under Xu Zhong, a prestigious Puccini Gala in Beijing conducted by Lu Jia in the presence of the Presidents of Italy and China, and her debut as Nannetta in Verdi’s Falstaff at the Shanghai Opera House, again under the baton of Xu Zhong.

Further highlights include performances of Verdi’s Messa da Requiem in Milan, appearances in Los Angeles as part of the Amerigo Vespucci World Tour, and collaborations with distinguished ensembles including the RAI National Symphony Orchestra, the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, the Junge Philharmonie Wien, the Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana and the China National Symphony Orchestra.

Upcoming engagements include her role debut as Micaëla in Bizet’s Carmen, while further international projects continue to broaden her artistic horizons.

With an artistic journey spanning the traditions of Teatro alla Scala and an expanding presence across Europe, Asia and the concert stage, Francesca Manzo continues to build a career defined by thoughtful repertoire choices, musical integrity and an unwavering commitment to artistic excellence.