Biography
Professional training
The Italian soprano Francesca Pusceddu was born in Sardinia in 1994.
She started her musical studies as a violinist, graduating from the State Conservatory of Cagliari (Italy) in 2015.
Soon she developed an interest in singing, joining the class of the Contralto Bernadette Manca di Nissa and the Italian Youth Choir.
After graduating in singing Summa cum Laude at the Prins Claus Conservatorium in Groningen in 2019, she was selected to be part of the Dutch National Opera Academy in Amsterdam, studying with both Hanneke de Wit and Margreet Honig.
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Francesca received precious advice from teachers like: Elisabetta Scano, Valerie Guillorit and Marcel Boone for the vocal technique, Paul Triepels e Tanya Aspelmeier for breathing, Hans Eijsackers e Eelko Molenaar for the lieder repertoire, Pieter Jan Belder and Nico van der Meel for the baroque repertoire.
Performing
As a soloist, Francesca performed in several venues in the Netherlands, Italy, Marocco, Germany, Poland and France such as, amongst others, the Muziekgebouw, the Concertgebouw, De Spiegel, the Teatro Comunale di Sassari, the Filharmonia Krakowska, the Auditorium of Cagliari and Théâtre National Mohammed V in Rabat, accompanied by orchestras and chamber ensembles.
Francesca made her Opera debut in 2017, in the role of Musetta in La Bohème, directed by Sybrand van der Werf. In the review from del Dagblad van het Noorden they wrote of her:
“Francesca Pusceddu stole the show in her first role as the sweet and sometimes exploding Musetta”
Since then she interpreted roles such as Clorinda in Rossini’s La Cenerentola, Beth in Little Women by M. Adamo, La Fée in Cendrillon by Viardot, Adele in Fledermaus by Strauss, the Eerste Vrouw in Ontstaan in Grote Nood by Ameland, Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi by Puccini, Valencienne in La Vedova Allegra by Lehár, Zerlina in Don Giovanni by Mozart, Berta in Il Barbiere di Siviglia by Rossini.
In 2019 she was part of the Young Artist Program Jonge Grote Zangers, by whom she was invited to open the concert of Christian Gerhaher at the Muziekgebouw of Amsterdam.
In the same year, she won the audition of the Ente Marialisa de Carolis as the best emerging Sardinian singer.
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Alongside Opera performances, Francesca's concert repertoire includes masterpieces such as Petite Messe Solennelle by Rossini,the Messiah by Händel, Miroir de Peine by Andriessen, Schumann's Missa Sacra, Les sept paroles du Christ en Croix by Franck and more, but also contemporary concert repertoire like I shall love but Thee by Jan van der Roost.
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Francesca Pusceddu worked with conductors such as: Antonino Fogliani, José Miguel Pérez-Sierra, Karel Deseure, Sergio Alapont, Antony Hermus, and directors such as: Renato Bonajuto, Paolo Gavazzeni, Piero Maranghi, Sybrand van der Werf, Dirk Schmeding, Andrea Merli, Jochen Schönleber and more.
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In 2023 Francesca was one of the finalists at the international SOI Fiorenza Cedolins Competition winning the Special Price of the Teatro Coccia di Novara.
The same year Francesca won the 1er Prix Femme at the Concours International de Chant Lyrique de Canari.
In 2024 she was awarded the Callas Special prize at the 5th International Competition Omaggio a Maria Callas city of Brescia.
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Francesca’s next engagements include a recital in Padua at Palazzo Zacco Armeni and Elijah by Mendelssohn at the Krakow Philharmonic.