Marianne Cornetti

Marianne Cornetti (born 1962) is an American opera singer, known for her rendition of mezzo-soprano roles in operas by Giuseppe Verdi, such as Azucena in Il trovatore, Amneris in Aida, and Eboli in Don Carlo.

Early life Cornetti grew up in Cabot, Butler County, Pennsylvania, a town north of Pittsburgh, to Irish mother and Italian father. She then attended College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati. In her sophomore year, She had committed to music ever since.

Career After her studies, Cornetti spent three years in the Young Artists Program of Pittsburgh Opera, where she made her first stage appearance as First maid in Strauss' Elektra in 1989. She was then engaged in small roles elsewhere in the United States, notably the Wolf Trap Opera Company. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut at the end of 1993, as the Russian Nanny in Death in Venice. Ulrica in Un ballo in maschera, and Abigaille in Nabucco.

In 2002, she sang the Princess de Bouillon in Adriana Lecouvreur for the first time at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, alongside Nelly Miricioiu in the title role.

Cornetti was appointed Artistic Director of Pittsburgh Festival Opera in November 2019. She is also on the Voice Faculty at Carnegie Mellon University.

Personal life Cornetti lives in Pittsburgh. She formerly resided in New Kensington for nine years.