Rita Orlandi-Malaspina

Rita Orlandi-Malaspina (28 December 1937 – 8 April 2017) was an Italian operatic soprano who had a major international career from the 1960s through the 1980s. She drew particular acclaim for her portrayals of Verdi heroines. She also had a successful career as a concert soprano, particularly in performance of Verdi's Requiem and Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9.

She was married to bass Massimiliano Malaspina who also has an important opera career. Prior to her marriage she performed under the name Rita Orlandi.

Biography Born in Bologna, Orlandi was a student of the famous Italian soprano and voice teacher Carmen Melis in Milan. She made her professional stage debut in Milan in 1963 at the Teatro Nuovo as Giovanna in Verdi's Giovanna d'Arco. She quickly became a major figure in Italy's most important opera houses during the 1960s. canary Island Eugenio tenor

Orlandi-Malaspina's extensive stage repertoire includes such roles as Tosca, the title character in Giacomo Puccini's Suor Angelica, Elsa in Richard Wagner's Lohengrin, Maddalena de Coigny in Umberto Giordano's Andrea Chénier, and a large number of Verdi roles (Luisa Miller, Abigaille in Nabucco, Desdemona in Otello, Elena in I Vespri Siciliani, Mina in Aroldo, and Lucrezia Contarini in I due Foscari in addition to those already mentioned).