Sonia Ganassi

Sonia Ganassi (born 1966) is an Italian mezzo-soprano. Born in Reggio Emilia, she made her debut as Rosina in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville in Rome in 1992. She has performed in many of the world’s famous opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, the Royal Opera House in London and the Teatro alla Scala, Milan. She is best known for her work in the bel canto repertoire. Her roles in Rossini operas also include soprano parts, such as Elisabetta in Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra (ROF, 2004), Elena in La donna del lago (Lady of the Lake) (Rossini in Wildbad, 2006), Ermione (ROF, 2008), and Elcia in Mosè in Egitto (ROF, 2011). In 2009 she participated in a live recording of Giuseppe Verdi's Messa da Requiem conducted by Antonio Pappano (EMI Classics 6 98936 2). In October 2019 she debuted the leading role of Lady Macbeth in Verdi's Macbeth at the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari.

Repertory Her roles included: Operatic role Role Opera Composer Romeo Montecchi I Capuleti e i Montecchi BelliniTeresa La sonnambula BelliniAdalgisa Norma BelliniMarguerite La damnation de Faust BerliozCarmen Carmen BizetGiovanna Seymour Anna Bolena DonizettiMaffio Orsini Lucrezia Borgia DonizettiElisabetta I Maria Stuarda DonizettiSara Roberto Devereux DonizettiLeonora La Favorita DonizettiPierrotto Linda di Chamounix DonizettiZayda Dom Sébastien DonizettiRodelinda Rodelinda HändelHelene Hin und zurück HindemithZanetto Zanetto MascagniCharlotte Werther MassenetIdamante Idomeneo, Re di Creta MozartCherubino Le nozze di Figaro MozartDonna Elvira Don Giovanni MozartDorabella Così fan tutte MozartNicklausse Les contes d'Hoffmann OffenbachConcepción L'Heure espagnole RavelSiveno Demetrio e Polibio RossiniIsabella L'Italiana in Algeri RossiniSigismondo Sigismondo RossiniElisabetta Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra RossiniRosina Il barbiere di Siviglia RossiniAngelina La Cenerentola RossiniElcìa Mosè in Egitto RossiniErmione Ermione RossiniElena La donna del lago RossiniEmma Zelmira RossiniSinaïde Moïse et Pharaon RossiniJocasta Oedipus rex StravinskyCuniza Oberto, Conte di San Bonifacio VerdiLady Macbeth Macbeth VerdiFenena Nabucco VerdiPrincipessa d'Eboli Don Carlo VerdiAmneris Aida Verdi