Margarita Giannelli is a soprano that receives praise for her expressive singing, riveting portrayals and powerful voice. Margarita has been described as a gifted and unique artist possessing warmth, imagination, wit and humanity.
Margarita’s most recent appearances include singing the soprano solo in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Manila Symphony Orchestra led by Maestro Arturo Molina, her debut as “Mimì” in a production of Puccini’s La bohème by MusicArtes at Samsung Hall, in Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle at the Ayala Museum, performing excerpts from Verdi’s Aïda in a celebration of Verdi’s Bicentennial at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Resorts World Manila/MusicArtes’s “Best of Opera” gala event featuring staged operatic excerpts, her debut as “Micaela” in Bizet’s Carmen produced by the Lyric Opera of the Philippines and a concert of operatic arias and duets with Camille Lopez Molina and the Manila Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Arturo Molina at the PhilAmLife Auditorium. Critics deemed this performance the “vocal event of the year” and that the concert “established vocal history”.
At the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Margarita has been a guest artist of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra led by Maestro Ruggero Barbieri as well as a featured artist in the Filipino Artists Series. She has also been heard as soloist for the Manila Chamber Orchestra and the Philippine Youth Orchestra as well as the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, the UC Berkley Symphony Orchestra, the Chautauqua Music School Festival Orchestra and The Symphony Orchestra of the Curtis Institute of Music. Margarita has appeared on Philippine television shows such as A Little Night of Music, Ryan Ryan Musikahan, Concert at the Park and Paco Park Presents. Margarita was a featured soloist before Pope John Paul II at the Catholic Mass Media Awards during his historic visit to the Philippines. In celebration of Philippine Independence Day, Margarita appeared with the late Maestro Oscar Yatco on violin and noted Filipina concert pianist Nena Villanueva in Madrid, Spain. Margarita has also collaborated with concert pianist Nena Villanueva at the l’Hôtel National des Invalides in Paris, France and at the Philippine Ambassador’s residence in New York City.
Margarita’s performance repertoire includes Paz Pardo de Tavera in the world premiere of Ryan Cayabyab’s Spoliarium: Juan Luna, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Antonia in Les Contes D’Hoffmann, Ginevra in Ariodante, Contessa Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, Musetta in La Bohème, Elettra in Idomeneo, Sisa in Francisco Feliciano’s Sikhay sa Kabila ng Paalam, Doray in Antonio Molina’s sarsuela Ana Maria in and the Nightingale in the world premiere of fellow Curtis alumnus Luis Prado’s one act opera, The Nightingale and the Rose. Margarita has also appeared as the soprano soloist in Verdi’s Messa da Requiem, Vivaldi’s Magnificat and Missa di Gloria, Poulenc’s Gloria, Händel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem in D minor and Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle. She has also performed works such as Villalobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras, Haydn’s Scena di Berenice and songs by composers such as Fauré, Weill, Brahms and Abelardo. Margarita has also been praised for her interpretations of Canteloube’s Chants D’Auvergne, Carter’s Cantata and Montsalvatge’s Cinco Canciones Negras.
Margarita is a graduate of both The Curtis Institute of Music and the University of the Philippines College of Music. She has the distinct honor of being the first Filipina Laureate of the Rosa Ponselle Foundation. She has also received training from the Chautauqua Institution Music School, Centro Studi Italiani and the interim program of the Opera Company of Philadelphia. She recently had the privilege of working with Maestro Steven White of the Metropolitan Opera in a Potomac Vocal Institute workshop of Verdi’s Messa da Requiem.
Margarita has studied under teachers and coaches such as Fides Cuyugan-Asensio, Igor Chichagov, Mikael Eliasen, Marlena Kleinman Malas, Danielle Orlando, Prof. Rey T. Paguio and Joan Patenaude-Yarnell. She has also participated in Master Classes given by Thomas Hampson, Tom Krause and Renata Scotto.
Margarita’s current teacher and coaches are Don Marrazzo, Camille Lopez Molina, Pablo Molina and Maestro Giovanni Reggioli.
