Maria Spacagna

laspacagna@cox.net

Lecturer, Voice

BMus, MMus, New England Conservatory of Music. Maria Spacagna, internationally known soprano, has performed extensively in many of the world’s most prestigious opera theaters and concert halls. She made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera opposite Luciano Pavarotti singing the title role in Verdi’s Luisa Miller. Other notable theaters are Teatro alla Scala, where she was the first American to have performed the role of Madame Butterfly; La Fenice in Venezia; Arena di Verona; Festival Pucciniana in Torre del Lago, summer home of Giacomo Puccini; the Deutsche Oper Berlin; the New York City Opera; the Dallas Opera; the San Francisco Opera; Opera Theater of Montreal; the Canadian Opera in Toronto; and many others. Ms. Spacagna has received of many awards and prizes, most notably, the Metropolitan Opera National Council, the Paris International Competition, and the Verdi Competition in Busseto, Italy. She was awarded grants from the Rockefeller Foundation and the George London National Opera Institute in Washington, DC. She also received a Rhode Island Pell Award for Excellence in the Arts and was the first recipient of the Distinguished Artist Award presented by the Rhode Island Civic Chorale and Orchestra. Ms. Spacagna is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, where she received a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music in Voice with Distinction. She was a student of Gladys Childs Miller. Following her studies at NEC, she became a member of the Juilliard Opera School in New York City. At the invitation of Placido Domingo, Ms. Spacagna was invited to sing at the White House for President and Mrs. Bill Clinton at a dinner honoring the Prime Minister of Italy. In addition to her teaching, Ms. Spacagna continues to perform whenever time permits.