BIOGRAPHY

Maria Teresa Leva is one of the most sought-after sopranos of the moment, who “stands out for a brilliant and full-bodied high register, as well as for remarkable breath control, as demonstrated by the crystalline filati and the pianissimos sustained with ease” (Stefano Balbiani, Connessi all’Opera).

The singer, who was born and trained in Reggio Calabria and perfected her craft with Donata d’Annunzio Lombardi, who continues to be her teacher, has been in her career for just over ten years, revealing her talent from her very first productions: Micaela at the Opera Carlo Felice under the direction of Andrea Battistoni and directed by David Livermore, Mimì in the OperaLombardia and Teatri Emilia Romagna circuits under the direction of Giampaolo Bisanti and directed by Leo Muscato.

Since then, she has moved on to leading roles as a lyric and lirico spinto soprano within a few years, with a predilection for the Verdi and Puccini repertoire: Elvira in Don Giovanni (OperaLombardia), Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly (Liceu in Barcelona, Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia, Theater Bonn and Opera di Roma), Leonora in Il Trovatore (Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari), Violetta in La Traviata (Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège and Opera Carlo Felice), Amelia in Un ballo in maschera (Deutsche Oper Berlin, Teatro Calderón Valladolid, Festival Verdi at the Regio di Parma and Comunale di Bologna), Mimì in La Bohème (Semperoper Dresden, Liceu and Teatro Regio in Turin), Liù in Turandot (Arena di Verona, OperaLombardia, Opera Carlo Felice and Sydney Opera House), Micaela in Carmen (Arena di Verona and OperaLombardia), Magda in La Rondine (Opera Carlo Felice), Anna in Le Villi (Teatro del Maggio), Suor Angelica (Teatro Comunale di Sassari), Nedda in Pagliacci (Teatro Pergolesi in Jesi), Adriana Lecouvreur (Regio di Parma, Comunale di Modena and Teatro Municipale in Piacenza), Margherita/Elena in Mefistofele (Suntory Hall in Tokyo and La Fenice in Venice), Manon Lescaut (Teatro Lirico di Cagliari and Teatro Regio in Turin), Aida (NCPA in Beijing and Opera Hong Kong), Tosca (Teatri di Modena and Ferrara), Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana (in concert with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra at the Charles Bronfman Auditorium in Tel Aviv), Maddalena in Andrea Chénier (Teatro Verdi in Pisa, OperaLombardia, Teatro del Giglio in Lucca, Teatro Sociale in Rovigo), Desdemona in Verdi’s Otello (Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège), Elena in Mefistofele (Teatro La Fenice in Venice).

In the symphonic repertoire, she has sung in Verdi’s Requiem with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano and in Liszt’s Christus with the Orquesta Sinfónica y Coro RTVE in Madrid.

FUTURE PROJECTS:

In the 2026/2027 season, she is expected at the Verismo Festival of the Teatro Regio in Turin for Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci conducted by Andrea Battistoni, directed by Daniele Menghini and Francesco Micheli respectively, again as Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana at the Teatro delle Muse in Ancona, La bohème at the Sydney Opera House and at the Teatro alla Scala (where she will also make her debut), Turandot at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège, Madama Butterfly at the Teatro Comunale in Bologna, and Tosca at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo.