Jessica Pratt Debuts As Semiramide
This month Australian soprano Jessica Pratt will make her debut in one of Gioacchino Rossini’s most challenging soprano parts in the title role of Semiramide in concert performances at the Marseille Opera House conducted by Italian Maestro Giuliano Carella from 18-27 October 2015. She will reprise the role of the Babylonian queen next month in another concert performance at Washington Concert Opera conducted by fellow Australian Antony Walker (22 November 2015) and will make her scenic debut as Semiramide in 2017 at the Florence Opera House.
Speaking about the role, Pratt remarks, “Semiramide is a strong, very interesting woman, an intriguing character to portray.” Pratt is considered one of today’s foremost Rossini sopranos, having performed more than ten leading roles at venues such as the Rossini Opera Festival Pesaro, the Festival Granda Lima, the Teatro San Carlo Naples and the Lausanne Opera House.
Her Rossini discography includes a CD recording of Otello and DVD/Blu-Ray recordings of Adelaide di Borgogna, Ciro in Babilonia, and Aureliano in Palmira (recently named Editor’s Choice by Gramophone).
Rossini holds a particularly important place in Pratt’s 2015 schedule, which saw her debuts in the roles of Amenaide in Tancredi at the Lausanne Opera House and as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Arena di Verona, as well as a return to the Rossini Opera Festival Pesaro in Rossini’s Messa di Gloria alongside Juan Diego Florez and in the cantata La morte di Didone.
As one of today’s brightest belcanto stars, Jessica Pratt has garnered international attention for her luxurious timbre, stunning vocal virtuosity, and moving interpretations. Performances have led her to opera theatres and festivals such as the Teatro alla Scala of Milan, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Zurich Opera House, the Vienna State Opera, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, and the Dutch National Opera Amsterdam.
Apart from her appearances as Semiramide her 2015/2016 schedule includes Lucia di Lammermoor in Florence, Turin, and with Victorian Opera Melbourne; debuts at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia Valencia in Mozart’s Davidde penitente and at the ABAO Bilbao as Amina in La sonnambula, as well as her role debut in Linda di Chamounix at the Rome Opera House; and gala concerts in Verona and Moscow.
