Benedetta Orsi
Italian mezzo-soprano Benedetta Orsi has established herself as one of the most prominent voices
on the St. Louis operatic scene. She was recognized by the Missouri Arts Council as an Outstanding Artist and received the Paul Harris Fellowship for her contribution to the promotion of Italian art and culture abroad.
Nominated by the St. Louis Theater Circle in 2018 for Outstanding Achievement in Opera, Benedetta is one of the few contemporary mezzo-sopranos to have performed all three principal roles in Donizetti’s Tudor trilogy: Jane Seymour (Anna Bolena), Elisabetta (Maria Stuarda), and Sara (Roberto Devereux), under a production of the Royal Opera Theater in Manchester, United Kingdom.
Her recent engagements include Adalgisa in Norma and the title role in Carmen with Winter Opera St. Louis, as well as performances with Amore Opera in New York. She has also performed Mamma Lucia (Cavalleria Rusticana) with the New Jersey Festival Orchestra, Ulrica (Un Ballo in Maschera) with Miami Lyric Opera, and Maddalena (Rigoletto) with Amore Opera. Her repertoire includes roles in Rigoletto, Falstaff, Il Trovatore, Norma, La Sonnambula, L’Italiana in Algeri, Il Turco in
Italia, and Werther.
In addition to her operatic career, she has performed in concerts at Carnegie Hall and on stages
across Italy, Austria, England, France, the United States, Brazil, and Spain. In St. Louis, she frequently collaborates with institutions such as The Sheldon, the Chamber Music Society, the St. Louis Philharmonic, the World Chess Hall of Fame, and the Washington University Symphony Orchestra.
Since 2023, she has been part of the cultural initiative Ciao Bambini, an exhibition at The Magic House Children’s Museum, where she is featured as one of the artists in the Cultural and On Stage – Performance series.
As a recording artist, her album INcanto, released by the Swiss label BAM International, received the Double Gold Medal at the Global Music Awards (Best Classical Album and Best Female Artist). Her previous releases, La Voix de l’Amour (Limen Music) and Christmas Around the World, also received Gold and Silver medals.
She studied at the Istituto Vecchi–Tonelli in Modena and earned a Master’s degree from the Regia Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna. She was selected among the top ten singers for the masterclasses of Teresa Berganza in León, Spain, and has further refined her technique with artists such as Marilyn Horne, Mirella Freni, Luciana Serra, Sergio Bertocchi, and Chuck Hudson.
Among her distinctions are First Prize at the Barry Alexander International Voice Competition, First Prize and the Star Performer Award at the American Protégé International Competition, the Audience Award at the Boulder International Voice Competition, and recognitions in several European competitions.
Committed to strengthening cultural ties between Bologna and St. Louis, she is an active member of the Sister Cities St. Louis–Bologna program,where since 2018 she has organized the annual Benedetta & Friends – Christmas Concert. She is also co-founder of In Her Sound, Inc. and serves as president of the St. Louis Women’s Chorus, actively supporting female representation in music.