Mirella Freni

Mirella Freni was a renowned soprano singer from Modena, Italy. A childhood friend of Luciano Pavarotti, Freni grew up with a love of Italian opera, often performing soprano-tenor duets together from a young age. At the age of 20, she made her operatic debut performing the role of Micaëla in Bizet's 'Carmen' at Teatro Municipale in Modena. From there, her reputation grew and she landed roles in Puccini's 'La Bohème', Mozart's 'Don Giovanni' and Donizetti's 'L'elisir D'amore'.

Other roles for which Freni became famous include Nannetta in Verdi's 'Falstaff', Marguerite in Gounod's 'Faust' and the title role in Puccini's 'Manon Lescaut'. Throughout her career she performed with Metropolitan Opera, Vienna State Opera, Netherlands Opera and Philadelphia Lyric Opera Company. She was also renowned for her work with Italian verismo, performing title roles in 'Adriana Lecouvreur' by Francesco Cilea and 'Fedora' by Umberto Giordano. After a 60-year long career, Mirella Freni passed away at the age of 84.