Anna Maria Bondi
(soprano)

21209 Villa-Lobos: Voice of Brazil

Anna Maria Bondi was born in Rome and began playing the piano at the age of five. She undertook musical studies art the Conservatory F. Morlacchi in Perugia, and having obtained her diploma, she then continued singing studies with Gabriella Besanzoni, and also with Tito Schipa in Rome, Lotte Schönne in Paris and Elsa Cavelti in Basel. Her first operatic rôle was as Norina in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale. Since then her career has been divided between opera and concert and has taken her to most of the countries of Europe and much of Africa. She has participated in many festivals and in a concert tour of the USA in 1978. She has also appeared in Elisir d’Amore, Rigoletto,Lucia de Lammermoor, Il Matrimonio Segreto, La Somnambula, and as Nanetta in Falstaff.

For some time, she taught at the School of Operatic Lyric Art in Paris and became a leading figure in musical education in the French capital. In 1989 she directed the programming committee for singing studies at the Conservatoires de Musique et Danse. A good many professional singers, both in opera and the concert stage, owe much to the dedication and efforts of Anna Maria Bondi in their training and development.

Anna Maria’s discography is rich and varied; this recording of Villa-Lobos vocal works was honoured by the Académie Français du Disque; her other principal recordings include the religious vocal music of Couperin, songs and cantatas by Scarlatti, solo motets by Vivaldi, operatic arias by Haydn and the music of Pergolesi.

Photo by PHOTO X