Rachael Jane Stellacci, Soprano EN
After years of extensive study in dance, drama and music the Australian Soprano, Rachael Stellacci went to Italy after winning the Franco Schiavoni Memorial Scholarship. She then began her classical music studies at the Maggio Musicale Formazione (run by the Florence state theatre), where she specialized in Ancient Music. In 2013, she was one of three students accepted into the under-graduate degree in Opera Singing at the Conservatory of Bologna where she completed her degree with full marks in 2016. During her studies at the conservatory, she had the opportunity to perform in various concerts and productions including a performance of music by Berio at the state theatre of Bologna. She sang in concerts for the Florentine Chamber Orchestra, at the Lucca Opera Festival and in concert in Berlin. In 2016, she was selected to perform Abigaille in Nabucco and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth by Verdi for the association ‘Nel Pozzo del giardino’ and the state theatre of Piacenza for the festival ‘In canto…d’opera’. She sang for PratoLirica and was awarded the 12th edition of the Iva Pacetti Prize by the same organization for her performance. In 2017, she was awarded a place at the prestigious Richard Wagner Stipendienstiftung and she attended the scholarship program at the Wagner Festival in Bayreuth, Germany thanks to the Milano Wagner Association. In 2017 she qualified for the final rounds of the Belvedere Singing Competition in Moscow and the Mt. Fuji International Opera Competition in Japan. In 2018 she was chosen to study at the prestigious Rodolfo Celletti Belcanto Academy and made her debut at the Festival Della Valle D’Itria as Riccardo in Il Trionfo dell’Onore di Scarlatti. She performed the role of the Angel in Finzi’s In Terra Pax for the Orchestra Camerata di Prato. In 2019 she sang the role of Desdemona in Verdi’s Otello with the National Touring Opera in Australia and she performed with the company Jas Art Ballet at the Carcano Theatre of Milan and at the festival Nervi in Genova with artists from La Scala. She also sang at the International Music Festival of Sartène, Corsica and in the Puccini Vs Mascagni concert at the Piaggio Museum in Tuscany. In 2020 she continued her studies at the Rodolfo del Corona Academy and at the Livorno Music Festival with the mezzo soprano Laura Brioli. She became a soloist at the Puccini e la Sua Lucca Festival and sang at the Effetto Venezia Festival in Liricamente with the direction of Emanuele Gamba. In 2021 she sang the role of the Queen in Viardot’s Le Dernier Sorcier at the Festival Della Valle D’Itria, at the MUSEG festival in Segovia and at the Festival Little Opera in Zamora. She performed with the Orchestra Amedeo Modigliani in Violetta, Mimì e le altre in Siena, Giglio Island, Piombino and Livorno. She sang in Mascagni Off during the Mascagni Festival in a never performed before chamber music concert. She became a soloist in the show dedicated to Puccini, L’Altro Giacomo, a co production between the Puccini Festival and the actor Renato Raimo with the musical direction of Carlo Bernini. She has sung in various performances of the show as it toured Tuscany, Puglia and Basilicata. In 2024 she will perform in the European Tour of the show which will start at the National Theatre of Montenegro in November.
In 2022 she sang the role of Euridice in Orfeo by Gluck with the Orchestra Camerata di Prato under the direction of Jonathan Webb. She sang the role of Eurilla in La Sconfitta di Borea by Salieri at the Scotto Gardens in Pisa and in 2023 at the Verdi Theatre of Pisa. She performed with the Lucca Philharmonic Orchestra at Buckingham Palace in the presence of Prince Edward and at the Giglio Theatre of Lucca in the New Years Eve and Grand Carnevale Concert. In 2024 she sang at the Goldoni Theatre of Livorno in the production of Voci di Donne, Lettere a Mascagni, written by Eleonora Zacchi and directed by Emanuele Gamba. She also performed as a soloist with the EstrOrchestra with the direction of Michael Guttman in Peitrasanta. She has been a soloist 3 years in a row in Momenti Musicali, a co production with the Pisa Theatre Foundation and the Buonamici music school for schools and young people. She has sung in the concerts dedicated to Verdi, Puccini and in 2025 she will sing in the performance dedicated to Mascagni. In May 2024 she became a soloist at the Montecatini Opera Festival and has performed in their summer season.
In July 2024 she debuted the role of Turandot in Turandot by G. Puccini for Opera in Piazza in Empoli after winning a special prize from the Centro Studi Musicali Ferruccio Busoni at the Umberto Borsò singing competition. She also performed the role of Turandot for the Orchestra Città di Grosseto at the Cava Roselle under the direction of Georgios Balatsinos.
In December 2024 she will return to perform with the Orchestra Camerata di Prato under the direction of Jonathan Webb in Knoxville: Summer of 1915 by Barber and Il Tramonto by Respighi paying homage to the recent acquisition of the ICAMus American music documentation fund by the Palazzo della Musica.
She has received awards at various singing competitions including the special prize Ferruccio Busoni at the Silver International Singing Competition Busoni (2016), the Turandot and Musikos Agency Prizes at the Federico II competition (2016), an Encouragement Award at the Mount Gambier Aria Competition (2018), Third Prize at the G. Masini Award (2018), the Lions Club Martina Franca Scholarship (2019), Second Prize at the Internation Lyric Competition Rome Caput Mundi (2020) a special prize from Taranto Opera Festival (2020), First Prize at the Umberto Giordano Competition (2021) and a special prize from the Centro Studi Musicali Ferruccio Busoni at the Umberto Borsò competition (2024).