Giovanna Casolla graduated in singing and piano at the “Conservatorio di San Pietro” in Majella, Neaples. Then she studied singing with Michele Lauro and Walter Ferrari and made her debut in Spoleto at the “Festival dei Due Mondi” taking part to the opera Napoli Milionaria by Nino Rota (directed by Eduardo De Filippo).

Then she made her debut at Teatro Verdi of Trieste singing in the opera La Campana Sommersa by Respighi and at Teatro Regio of Turin in Prince Barbe-Bleue’s Castle by Bartók. During the following years she regularly performed at Teatro Comunale of Bologna in the opera Fedora by Giordano, at Teatro Filarmonico of Verona in Turandot by Busoni, and at Teatro S. Carlo of Neaples in Tosca by Puccini, with Placido Domingo in the role of Cavaradossi.

In 1982 she made her debut at Teatro alla Scala of Milan, where she performed Giorgetta in Il Tabarro by Puccini and the title role in Fedora, conducted by Gavazzeni. In 1983 she made her debut in Florence at the festival of “Maggio Musicale Fiorentino”, conducted by Gavazzeni, and where she sang Eboli in Don Carlo two years later. Following she performed at the festival in Manon Lescaut, Cavalleria Rusticana and Andrea Chénier.

Another important debut was at the San Diego Opera with Giulietta and Romeo by Zandonai and Tosca with Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Riccardo Muti.

In 1986 she made her debut at Metropolitan Opera of New York, performing the role of Princess Eboli in Don Carlo by Verdi, and she came back to Metropolitan in 1991 to sing Tosca opposite Placido Domingo. In 1987 she came back to La Scala to perform again in Il Tabarro, as well as for Minnie in La Fanciulla del West (two performances conducted by Maazel and Sinopoli respectively).

Giovanna Casolla is a frequent guest in several important italian Theaters such as Teatro Regio in Turin (La Gioconda, La Forza del Destino, La Fanciulla del West), Arena of Verona (Andrea Chénier, La Gioconda, Tosca, Don Carlo, Carmen, Cavalleria Rusticana), Teatro Massimo of Palermo (Adriana Lecouvreur, La Wally, La Fanciulla del West, Cavalleria Rusticana, Tosca).

She has been regularly invited to perform at the Wiener Staatsoper, the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Bruxelles, Teatro Colòn in Buenos Aires, Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo Opera House.

Among the prestigious prizes she won during her career, it has to be mentioned the “Luigi Illica” prize in 1991 for her primary role in the “verismo” interpretation. In 1996 she also received the “Cilea” prize.

During the last years, she performed at Teatro Comunale in Florence, at Teatro Regio in Parma, at Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, at Staatsoper in Hamburg, at Rio de Janeiro Opera House and at Teatro Bellini in Catania.

After her triumphant debut in 1996 at Grande Théâtre in Geneva, she also performed at Festival of Orange in 1997, and she took part to Festival d’Avenches and to Festival Puccini of Torre del Lago in 1998. She performed in the fist cast in the production of Turandot in the Forbidden City of Peking with Teatro Comunale of Florence (conducted by Subin Metha, directed by Zhang Yimou).

In 1999 she performed in the opening production of the season of Liceu of Barcellona in the role of Turandot. In the same year she performed Manon Lescaut by Puccini at New National Theater in Tokyo and at Teatro Municipal in Valencia.

In 2000 she performed Tosca in Peking. In 2001 she took part to the opening production of Puccini Festival with Turandot, role that she performed again in 2002 at Teatro S. Carlo in Neaples. She performed Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana at Teatro Verdi of Trieste and Eboli in “Don Carlo” at Teatro Massimo of Palermo.

In 2004 she performed Minnie in La Fanciulla del West at Teatro Regio in Turin (conducted by Steven Mercurio), Tosca in Wiesbaden, Cavalleria Rusticana at Teatro dell’Opera in Rome (conducted by Marcello Panni); Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana at the Olympic City of Athens.

In 2005 she singing Turandot at the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, Nice, Seoul and then at the Arena in Verona, with a great personal success, and again at the Teatro Verdi in Trieste, Tosca was also in Tenerife.

In 2006 she performed Turandot at Teatro Massimo of Palermo and Eboli in Don Carlo at Megaron of Athens; she opened the season at Arena of Verona as Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana; then she performed Turandot in Caracalla for Teatro dell’Opera of Rome and Gioconda in Santander; then again Turandot at Teatro Regio of Turin.

She got a great personal success performing Manon in Manon Lescaut at Teatro dell’Opera of Rome; then she performed Turandot in Palma de Mallorca, in Caracalla for Teatro dell’Opera of Rome and at Teatro La Fenice of Venice.

Among her future engagements, she will perform Turandot in Peking with Festival Puccini of Torre del Lago; Gioconda at Deutsche Oper Berlin; she will make her debut as Amneris in Aida in Caracalla for Teatro dell’Opera of Rome.

The extreme versatility of the artist sees it, again in 2008, debuting in Baltimore, conducted by Andrea Licata on the role of Amneris in Aida, a role that has taken over in 2008 at the Rome Opera for the opening of the season and in the 87° Arena in Verona Festival 2009.

In the summer of 2010 was Amneris in Aida at the Baths of Caracalla and at the 88° Arena di Verona Festival 2010.

In December / January 2010/2011 he sang the role of Clitemnestra in Cassandra and in Cavalleria Rusticana at the Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania.

May 2011