Biography

The American soprano Frances Ginsberg began her studies under the auspices of the Lyric Opera of Chicago with Walter Baracchi (already accompanist/coach at Teatro alla Scala in Milan), who brought her to Italy where she further perfected her training with the "Bel Canto Foundation" of Busseto under the guidance of Carlo Bergonzi and Renata Tebaldi. She was a finalist in the Concorso di Voci Verdiane of Busseto and in the Concorso Internazionale "Toti dal Monte" di Treviso, dedicated to Puccini's La Bohème. After having continued her studies with Eve Queler of the Opera Orchestra of New York and Eugene Kohn of the Metropolitan Opera, she was signed with the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, The Lyric of Opera of Chicago, and the Santa Fe Opera in the quality of understudy.

Ms. Ginsberg's operatic debut was in Mefistofele of Arrigo Boito (Margherita/Helen of Troy) with the New York City Opera at LincolnCenter in 1986. Her singing was critically acclaimed as "the return of the golden era of opera". She was awarded the "Debut Artist of the Year Award" by Beverly Sills and a "Richard Tucker Foundation Grant Award".

From that point, she has been dedicated to an intense career, internationally. Among the operatic events most significant: Mimi (La Bohème, New York City Opera and The Welsh National Opera); Violetta (La Traviata, New York City Opera, New Israeli Opera, San Diego Opera, Fresno Grand Opera, Connecticut Grand Opera, Santa Barbara Grand Opera), Madama Butterfly, e Magda (La Rondine,The Houston Grand Opera); Elena (I Vespri Siciliani), Elvira (Ernani) and Margherita/ Helen of Troy (Mefistofele), all at the L'Opera de Nice; Tosca and Norma at the Royal Opera de Wallonie Liege, Belgium; Norma (Scottish Opera), Leonora (La forza del destino at the Kennedy Center, Washington D.C., e Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) also at the Kennedy Center, New York City Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, l'Opera de Lille France; Donna Anna (Don Giovanni, Fort Worth Opera); Manon Lescaut (Palm Beach Opera and 'Todi Music Fest' in Portsmouth, Virginia; Abigaille (Nabucco), also 'Todi Music Fest', Desdomona (Otello, San Franciso Opera and the Cincinnati Opera); Aida (Gars am Kamptal Theater, Austria, Leonora (Il Trovatore, Teatro Calderon, Madrid Spain, Pittsburgh Opera) Amelia (Un Ballo in Maschera), Aida, Lady Macbeth (Macbeth) all at the Utah Opera. In 1990 Ms. Ginsberg made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Rosalinda in (Die Fledermaus) and Semiramide.

Ms. Ginsberg's successes in concert include Verdi's Requiem (Florida Philharmonic in honor of the Centennial Anniversary of Giuseppe Verdi's death and Valenzia, Spain Philharmonic), Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and Janecek's Glagolitic Mass (Seattle Symphony), Richard Strauss Lieder (Moscow Philharmonic), World Premier of Canzone Del'Amore e Della Vita of Lukas and Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder (Prague Philharmonic, Prague Autumn Festival), Zandonai's Giulietta e Romeo (Radio Koncert Orchestra, Amsterdam), Libuse (Smetna) and Robert Le Diable (Meyerbeer) with the Opera Orchestra of New York at Carnegie Hall, and Mostly Mozart Festival Live from Lincoln Center PBS TV, Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center.

In the 2006-2007 season, Ms. Ginsberg has interpreted the protagonist roles in Manon Lescaut (L'Orchestra Filharmlonica of Torino, Italy and the Fresno Grand Opera); in Tosca (L'Orchestra-Sinfonica di Bologna, Italy, in homage to Maria Callas, in La Gioconda (Teatro Municipaledi Santiago, Chile) in Norma (L'Orchestra Filharmonica of Torino-Fondo Opera Festival and Teatro Monterosa), the role of Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), L'Orchestra Filharmonica of Milano, Italy in honor of the 250th Anniversary of Mozart's birth, and recorded the role of Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) with the l'Orchestra Filharmonica of Torino, Italy, and a Voci del Mondo (Voices of the World) concert tour throughout Lombardia, Italy.

In New York City Ms. Ginsberg sang "Ave Maria" for the Closing Ceremony's Mass for Ground Zero at St. Paul's Cathedral, September 11th, Leonard Bernstein's "Bless this House" for the Centennial of the New York Public Library, Mozart's Requiem for the 40th Anniversary of JFK's Assassination, honored the 75th birthday for Cardinal O'Connor at St. Patrick's Cathedral, and various concerts throughout the city to honor American tenor Richard Tucker. Ms. Ginsberg served on the Board of the American Guild of Musical Artists from 2000-2006 and was honored with the "Distinguished Alumni Award" from Ladue High School in St. Louis, Missouri.

Frances Ginsberg presently resides in Milan, Italy and studies at the Scuola Musicale di Milano with Maestro Marco Munari of La Scala.