Marianna Cappellani began studying piano at six years old before dedicating herself to vocal studies under the guidance of the renowned mezzo-soprano Fedora Barbieri. She later studied with Alain Billard and continued her advanced training in Milan with Gianfranca Ostini.
She debuted in 2000 at Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania in Verdi’s Macbeth, performing the role of Ortlinde in Wagner’s Die Walküre, conducted by Zoltán Peskó and staged by Cesare Lievi. She has collaborated with Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, Teatro Regio di Torino, and Teatro Verdi in Busseto.
In 2003, she portrayed the Innkeeper in Wolf-Ferrari’s Sly at the Opera di Roma alongside Plácido Domingo. That same year, she joined Domingo again for the “Musiche per la Speranza” concert at Teatro delle Muse in Ancona. Her summer debut at the Sferisterio in Macerata in 2003 as Lola in Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana was met with acclaim.
In 2004, she took part in two major productions: Faust by Gounod at Teatro San Carlo in Naples, singing the role of Martha alongside Marcelo Álvarez and Ruggero Raimondi, and Il cappello di paglia di Firenze by Nino Rota at Teatro Regio di Torino, directed by Pier Luigi Pizzi, as the Modista. She returned to Teatro Regio for the 2005/06 season opener as the Priestess in Aida, conducted by Pinchas Steinberg.
She has also appeared as Mimì in La Bohème at Teatro Alfieri in Asti and earned praise for her portrayal of Turandot at the “U. Giordano” Festival in Baveno. In December 2007, she joined tenor Marcello Giordani at the Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania for the “Concerto di Natale” under the baton of Stefano Ranzani.
During the 2007/08 season at Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari, she was applauded for her role as Meg in Verdi’s Falstaff alongside Ruggero Raimondi, directed by Roberto De Simone. She has also performed in numerous concerts for the Belliniadi Festival in Catania and in 2015, appeared at the Grand Gala of Opera at the Teatro Antico di Taormina under the artistic direction of Enrico Stinchelli.
In 2016, again at Teatro Antico di Taormina, she received critical and public acclaim for her performance as Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana. In January 2017, she was featured with actor Bruno Torrisi in Un bel dì vedremo at Teatro Vittorio Emanuele in Messina, and in April, she performed in concert with bass Dario Russo at Teatro Garibaldi in Enna.
In May of the same year, she joined Bruno Torrisi once more for Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore at Teatro Regio di Parma, part of the Musica in circolo series. In June, she was invited to perform in Liège for the “Aires d’Italie, notes européennes” concert organized by the Italian Consulate in Charleroi. In March 2017, she reprised the role of Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana at Teatro Garibaldi in Modica. In August, she sang Aida in Verdi’s Aida at Teatro Antico di Taormina to great critical and audience acclaim and reprised the role in Spain that October for Opera Fuerteventura.
In May 2018, she performed as Mimì in La Bohème at Teatro Garibaldi in Modica. In September, she toured Brazil for a concert series in Curitiba and Florianópolis. That same month, she portrayed Santuzza again at the Verghiane Festival in Vizzini alongside tenor Angelo Villari, baritone Carmelo Corrado Caruso, and actor Bruno Torrisi.
She was also featured in a new production by choreographer Roberto Zappalà for Compagnia Zappalà Danza, Liederduett, in which she performed six Schubert Lieder with pianist Luca Ballerini. She later took part in La Nona by Beethoven (transcribed for two pianos by Liszt) at Teatro Elfo Puccini in Milan in 2019, returning there in September 2021 for Zappalà’s Naufragio con spettatore, which opened the MilanoOltre International Dance Festival.
In July 2021, she performed La Nona at Teatro Brancaccio in Rome with Compagnia Zappalà Danza and pianists Luca Ballerini and Stefania Cafaro. In August, she joined the Teatro della Marinella in Palmi for Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore, a musical journey into the world of Puccini alongside Bruno Torrisi and Angelo Villari. That same month, she portrayed Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana tra musica e parole at Teatro Garibaldi in Modica.
In February 2022, she performed La Nona with Compagnia Zappalà Danza at Teatro Comunale di Sassari and Teatro Massimo di Cagliari, reprising it that August at Teatro Antico di Segesta and again in November at Teatro Ristori in Verona, Teatro Comunale in Bolzano, and Teatro Fraschini in Pavia, and in December at Teatro Bellini in Naples.
In March 2022, she returned to the role of Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana at Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania, conducted by Maestro Antonio Pirolli. That same month, she also took part in the production Gran Ballo dell’800 at Teatro Massimo Bellini.
In September 2022, she joined Naufragio con spettatore once more at the Oriente Occidente Festival in Rovereto with pianist Luca Ballerini. In March 2023, she was invited back to Teatro Garibaldi in Modica with Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore alongside Bruno Torrisi and Angelo Villari.
She has performed La Nona with Compagnia Zappalà Danza for Fondazione Teatro Due in Parma and the Nervi Ballet Festival / Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa. She also participated in the Recital Lyrique International for Le Lyrique de Cambes in collaboration with Camblanes-et-Meynac.
Most recently, she appeared at the Belliniana Festival in Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore at Teatro Sangiorgi in Catania.
