Soprano
Nationality
Italian
Website
cristinazavalloni.it
Cristina Zavalloni was born in Bologna (Italy). Capitalizing on her strong background in jazz, she went on expanding her studies, in bel canto and in composition, at the G.B. Martini Conservatory in Bologna. She also studied classical and modern dance for several years.
Her multidimensional skills enable her to perform both jazz and classical music. Notable venues include the Montreux Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Free Music Jazz Festival (Antwerp), Moers Music, Bimhuis (Amsterdam), Umbria Jazz and the London Jazz Festival, Lincoln Center (New York), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Teatro alla Scala (Milan), Palau de la Musica (Barcelona), Barbican Center (London), New Palace of Arts (Budapest), Auditorium Parco della Musica (Rome), Walt Disney Hall (Los Angeles), Biennale Musica in Venice, Sankt Poelten Festspielhaus.
She has sung under the baton of Martyn Brabbins, Stefan Asbury, Reinbert De Leeuw, Oliver Knussen, David Robertson, Jurjen Hempel and Georges-Elie Octor. She has soloed with London Sinfonietta, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Rai (Torino), Schoenberg Ensemble and Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Zavalloni started in 1993 a collaboration with Louis Andriessen, who wrote several works for her: Passeggiata in tram per l’America e ritorno, La Passione, Inanna, Letter from Cathy, Racconto dall’Inferno (the recording of which awarded her a Diapason d’or in 2008) the leading role (Dante) in La Commedia (Amsterdam 2008) and the role of Anais Nin in his new opera, Anais, to be premiered in July 2010. She has also collaborated with composers Michael Nyman, Cornelis De Bondt, Paolo Castaldi, Gavin Bryars, Carlo Boccadoro, Fabrizio Cassol, and Alain Platel.
Her repertoire includes 20th century chamber music (Cage, Berio, Ravel, Poulenc, Stravinsky, Milhaud, Satie, De Falla and Montsalvatge), Mozart (Idamante) and baroque music (Drusilla in Monteverdi’s Incoronazione di Poppea and Clorinda in Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda). She has recently premiered Francis Poulenc La Voix Humaine at Teatro Comunale di Bolzano.
She performs regularly with artists such as Gabriele Mirabassi, Mario Brunello, Andrea Lucchesini, Andrea Rebaudengo, Monica Germino, Hamilton de Holanda.
A composer and jazz bandleader herself, Zavalloni has conceived several programs.
At present she is under contract with Italian label EGEA for which she has recorded IDEA (2006) and Solidago (2009), including some of her new compositions and a selection of Charles Aznavour’s covers, in quartet.