(Photo: Andrea Chemelli)

OperaWire recently met up with the Italian soprano Francesca Aspromonte while she was preparing for her role as Servilia at Venice’s Teatro La Fenice.

In spring 2026, her new CD, dedicated to the beautiful music of Alessandro Scarlatti, will be released on the Aparté label, in which she will be accompanied by her husband, Boris Begelman, on solo violin and the Arsenale Sonoro ensemble. 

OperaWire: What was the first opera you went to see?

Francesca Aspromonte: It was Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’amore.” I was 15 or 16 at the time.

OW: You are currently appearing as Servilia in Mozart’s “La Clemenza di Tito” at Teatro La Fenice. Which two adjectives would you use to describe her character?

FA: Brave and Opinionated

OW: What is your next scheduled performance?

FA: A recital of Italian Romantic chamber music in Cordoba, with Francesco Izzo on piano.

OW: What is the next opera which you are scheduled to perform?

FA: Piccinni’s “La Cecchina” at Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari. I will be playing the title role.

OW: Which two adjectives best describes her character?

FA: Innocent and Good.

OW: What is your favorite piece of non-classical music?

FA: “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” sung by Judy Garland.

OW: What is your favorite book? 

FA: Garcia Marquez’ “One Hundred Years of Solitude”

OW: A place you would like to go on holiday that you have never been to? 

FA: Japan. I am in love with the culture and a huge Anime enthusiast.

OW: Who is your favorite baroque composer and why?

FA: Alessandra Scarlatti. He has everything – everything that has gone before him and the seeds of what is about to emerge! Also, in all his music I can visualize the sea and the sun.

OW: Is there a baroque role that you really want to sing?

FA: Yes. Händel’s Cleopatra

OW: Do you have a pet?

FA: A black cat called Cleopatra. We got her from a shelter a few months ago and  she came with the name Cleopatra. I think it was destiny.

OW: What is your favorite food?

FA: Anything my grandmother made, especially her fried potatoes.

OW: Is there a stage director you have particularly enjoyed working with, and why?

FA: David McVicar because he is a borderline genius. I enjoy how easily he can demonstrate what he wants from every character.

OW: Who has been the biggest influence on your career?

FA: My beloved late teacher at the Salzburg Mozarteum, Boris Backow, who tried very hard to convince me that I was a great singer. I just wish he had succeeded. I still have self-doubts, but I think that is healthy.

OW: Name three people, alive or dead, real or fictional, that you would like to have at a dinner party.

FA: Raymond Queneau, Robin Williams and Pavarotti.

OW: What job do you think you would have done if you weren’t a singer? 

FA: We have a phrase in Italian, “Un topo di biblioteca,” which means a library mouse. It means I am a huge nerd!

OW: What do you dislike about being an opera singer?

FA: Often my own artistry is not under my control. In my experience, my interpretation has often been in the hands of the director and the conductor to either a lesser or greater extent.

OW: What is your favorite film?

JB: “The Lord of the Rings.”

OW: Would you have liked to have lived in Tolkien’s world?

JB: Yes, in the castle of Rivendell with the elves.

OW: What roles would you like to sing over the next few years?

FA: I am at a crossroads in my career. I love what I have done up to this point in my career, but my voice is ready for a change to a later repertoire. I have a romantic soul!