Giuliana Castellani has died at the age of 40.

The mezzo-soprano died on Monday, Oct. 28 in a car accident alongside her dog while in Austria for an audition. Per reports, Castellani died instantly upon the crash.

Castellani, born in 1979 in Locarno, studied at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi di Como and went on to garnered international recognition when she won the Rai competition in Italy in 2010 during the “Domenica In” transmission, beating 400 competitors from around the world. She was also a winner and finalist of the Premio Caruso in 2003 and at Orvieto Spazio Musica in 2008, where she interpreted Rossini’s Stabat Mater in Norway under Maestro Nello Santi.

She also sang in numerous concerts with José Carreras and Leo Nucci as well as with Vittorio Grigolo and went on to record a live CD featuring music by Rossini and German lieder.