Italian pianist, coach, and director Nicoletta Olivieri has passed away following an extended illness.

She is remembered for her decades of service to the arts, serving as accompanist for luminaries such as Claudio Abbado, Lorin Maazel, Riccardo Muti, Daniele Gatti, Nello Santi, Luciano Pavarotti, Monserrat Caballe, Mirella Freni, Ruggero Raimondi, and more.

A graduate of the Conservatorio Giovanni Battista Martini in Bologna, Olivieri would go on to work as an accompanist for companies such as Teatro La Scala, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, and Arena di Verona during the 1980s and 90s. The next decade saw her as Casting Manager for Teatro Comunale and Teatro Verdi Trieste and Manager of the Lyrical Department at Modena International Music.

After a run as Chorus Master at the National Opera House in Turkey from 2013 to 2016, Olivieri was the Chorus Master and Vocal Coach at the National Opera in Rijeka, Croatia.

“The disappearance of Nicoletta Olivieri leaves a void that cannot be filled,” said the president of the Community of Italians of Fiume, Melita Sciucca. “Nicoletta was a valuable collaborator who wanted to elevate everything she did to a professional level. So even our choirs, which she led for five-six years, had an extra touch of professionalism with her – without, of course, diminishing the work of the masters who guided them in the past. She aimed for perfection. She was a woman full of life, always full of ideas. She was a wonderful person and full of experiences that she generously loved to share. The fact that she stayed at home during her serious illness caused us great concern for her, but given her joie de vivre and will to fight, we were sure she would win this battle.”