On August 10, 2024, Italian soprano Celestina Casapietra died at the age of 85 in Genoa, Italy.

Born in Genoa on August 23, 1938, Casapietra made her debut at the Teatro Nuovo in Milan in 1963 and  later made her Berlin State Opera debut in 1965.

In Berlin, she went on to sing many leading roles including Donna Anna in Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” Agathe in Weber’s “Der Freischütz,” Tatiana in Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin,” and Maddalena in Giordano’s “Andrea Chénier.”

Her relationship with the company ended in a legal battle when her contract was canceled in 1993. She ultimately won the legal case.

Outside of Berlin, she performed internationally at the Teatro La Fenice, the Wiener Staatsoper, the Bayerische Staatsoper, the Hamburg State Opera and the Bolshoi Theatre. She was also a leading figure at the Salzburg Festival.

Her artistry was preserved through several recordings including Fiordiligi in the German version of “Così fan tutte,” Giordano’s “Andrea Chénier” with Franco Corelli and Piero Cappuccilli, Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” in Italian and Wagner’s “Tannhäuser,” among others.