On Dec. 28, 2025, soprano Maria Pellegrini died at the age of 86.

Born on July 15, 1939 in Pretoro, Italy, Pellegrini emigrated with her family to Canada in 1958 at the age of 15. She went on to study at The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) in Toronto and later pursued further vocal studies in London.

Pellegrini made her professional opera debut in 1963 as the High Priestess in Verdi’s “Aida” with the Canadian Opera Company and the following year she performed Annina in “La Traviata” and Gilda in “Rigoletto” with the company. She became an important figure for the Canadian Opera Company appearing through the late 1980s, singing the title role of “Aida,” Cio-Cio-San in “Madama Butterfly,” Nedda in “I Pagliacci,” and Violetta in “La traviata.”

Outside of the Canadian Opera Company, she became a staple in Canada performing at the Calgary Opera, Edmonton Opera, Manitoba Opera, Opera Hamilton, and Vancouver Opera.

Internationally, in 1965, Pellegrini won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, but never appeared with the company. However, she made her Royal Opera House in 1968 and in 1969 the soprano made her first appearance with the Sadler’s Wells Opera.

Pellegrini would go on to perform with the New York City Opera, Connecticut Opera, the Florida Grand Opera, the New Orleans Opera, the New Jersey State Opera, the Pittsburgh Opera, Teatro Carlo Felice, the Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi, the Teatro Nacional in Santo Domingo, Teatro Massimo Bellini, the Teatro Regio di Parma, and Santo Domingo, and the Welsh National Opera.

Pellegrini’s signature role became Cio-Cio San in “Madama Butterfly” recording it for CBC Television.