Erica Cortese

Born near Modena in 1994, the mezzo-soprano Erica Cortese trained at the Arrigo Boito Conservatory in Parma and has come up by way of competitions, academies and staged productions. Verdi, Puccini and the Italian lyric tradition form the centre of her repertoire, with concert and ensemble work beside it. In 2023 she was selected in a role category at the Fausto Ricci Competition; in 2025 she joined the Accademia Verdiana of the Teatro Regio di Parma. Her teachers include Adriana Cicogna in Parma and Raina Kabaivanska, and she went on to the Rodolfo Celletti bel canto academy at Martina Franca and to the young artist programme of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Carmen, Amneris, Zita, Haensel and Flora are among her stage roles, with sacred music by Pergolesi, Rossini and Vivaldi in the concert repertoire, and she has sung in Italy, France, Bulgaria, Japan and China, including concerts with the iSING! Festival.