Kismara Pezzati is known for the tenderness and powerfulness of her mezzosoprano voice. With a solid career in the opera business, she has performed under the baton of great conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Lorin Maazel, Nello Santi, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Marek Janowski, Vladimir Jurowski, Kirill Petrenko, François Xavier Roth, Markus Stenz and Helmuth Rilling, having shared the stage with colleagues such as Leo Nucci, Jonas Kaufmann, Piotr Beczała, Klaus Florian Vogt, Nina Stemme, Eva Mei, Vesselina Kasarova and Waltraud Meier, to name a few.
The mezzosoprano’s expansive repertoire includes the roles of Amneris in Verdi’s Aida and Laura in La Gioconda, as well Dalila in Saint-Saëns’ Samson et Dalila, having played Carmen in Germany, Neris in Cherubini’s Médée in Rio de Janeiro and Maffio Orsini in Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia in Switzerland (St. Gallen). With a formidable warm low range, she has also sung many contralto parts such as Erda (Wagner’s Rheingold and Siegfried) in Essen, Gluck’s Orfeo and Britten’s Oberon (Midsummer Night’s Dream) in São Paulo, Mary (Flying Dutchman) in Luxembourg, Geneva, Bari, Caen and Zurich, Annina (Rosenkavalier) in Tokyo, Wesener’s Mutter (Die Soldaten by Zimmermann) and Contralto Solo (Die Eroberung von Mexiko by Rihm) in Cologne, Maddalena in Verdi’s Rigoletto in Saint-Etienne, and Ms. Quickly (Falstaff) in Bogotá.
Throughout her well-established career, Ms. Pezzati has collaborated with world-renown orchestras such as Berliner Philharmoniker, Geneva Chamber Orchestra, The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, OSESP (São Paulo Symphony Orchestra), and Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, having performed in some of the most important stages in Europe featuring Berliner Philharmonie, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Royal Festival Hall in London, Opera House Cologne, Opera House Zurich, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Teatro Solis in Montevideo, Sala São Paulo, and Teatro del Liceu de Barcelona.
On the concert stage, she made a name as well with her debut at the Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, singing El Amor Brujo by Falla, followed by the live CD recording of Hartmann’s 1st. Symphony. In Geneva, she sang Wesendonck Lieder in Henze’s version with the Orchestre de Chambre de Genève, in Hamburg, Rossini’s Stabat Mater at the Schleswig Holstein Music Festival and, in Bogotá, Berio‘s Folksongs, Mahler‘s Symphony No. 2, Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, having also presented this masterpiece in Germany (Duisburg) under Lorin Maazel. At Teatro Solis in Montevideo (Uruguay), she sang Heléne in Faust et Heléne by Lili Boulanger, Rückert Lieder by Mahler and the first recording of Carlos Estrada’s song cycle Robaiyat. Recently, she returned to Sala São Paulo as the soloist mezzosoprano of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, accompanied by OSESP.
The strong collaboration with Helmuth Rilling at the International Bach Academy comprises St. John’s Passion in Moscow and Christmas Oratorio by J. S. Bach at Liederhalle Stuttgart, Honegger’s Jeanne d’Arc au Bûcher in Caracas, Handel’s Messiah in Essen, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis in Prague and Elijah by Mendelssohn in Milan with LaVerdi Orchestra.
Her career and voice development are framed by several recordings, including Der Ring des Nibelungen under Janowski, Hartmann’s Symphony No.1 under Stenz, among some DVDs for the Zürich Opera House (Rigoletto and Tiefland). The latest one is the solo album Hildegard Now and Then, which is dedicated to Hildegard von Bingen’s music and her texts, with compositions by Silvia Berg.
This Brazilian-born singer is widely recognized by the last name “Pessatti“, but in 2020 she learned that the original spelling was “Pezzati” and has adopted it as a way to honour her Italian heritage.
She began her studies in acting and singing in Brazil, graduating from the School of Music and Fine Arts in Paraná (EMBAP). She then completed her master’s degree at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin, with Prof. Norma Sharp and Julia Varady. Invited to integrate the International Opera Studio at the Zurich Opera House, she later joined the ensemble of that theatre for three seasons. Already a high-level professional, she has further enhanced her technical skills and repertoire over the years, most recently working under the guidance of Dr. Grace Bumbry, KS.
Fluent in six languages (German, Portuguese, Spanish, English, Italian and French), Kismara Pezzati is a Swiss citizen.
