Biography

Born in Germany, the Italian soprano Claudia Oddo gained her first stage experience at the age of 14 at the opera house of her native city, Bielefeld. There she received her ballet, piano and first vocal training. She performed as dancer, actress and chorus-singer in the theatre’s operas and ballets until she moved to Italy where she started her classical voice studies at the conservatory in Bologna.

Internationally acclaimed singers and renowned musicians have so far contributed to Claudia Oddo’s career with their skills and tutelage, including: the tenors Giuliano Ciannella and William Matteuzzi, Placido Domingo; the pianists Roberto Negri in Italy; mezzo-soprano Anna Reynolds, the soprano Yva Barthélémy in Paris, conductors as Fausto Nardi in Germany and currently the bass- baritone Roberto Scandiuzzi.

While still a student, Claudia Oddo was acclaimed as one of the most talented students of the “Borgatti competition” in Ferrara, where she one a six-month scholarship to the Opera Studio Le Nozze di Figaro in the role of Marcellina. She was among the prizewinners of the “Mythos”; a one-year opera programme for young singers at the opera house G. Verdi in Busseto, sponsored by the Foundation “A. Toscanini”. During this programme she made her opera debut as Grisette in F. Lehàr’s Die lustige Witwe under the conducting of M. De Bernart at the theatre Salsomaggiore. Other collaborations followed with the A. Toscanini Foundation, such as La Traviata (F. Zeffirelli/ P. Domingo/ opera house G. Verdi in Busseto/ broadcast on Italian TV channel Rai 1. Claudia Oddo appeared at numerous Italian summer festivals in Emilia Romagna. Other engagements included the roles of Maddalena and Giovanna, both in Rigoletto at the theatre D. Fabbrì, Forlì and with tour of EMR’s theatres, artistic director: tenor Giuliano Ciannella. Claudia Oddo made her German opera debut to great acclaim in 2005 (see critical reviews in “Opernwelt” issue: June 2005), singing the role of Paoluccia in N. Piccinni’s La Cecchina under the directorship of Fausto Nardi at the Schlosstheater Rheinsberg. She won the role of Meg Page in G. Verdi’s Falstaff at the “International singing competition Rome Festival” for the summer productions in Rome. She interpreted the role of Dämonia in Humperdink’s Dornröschen at the opera house Münster.

Claudia Oddo’s performances in concert and recital are an equally important part of her schedule. By the age of 21 she had already made her concert debut as a solo vocalist. She currently performs numerous concerts in Germany singing arias ranging from the Baroque through to the Romantic periods, as well as pieces from contemporary composers. In November 2009 Claudia Oddo made her official debut as soprano in the R. Oetkerhalle Bielefeld with the “Alte Philharmonie Münster”, conducted by Thorsten Schmid- Kapfenburg. She sang arias and duets from Aida, Tosca, Cavalleria Rusticana, Mme Butterfly.