Mezzo-Soprano VANESSA CARIDDI made her professional operatic debut at the METROPOLITAN OPERA at the age of 26, in a new production of Salome, starring Karita Mattila and Bryn Terfel. Performances of this production have been broadcast around the world on the radio, and were filmed for DVD and television distribution. Since that time, Ms. Cariddi has continued singing at the Met (Rusalka, American Tragedy, Die Walküre) and was with the Met as the company toured Japan in June 2006 singing the role of Waltraute (Die Walküre) in a stellar cast that included Placido Domingo, Deborah Voigt, Rene Pape, and James Morris, among others. She continued her association with the Met this past season singing the leading role in the workshop of Prima Donna, the new Met commission from singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright.

Other recent roles include Maddalena (Rigoletto - Pittsburgh Opera), which was hailed as “Superb” by the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, Nicklausse in Tales of Hoffman in El Paso, and Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Sarasota Opera, a performance which was lauded by critics, and where she was the winner of the 2007 Kern Award for Artist of the Year. Twice a Vocal Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, Ms. Cariddi performed recitals including the music of Rossini, Shostakovich, Mahler, Granados, and John Williams. It was at Tanglewood that she met and first worked with pianist Benjamin Binder, with whom she frequently recitals.

Fall of 2006 marked Ms. Cariddi's highly anticipated debut at New York City Opera as Carmen, which also marked her debut of the role. It was while filling in at the last minute for a sick colleague that she made an unexpected debut, several weeks ahead of schedule. A huge success, her subsequent performances were sold out.

She will be singing the role of Carmen with Opera Grand Rapids in fall of 2007. In early 2008, she and Mr. Binder will be performing a song recital at Lawrence University in Appleton Wisconsin, and in spring of 2008 will be returning to Sarasota Opera for her role debut of Dorabella in Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte.

A native of Maine, she is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, and New York University. She studies with Ms. Joan Caplan in New York City.

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