Denia Mazzola
DENIA MAZZOLA GAVAZZENI, is an italian soprano, founder and president of “AB HARMONIAE ONLUS” association. From 1982, she sing all over the world, performing over 174 operas, oratorio, and sinfonico vocale.
She sang in the major national and international theaters, such as, Teatro della Scala, Milan; Accademia S.Cecilia, Rome; Teatro comunale, Florence; La Fenice, Venice; Carlo Felice Theater, Genoa; S. Carlo, Naples; Teatro Massimo, Palermo; Bellini, Catania; Festpielhaus, Salzburg; Deutsche Opera, Berlin; Bregenz Festival; Frankfurt Opera; Wiesbaden Festival; Wiener Staatsoper; Opernhaus Zurich; Opera de Geneve; Montecarlo Theatre; Radio France; Radio France Festival in Montpellier; West Deutsche Rudfunk, Osterreicherundfunk, Berliner Sinfoniker, Liceu de Barcelona, Maestranza in Seville, Massimo Theatre in Santiago del Cile; Comunal, Rio de Janeiro; Opera, Athens; Houston Opera; Metropolitan, NY, London, Oslo; Cape Town Opera; Joannesburg SABC; Pretoria State Theater, Praga Smetana Theater, Massenet Festival; Luzern “Festival di Pasqua”, “Torre del lago Puccini” Festival, Taormina Festival; Euskalduna, Bilbao; Rai, Milan, Turin; Bellas Artes, Mexico City; Nhk Tokio.
In 1991 she met Maestro Gianandrea Gavazzeni for an audition in Teatro Comunale in Florence for the role of “Lucia di Lammermoor” for Scala.
In 1995 she has been appointed Artistic Director of “Bicentenario Donizetti” in Bergamo, but, the day after the passing of her consort, Maestro Gavazzeni, she chose to give up the role.
In 2000, Denia Mazzola Gavazzeni, published her first book as author, “Ritratti”, edited by Thetron Milan. The book is the collection of 21+3 forgotten operas, that she performed and recovered, through iconographic, textual and musicological documentation.
She was awarded with the V edition of “Premio Donizetti” from the city of Bergamo, and she was honored with “Premio Euterpe” by Accademia delle Muse of Florence, “Platinum” by Accademie Lyrique de Paris, “Premio Alfieri” by Fondazione Alfieri, and other awards such as “Siola d’Oro”, “Città di Varese”, “Città di Modena”, “Giuseppina Strepponi”, “Gigli”, and “Mascagni d’Oro”.
In 2005, she found in Italy the cultural association “Ab Harmoniae Onlus – musica per la soliderietà”, in 2008, she established the association also in Nizza, France and in 2009 in Montecarlo, Monaco. Thanks to the three associations, and in collaboration with Lombardia Region, City of Bergamo, City of Florence, Vicariato of Rome, City of Nice, Principality of Monaco, City of Milan, Episcopal Conference of Brazil, and Cariplo Foundation, she produced over 300 concert, managing artistic and organizational aspect too, for national and international production.
She recorded her album with Universal, Ricordi, Fonit Cetra, Ariston, Nuova Era, Bongiovanni, Kikko Music, Koch Schwann, West Deutsche Runfunk, Agora, OsterreicheRundfunk, SABC, Actes Sud.
In collaboration with French Justice Ministry, she organized educational musical activities for the french detainee. She worked together with Kansai Nikikai, Osaka, for direction and production courses.
Recently she curated interpretative and technical aspect and the direction of Donizetti “L’Elisir d’Amore”, in Osaka, Japan, and she will direct “Don Pasquale” next summer in Calabria.
Denia Mazzola Gavazzeni taughts Scenic Art for Conservatorio P.PI da Palestrina in Cagliari, voice in Conservatorio A.Vivaldi in Alessandria and Bomporti di Trento in Riva del Garda.
She always put effort into rediscover and broadcast operas unfairly forgotten, and with that purpose, last november she performed and recorded “Cecilia” opera by Licinio Refice, in Monte Carlo Cathedral, and she was rewarded with “Ponchielli d’Oro – una vita per la musica”.
She regularly collaborate with piano player Francois Renè Duchable; She was director of “Don Pasquale”, “Cavalleria rusticana”, “La Traviata”, “L’Elisir d’Amore”, “Suor Angelica”, for italian training center and international theaters, and she is author of musical theater text (Voce di Donna).
For three seasons She was participating at Favelas St Isabel in Viamao, Porto Alegre (Brasil) with a program entitled “Singing voice, soul therapy” She was invited by the Mutirao da Comunicacao of the Brazilian Episcopal Congregation, to testify on the “mission of the voice and artist in the treatment of moral and psychological suffering”.
She founded and directs the “Chorale St Devote” and “La Chorale du Center Hopitalier Princesse Grace” in Montecarlo (Monaco Principality).
Awarded with the “Medaille d’Or” by the Ville de Nice for cultural and supportive merits.
The artist regularly collaborates with “Musical Evenings of Milan” and recently, she rediscovered three unjustly forgotten works: “L’enfant prodigue” by Claude Debussy and “L’Incantesimo” by Italo Montemezzi, Gypsies of Leoncavallo.
Next October she will be involved in the production, in the world premiere of Antonio Smareglia’s Vassallo di Szighet.
Denia was professor of stage performance and voice at the conservatories of Cagliari, Alessandria, Trento, Riva del Garda, now She is professor and chair at the Brescia State Conservatory.