Laura Catrani was born in Rimini, and started studying music at an early age. She earned top marks in her diploma in singing and vocal music at the “G. Verdi” Conservatory in Milan, working with Daniela Uccello. She has performed in various theatres and music venues, including La Scala in Milan, the Regio Theatre in Turin, the Carlo Felice in Genoa, the Pauline Chapel at the Quirinale in Rome; at the Dino Ciani Festival and with the Accademia Montis Regalis, conducted by Stefan Anton Reck; and with conductors such as Gianandrea Noseda, Fabio Biondi, Alan Curtis, Massimiliano Caldi and Enrico D’Onofrio.
Her interest in contemporary music has led her to interpret music by many 20th century composers. For example there is Luciano Berio’s Sequenza III, and world premières of works by other composers. Laura Catrani has worked closely with the composer Azio Corghi, and has sung for him on several occasions; a piece he wrote specially for her – Ite bellu for soprano and orchestra – was premièred at the Cagliari Theatre. She also sang Zerlina in Dissoluto assolto on a libretto by Josè Saramago at the Teatro La Scala in Milan in 2006, with Marko Letonia conducting.
At the 2008 Biennale Musica in Venice her interpretation of Lost by Fausto Romitelli was greatly appreciated. Other successes include Vox in Femina, a concert-show for voice alone, to music by Matteo Franceschini and Alessandro Solbiati.
After that there was the first performance, for Milano Musica, of …da viva Voce by Michele Tadini, and the Sei canti del Kokin Shu [Six Songs of Kokin shu] by Giacomo Manzoni. In 2010 she sang in the new opera Il gridario by Matteo Franceschini and also in the first performance of Kokin b by Giacomo Manzoni.
In 2011 she was again in a world première, this time of Faust by Silvia Colasanti.
In Alessandro Solbiati’s new opera Leggenda she played the Mother in the first performance at the Teatro Carignano in Turin, with the Orchestra of the Turin Teatro Regio, and Gianandrea Noseda conducting. Just recently she sang in the very first performance of Silvia Colasanti’s La Metamorfosi at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.
Laura Catrani has sung at the Settimane Musicali di Stresa in 2005 and 2006.