Rosetta Cucchi studied at the ‘Rossini’ Conservatoire in Pesaro and DAMS University in Bologna. She graduated at Piano and Music History. Master degree at Scuola di Alto Perfezionamento Pianistico di Imola.
From 2001 to 2015 she was appointed as Artistic Director of Lugo Opera Festival (in Lugo), and began an intense collaboration with Teatro Comunale di Bologna. Lugo Opera Festival (LOF) set itself the goal of rediscovering obsolete operas and enhancing the operatic, chamber and symphonic repertoire of the 20th century. Among the most significant seasons, achieving great public and critics success, we can recall “The triumph of Clelia” C.W. Gluck (2001); the diptych “Une education manquè” E. Chabrier and “Le pauvre matelot” D. Milhaud (2002); “El retablo de maese Pedro” M. De Falla (2004), “la bella addormentata nel bosco” by O. Respighi (2005/2006) “Arlecchino” by F.Busoni and “Pulcinella” by I Stravinskij in co-production with Wexford Opera Festival (2006/07); Italian premiere of “Jackie O” by M. Dougherty (2008); “Sweeney Todd” by S. Sondheim, Italian premiere (2009), Italian premiere of “Powder her face” by Thomas Ades ( 2010/11), “The servant” by M.Tutino (2012), “Jacob Lenz” by Wolfgang Rihm (2013), the world premiere commissioned by Lugo Opera Festival and Angelica Bologna of “Himmels – T Ü R (Heaven’s door- ) “By Karlheinz Stockhausen (2014/15). Many performers have participated in LOF:
-among the singers we can recall Mariella Devia, Sonia Ganassi, Daniela Barcelona, Fiona Mc Andrew, Paolo Bordogna, Bruno Praticò and Michele Pertusi;
-among the directors: Damiano Michieletto, Pierluigi Pizzi, Michał Znaniecki, Henning Brockhouse and many others;
-among the conductors: Diego Fasolis, Michele Mariotti, Christofer Franklin and many more.
The artistic direction of Rosetta Cucchi has led Lugo to become a cultural and artistic event established and appreciated throughout Italy and recognized by the press and the public as one of the most important and acclaimed niche festivals.
Since 2005 she has been appointed as Artistic Director of Arturo Toscanini Foundation (FAT) in Parma of which she is still at the helm. (www.fondazionetoscanini.it ) She begins the artistic reorganization with the repositioning of the two orchestras under FAT: ORER (Regional Orchestra ‘Emilia Romagna) which becomes a service orchestra for operas in various theatres of the region and for all the educational activity; and Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini (quality brand) that performs an intense concert-symphonic activity and participates as a reference orchestra at Verdi Festival at Teatro Regio in Parma. Directing FAT since 2005, she led the foundation to have an intense cultural activity, creating a concert season of 18 concerts, called “Nuove Atmosfere”, which is held every year in Parma at Paganini Auditorium (780 seats). In 2007, only two years after its birth, all the tickets for the concert season were sold out, and the second round of season tickets was proposed to accomodate the numerous requests. The two rounds (season tickets as well as single ones) are sold out so far.
-Among the conductors invited in the various seasons I would like to mention: Vladimir Juroskij; James Conlon; Kazushi Ono; Tom Koopman; Michele Mariotti; Tan Dun; Lawrence Foster; Stephane Deneuve; Carlo Rizzi; Wayne Marshal.
-Among the soloists: Christian Zimmerman (piano); Ivo Pogorelich (piano); Rudolf Buchbinder (piano); Stephen Hough (piano); Michail Vasil’evič Pletnëv (piano); Sergey Krilov (violin); Isabelle Faust (violin); Rachel Barton-Pine (violin); Midori Goto (violin); Mischa Maisky (cello); Mario Brunello (cello); Natalia Gutman (cello); Sharon Isbin (guitar).
-Among the singers who took part in concerts or recitals: Juan Diego Florez; Mariella Devia; Olga Peretyatko; Lawrence Brownlee; Anja Kampe; Ian Bostridge; Thomas Hampson; Paolo Bordogna; Roberto De candia; Michele Pertusi.
Parallel to the symphonic season, an Educational activity has been developed through concerts, educational, sound, cultural and emotional workshops dedicated to young people, which involves every year 5,000 youths between 6 and 18 years of age. 3 Rosetta Cucchi has given new life to “Arturo Toscanini International Competition”, for young conductors with a biennial rhythm that has become one of the most recognized competitions in Europe once again.
Between 2008 and 2012 Rosetta was commissioned by FAT to artistically direct the Municipal Theatre of Piacenza where she successfully staged four seasons of such operas as: Salome R. Strauss; Elektra R. Strauss; Cenerentola G. Rossini; Traviata G. Verdi; Romeo and Juliette C. Gounod; Idomeneo W.A. Mozart; I Vespri Siciliani G. Verdi; Trovatore G. Verdi; Il viaggio a Reims G. Rossini.
She brought Arturo Toscanini Philharmonic on tour in Italy and around the world. Among the most significant performances we can recall: Tour China -Laurence Foster conductor; Concert for the Memorial Day in 2016 at the Santa Cecilia auditorium in Rome (live on television RAI) – Joel Levi conductor; Taormina Festival; Festival Bad Kissingen – Gautier Capucon (cello); Festival Rheingau Wiesbaden – Peretyatko, (S) Brownlee, (T) Scappucci conductor; Festival Enescu (Bucharest) – Emmanuel Krivine conductor.
The recordings of these years were: Respighi – Gregorian Concert with Domenico Nordio for Sony label; Vissi d’arte, Vissi d’amore with Daniela Dessì for Decca label; Tutto buffo with Paolo Bordogna for Decca label; and a 2019 project of Fanciulla del west by Puccini with Lawrence Foster for Penthaton Music.
FAT activities include 130 concerts and 45 lyrical recitals every year so far.
Since 1995 Rosetta works for Wexford Festival Opera in many roles, as pianist, stage director and associated AD, which allowed her to accumulate a great knowledge and experience of this wonderful Festival and his great tradition of discovering rare works.
