This season “the alluringly dusky-voiced mezzo soprano” Nicole Piccolomini sings The Page in a concert version of Salome with The Deagu Opera in South Korea. She returns to Oper Halle for the title role of Piazzolla’s Maria de Buenos Aires, joins Deutsche Oper Berlin for La Contessa de Coigny in Andrea Chenier and appears at Oper Leipzig as Erda in Siegfried. The mezzo makes her role debut as Klytämnestra in a new production of Elektra at Theater Bonn. Last season Nicole made her debut at Michigan Opera Theater in her signature role of Maddalena in Rigoletto, she also returned to Oper Leipzig to cover the role of Ježibaba in Rusalka, made her debut at Oper Halle as the title role in Piazzolla’s Maria de Buenos Aires and joined the Dallas Symphony for Schwertleite in Die Walküre. Other highlights included de Falla’s El Amor Brujo with the Orchestra Filarmonica Campana in Pagani, Italy and collaborated with Edition Roy Berlin and pianist Christoph Staude for the mezzo’s first solo recording featuring works of Wagner, Mahler, Brahms and Pfitzner. Previous seasons included debuts at The Shanghai Opera House as Mistress Quickly in Falstaff and Theater Bonn in the title role in of Piazzolla’s Maria de Buenos Aires, the mezzo returned to the Deutsche Oper Berlin as The Page in Salome and reprised her acclaimed performances of Erda in Siegfried at Oper Leipzig. Other recent engagements include Oper Leipzig as Erda in Das Rheingold and Siegfried in addition to performances of Leipzig’s first Der Ring des Nibelungen in over 40 years. Ms. Piccolomini joined the Venice Chamber Orchestra for Wesendonck Lieder at Sala concerti di Palazzo Pisano in Venice, Italy. She also made house debuts with Santa Fe Opera as Maddalena in Rigoletto and at the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari as Solokha in Cherevichki in addition to a concert with Italia Arte Fest and the Czech Virtuosi orchestra at the Rudolfinum in Prague. In past seasons, the American mezzo made debuts as Erste Norn in Götterdämmerung at the Dutch National Opera and returned to Oper Leipzig as Das Rheingold’s Erda, following her company and role debut in the new production. She joined the Caramoor International Music Festival as Maddalena in Rigoletto and was a featured soloist in a musical celebration of the canonizations of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington D.C. that will be televised on PBS and internationally. Significant appearances include Lyric Opera of Chicago as Maddalena in Rigoletto and Deutsche Oper Berlin for numerous roles including Fenena in Nabucco, Maddalena in Rigoletto, Erste Norn and Flosshilde in Götterdämmerung, Federica in Luisa Miller, Flosshilde in Das Rheingold, Dritte Dame in Die Zauberflöte, Erste Magd in Elektra, Schwertleite in Die Walküre, Dryade in Ariadne auf Naxos, Contessa di Coigny in Andrea Chenier, La Marquise de Langlade in Marie Victoire, and Rosalia in Tiefland. Other recent performances include the title role of Roussel’s Padmâvatî at the Spoleto Festival in Italy; Flosshilde in Das Rheingold, Grimgerde in Die Walküre, Erste Norn and Flosshilde in Götterdämmerung as well as Lola in Cavalleria rusticana with the Opéra national de Paris; Azucena in Il trovatore at the Teatro Verdi di Busseto; Ulrica in Un ballo in maschera at the Teatro Regio di Parma, Teatro Communale di Modena, and Teatro Massimo Bellini di Catania; further performances of Maddalena in Rigoletto at the Teatro Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and Opera Delaware; Musetta in Leoncavallo’s La bohème with Opera de Oviedo; Grimgerde in Die Walküre with the Teatro alla Scala, Staatsoper Berlin, and the the Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin; Dryade in Ariadne auf Naxos with the Bayerische Staatsoper; and the title role in Piazzolla’s Maria de Buenos Aires with Gotham Chamber Opera in New York. Equally active on the concert stage, she joined New York City Ballet as the soloist in Leonid Desyatnikov’s Russian Seasons in Saratoga Springs, Bermuda Philharmonic for Handel’s Messiah, Umbria Music Fest for Messa da Requiem di Verdi, and Lieder Concerts in Kunnersdorf, Germany with pianist Christoph Staude. Originally from Long Island, New York, Nicole was a 2010 grant recipient from the William Matheus Sullivan Foundation and has also previously received the Curt Engelhorn Scholarship from the American Berlin Opera Foundation. From 2002-2006, the mezzo soprano was a resident artist at the prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. She holds a Bachelor of Music from The Juilliard School and participated in the young artist programs of both the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and the Caramoor Music Festival. Nicole has extensive dance training in jazz, tap, ballet and is passionate about physical and mental health, wellness, Spirituality and being vegan.