Elisabetta Zizzo was born in Catania on February 20, 1991.
At just 17 years old, she obtained her diploma in piano under the guidance of Maestro M. Marvulli. In 2012, she graduated in opera singing with top marks and honors from the Corelli Conservatory in Messina, studying under Maestro A. Mantovani.
From 2006 to 2010, she studied modern and classical dance, first at the CUS in Messina and later at the Young Talents Academy of the Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania. She has attended numerous advanced masterclasses in piano and opera singing with F. Boscolo, Eva Mei, Fabio Armiliato, Rolando Panerai, and Renata Lamanda.
She has won multiple national and international awards in both piano and opera singing competitions. She placed first at the 2nd International Competition Una Voce per la Lirica in Polistena in May 2013 and was a finalist in the 4th Franca Mattiucci International Opera Singing Competition (2015) and the 6th B. Franci International Opera Competition in Pienza (2015).
On March 29, 2015, she performed in the world premiere of the oratorio La Polvere e l’Acqua for soprano, cello, and electronic music, composed by Maestro G. Antonaci with text by N. Mauro, in the Basilica of St. Catherine in Galatina (LE).
In April 2015, she was admitted as an active student to the prestigious Puccini Festival Academy in Torre del Lago, participating in the production of Il Trittico by G. Puccini. On August 7, 2015, at the Illica Festival in Castell’Arquato, she performed during the award concert honoring renowned soprano Daniela Dessì and tenor Fabio Armiliato (Premio Illica).
Also at the Illica Festival, she debuted as Giannetta in Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore, under the direction of Rolando Panerai and conductor Fabio Mastrangelo, receiving high critical acclaim.
As a scholarship recipient of Taormina Opera Stars, under the artistic direction of E. Stinchelli, she was selected from over 500 voices worldwide to perform at the gala evening L’Italia Incanta at the stunning Ancient Theatre of Taormina.
Recognized among the best young voices of the Puccini Academy, she was invited to perform the roles of Annina in La Traviata and Anna in Nabucco at the Pompei Festival, alongside renowned artists such as Carlo Guelfi, Dimitra Theodossiou, and Alfredo Zanazzo, staged at the Pompeii Archaeological Theatre with direction by E. Stinchelli and Maestro A. Veronesi conducting.
On December 20, 2015, she debuted as Adina in L’Elisir d’Amore at the Teatro Bibiena in Mantua.
In February 2016, for the first Latin American Puccini Festival, she was invited by the Puccini Foundation of Torre del Lago and the Ruben Dario National Theatre in Managua, Nicaragua, to perform as Liù in Turandot, with direction by M. Scaparro and costumes by F. Squarciapino.
In 2016, she debuted as Musetta in La Bohème at the 62nd Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago, a role she was invited to reprise the following year.
On New Year’s Eve 2017, she was invited by the Kiel Theatre (Germany) to perform in a benefit concert for the earthquake victims in Abruzzo.
A notable milestone was her debut as Lisette in La Rondine by G. Puccini for the opera’s centenary at the 63rd Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago, under the baton of Beatrice Venezi and directed by Plamen Kartaloff.
In 2017, she also attended the Accademia Verdiana in Parma and was later awarded the Puccini Giovani Prize.
In summer 2018, she debuted as Anna in Nabucco at the Arena di Verona and as Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi at the Puccini Festival.
In 2019, she performed Nella in Gianni Schicchi at the Teatro Filarmonico in Verona. During the summer, at the Arena di Verona, she played Ines in Il Trovatore alongside Anna Netrebko, Frasquita in Carmen directed by Hugo de Ana and conducted by Daniel Oren, and Anna in Nabucco alongside Plácido Domingo for the Domingo Gala.
That same summer, she performed Musetta at the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago alongside Angela Gheorghiu and Stefan Pop, in a production directed by Alfonso Signorini.
At the Verdi Festival in Parma, she debuted as Anna in Nabucco, directed by Ricci/Forte and conducted by Ivan Ciampa, and later performed as Giannetta in L’Elisir d’Amore at the Teatro Filarmonico in Verona.
