CRISTINA ZAVALLONI, was born in Bologna, Italy. Taking advantange of her strong background in jazz, she went on to expand her studies in belcanto and in composition at the G.B. Martini Conservatory in Bologna. She also studied classical and modern dance for several years.
Her multidimensional skills enable her to perform both jazz and classical music. Notable jazz venues include the Montreux Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Free Music Jazz Festival (Antwerp), Moers Music, Bimhuis (Amsterdam), Umbria Jazz and the London Jazz Festival. Classical festivals and venues include Lincoln Center (New York), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Teatro alla Scala (Milan), Palau de la Musica (Barcelona), Barbican Center (London), New Palace of Arts (Budapest),
Auditorium Parco della Musica (Rome), Walt Disney Hall (Los Angeles) among others.
Zavalloni has worked with conductors such as Martyn Brabbins, Stefan Asbury, Reinbert De Leeuw, Oliver Knussen, David Robertson, Jurjen Hempel, Ivan Fischer, Paul Daniel. She has soloed with the London Sinfonietta, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Schoenberg Ensemble, Sentieri Selvaggi, MusikFabrik, Orkest De Volharding, Orchestra della RAI (Torino) and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Primarily devoted to contemporary music, Zavalloni collaborates closely with Dutch composer Louis Andriessen, who wrote several works for her, including Passeggiata in tram per l’America e ritorno, La Passione, Inanna, Letter from Cathy, Racconto dall’Inferno, and the leading role (Dante) in his latest opera, La Commedia (Amsterdam 2008). Italian composer Luca Mosca wrote for her the role of Mirandolina in his newest opera Signor Goldoni (premiered at Teatro La Fenice, Venice, September 2007).
She has also collaborated with composer Michael Nyman, who created the piece Acts of Beauty for her, with Cornelis De Bondt, who wrote Gli Toccha la Mano for her, with Paolo Castaldi, who wrote A Fair Mask for her, and Gavin Bryars.
Cristina Zavalloni has recently immersed herself in baroque music: in 2005 she sang Drusilla in Monteverdi’s Incoronazione di Poppea at Opera du Rhin de Strasbourg, directed by David McVicar and conducted by Rinaldo Alessandrini. She performed Clorinda in Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda at Ravello Festival, directed by Mario Martone with a musical arrangement by composer Giorgio Battistelli. Through 2006 and 2007, she sang in Alain Platel’s and Fabrizio Cassol’s production, VSPRS, based on Monteverdi’s Vespri della Beata Vergine.  Through 2008 and 2009 she will also be part of Les Ballets C de la B new production, Pitié!, based on Bach’s S.Matthew’s Passion.

Zavalloni has conceived several programmes and regulary records and tours with her own jazz projects. In 2003 she started exploring the 20th century chamber repertoire for voice and piano in duo with pianist Andrea Rebaudengo. This work culminated in two CDs:
Cristina Zavalloni (2003 –Sensible Record) and Tilim-bom (2008 – Egea).

In 2006, she was awarded with the Diapason d’Or for her interpretation of Andriessen’s Racconto dall’Inferno, released by Deustche Grammophon.
She has recorded for Winter & Winter, Felmay, Ishtar, Cantaloupe, Blue Note and at present in under  contract with the label Egea.

 

 website: www.cristinazavalloni.it