Atalanta

Francesca Aquilina is an accomplished Maltese soprano celebrated for her expressive musicality and versatility across a wide operatic repertoire. She recently represented Malta at the High Commission in Berlin and has been a dedicated member of the prestigious Opera Nova Project since September 2024. This coming September, she will sing the role of Pamina in Opera Nova’s production of The Magic Flute, followed by a performance as Atalanta in Gluck’s La Corona at the Three Palaces Festival in November.

Francesca holds an MA in Opera from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama (RWCMD), where she trained under the esteemed Suzanne Murphy and was coached by Sharon Richards and Angela Livingstone. She also graduated with First-Class Honours in Music from Edinburgh Napier University. In Malta, her vocal studies were guided by Gillian Zammit, Juliette Bisazza, and Denise Mulholland.

Her operatic roles span a broad range of repertoire and styles. Highlights include Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, Bastienna in Bastien und Bastienne, and Inez in Il Trovatore. In the UK, she has portrayed Eurydice in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld and Despina in Così fan tutte at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with Opera’r Ddraig. At RWCMD, she performed the roles of Tina in Jonathan Dove’s Flight, Papagena and First Lady in The Magic Flute, and Despina once again in Così fan tutte. Last year, she appeared as Nella in Teatru Aurora’s Gianni Schicchi.

Her international career includes Adina in Winterbourne Opera’s L’Elisir d’Amore, Jenny in Welsh National Opera’s My Perfect World, and performances with Clonter Opera and the Valletta International Baroque Ensemble (VIBE) during CHOGM Malta in London. Locally, she has sung Gianetta in L’Elisir d’Amore, Amour in Orphée et Euridice at Teatru Manoel, and toured the Netherlands as the High Priestess in Opera Spanga’s Aida for Valletta 2018.

A passionate advocate of Baroque music, Francesca frequently collaborates with VIBE and the Monteverdi Project, and has premiered works by several Maltese composers. She continues to appear in concerts across Malta, the UK, Italy, and Germany.