Biography

Born in Pescara, Italy, Milena Storti completed her musical education at the local Conservatory, earning a Diploma in “Canto Lirico” under the guidance of Nicoletta Panni. Subsequently, she furthered her artistic development attending numerous courses and master classes, including those with:

  • Maria Vittoria Romano (Vocalism in Eighteen Century Theater);
  • Erik Werba (the German Lieder);
  • Claudio Desderi (Mozart-Da Ponte Project and Monteverdi Project);
  • In 1996, she won the «Inner Wheel Best Lyric Voice» prize awarded by the Scuola di Musica in Fiesole.

She made her opera debut in 1992, in Rossini’s La Cenerentola, at the Teatro Verdi in Pisa, where she was invited to return on multiple occasions in 1996 for Orfeo ed Euridice, Il Ritorno di Ulisse in Patria and Il Signor Bruschino. Among her many roles in the traditional repertoire, the following are worth mentioning:

  • L. Délibes, Lakmé (Mistress Bentson): Teatro Massimo in Palermo, with Karl Martin;
  • U. Giordano, Andrea Chénier (Madelon): Teatro Bellini in Catania and Teatro Lirico in Cagliari;
  • G. Rossini, Le Comte Ory (Ragonde): Teatro Regio in Turin, Bruno Campanella conducting;
  • G. Rossini, La pietra di paragone (Baroness Aspasia): Aldebourgh Festival, with Claudio Desderi;
  • G. Rossini, L’Italiana in Algeri (Zulma): Teatro Regio in Turin with Bruno Campanella conducting;
  • G. Puccini, Gianni Schicchi (Zita): Teatro G.B. Pergolesi in Jesi, with A. Fogliani;
  • G. Puccini, Madama Butterfly (Suzuki): Teatro Regio in Turin, with Donato Renzetti conducting;
  • P. I. Tchaïkovski, The Queen of Spades (the Governess): Teatro Lirico in Cagliari, with G. Pelhivanian;
  • G. Verdi, Falstaff (Meg): Teatro Regio in Turin, with Maurizio Barbacini conducting;
  • G. Verdi, Rigoletto (Maddalena): Teatro Regio in Turin, with Marco Armiliato conducting;
  • G. Verdi, Luisa Miller (Federica): Teatro Massimo in Palermo, with Donato Renzetti.

Thanks to her keen interest in the Twentieth Century repertoire, Milena had the opportunity to perform in several contemporary roles, including:

  • Noah’s Ark (B. Britten): Teatro Petrarca in Arezzo;
  • Un segreto d’importanza (Sergio Rendine): Teatro Marrucino in Chieti (2001);
  • Lavinia fuggita (Matteo d’Amico): Teatro Comunale in Modena, with Aldo Sisillo (2004).

In addition, during the 1999 and 2000 seasons of Turin’s Teatro Regio she participated in the staging of important Twentieth Century works:

  • I .Stravinskij , The Rake’s Progress (Mother Goose), with Bruno Campanella;
  • Pizzetti, Assassinio nella cattedrale (Coryphée), with Bruno Bartoletti conducting and sharing the stage with Ruggero Raimondi;
  • K. Penderecki, Die Teufel von Loudun (Ninon), with Yoram David.

In the course of her career, Milena has been particularly successful with her interpretations in the baroque and classical repertoire, for which she was often invited by such artists as Christophe Rousset and Alan Curtis. Just a few of her numerous roles are listed below:

  • F. Cavalli, La Rosinda (Cillena): «Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci» Festival, «Vantaan Barokki», «Bayreuther Barock Festspiele», with Mike Fentross conducting and La Sfera Armoniosa;
  • F. Cavalli, La virtù de’ strali d’Amore (Ninfa, Maga, Nereide): Teatro Malibran in Venice, with Fabio Biondi;
  • F. Cavalli, La Calisto (Linfea). Théâtre des Champs Elysées in Paris, with Christophe Rousset and Les Talents Lyriques;
  • M. Garcia, Il califfo di Bagdad (Lemède): on tour in Granada, Madrid and Barcelona, with Christophe Rousset and the Les Talents Lyriques ensemble;
  • G. Gazzaniga, Don Giovanni (Mathurine): «G. Verdi» Conservatory in Turin, with Nicoletta Conti conducting;
  • G. F. Haendel, Alcina (Bradamante): Opernhaus in Kiel, with B. Roherbeck on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of Haendel’s death;
  • G. F. Haendel, Agrippina (Narciso/Giunone): Venice, Krakow, Santiago de Compostela, with Fabio Biondi conducting;
  • C. Monteverdi, L'Incoronazione di Poppea (Ottone): Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville, with Christophe Rousset;
  • G. B. Pergolesi, L’Olimpiade (Alcandro): Teatro Valeria Moriconi in Jesi, with Alessandro de Marchi;
  • A. Vivaldi, Motezuma (Mitrena): Teatro Comunale in Modena, with Alan Curtis.

Recent engagements, for which she received accolades from both the public and the press, include:

  • G. F. Haendel, Berenice, Regina d’Egitto (Selene): Theater an der Wien, with Alan Curtis;
  • C. W. Gluck, Le Cinesi (Tangia): «Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci» Festival and Theater Wintherthur, in Switzerland, with L’arte del Mondo and Werner Ehrardt;
  • G. F. Haendel, Giulio Cesare (Nireno): on tour in Vienna with Alan Curtis and Il Complesso Barocco;
  • C. Monteverdi, Il Ritorno di Ulisse in patria (Ericlea): Theater an der Wien, with Christophe Rousset conducting;
  • A. Vivaldi, Tito Manlio (Decio): Opera Rara Festival with Ottavio Dantone and Accademia Bizantina;
  • W. A. Mozart, Così fan tutte (Despina): Opéra Auditorium in Dijon, with Christophe Rousset;
  • G. Puccini, Gianni Schicchi (Ciesca): Teatro Lirico in Cagliari, with M. Colasanti;
  • I. Stravinskij, Le Rossignol (The Cook): Teatro Lirico in Cagliari, with M. Colasanti.
  • L. van Beethoven, Symphonie n° IX (Alto): Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, with F. Lanzillotta;
  • L’oratorio Juditha Triumphans,  A. Vivaldi (Ozias), with Ottavio Dantone and l' Accademia Bizantina in Hamburg;
  • F. Cavalli , Elena
  • C. Monteverdi, L'Incoronazione di Poppea ( Ottavia ),Tempietto del Teatro Romano di Fiesole , Celebration of 40 years of the Fiesole Music School;
  • A. Scarlatti , IL Giardino d'Amore ( Venere ), Schinkelhalle, Potsdam with Olof Boman e B'ROCK Belgian Baroque Orchestra Gent;
  • A. Salieri , La Scuola de' Gelosi ( Carlotta ),Erholungshaus Bayer, Leverkusen , with W. Ehrhardt e L'Arte del Mondo.

Milena is also actively engaged in the concert repertoire and the sacred music repertoire. She performed in numerous concerts with chamber music ensembles, mainly in the voice and basso continuo repertoire. Performances in this area included:

  • G. B. Pergolesi, Stabat Mater: with the Orchestra del Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Corrado Rovaris conducting, at the Santa Maria in Aracoeli Basilica, and with G. B. Rigon and I Virtuosi Italiani in Vicenza and Verona);
  • A. Salieri, La Passione di Gesù Cristo (Giovanni): with Ottavio Dantone at Teatro La Fenice in Venice (2007);
  • G. Rossini, Petite Messe Solennelle, with T. Ceccherini;
  • W. A. Mozart, Requiem: Pisa, Anima Mundi Festival, with Christopher Hogwood;
  • G. F. Haendel, Il Trionfo del Tempo e della Verità (Disinganno): Bolzano and Trento, with Claudio Astronio;
  • L. van Beethoven, Symphony No. 9 (Alto): Teatro Lirico in Cagliari, with F. Lanzillotta.
  • T. Traetta ,Stabat Mater with Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques at Festival Misteria Paschalia Kracow and Festival d’Ambronay ;

Milena recorded for Naïve, Arkiv Produktion, Ludi Musici, Stradivarius: her most recent recordings include L’Olimpiade by Pergolesi on DVD, Il califfo di Bagdad by M. Garcia, Petite Messe Solennelle by G. Rossini, La Rosinda by F. Cavalli, Giulio Cesare by G. F. Haendel and la Scuola de' Gelosi by A. Salieri.