Natalie Christie Peluso

Melbourne-born Natalie Peluso (previously Natalie Christie) achieved thrilling early success as a precociously talented young opera singer admired for her warm and youthful lyric soprano and superb acting ability. After winning The Australian Singing Competition as recipient of the Marianne Mathy Award, Natalie left Australia for London and a place at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where she made her debut as Musetta in “La Boheme” for British Youth Opera at the Royal Festival Hall, followed by Miss Wordsworth in “Albert Herring” at the Guildhall.

She began her close five year association with Welsh National Opera as Constance in Phyllida Lloyd’s production of “The Carmelites”, and immediately returned to Opera Australia as Susanna in “Le Nozze di Figaro” – a performance so rapturously received that one critic raved it was a “definitive portrait that seems to have been written for her”. Her debut with English National Opera followed as the Soprano Soloist in Bach’s “St. John Passion” directed by Deborah Warner.

Natalie remained as Principal Artist at Welsh National Opera, as the first recipient of the WNO Sir John Moores Award and supported by prestigious bank Coutts. Her roles with WNO included Sophie (“Der Rosenkavalier”), Euridice (Gluck’s “Orfeo”), Gilda (“Rigoletto”), Pamina (“Die Zauberflöte”), Marzelline (“Leonora”), Adele (“Die Fledermaus”), Adina (“L’elisir d’amore”), Zerlina (“Don Giovanni”), Despina (“Cosi Fan Tutte”) and Susanna (“Le Nozze di Figaro”).

She made her début with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Zerlina (“Don Giovanni”) in a new production by Francesca Zambello under Sir Charles Mackerras and returned to Australia to reprise her performances of Susanna in Neil Armfield’s production of “Le Nozze di Figaro” at the Sydney Opera House.

Recent performances include Soloist for Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra; “Les Illuminations” by Benjamin Britten with Camerata of St. John’s, Brisbane; and the Soloist in Mahler’s 4th Symphony for Queensland Symphony.

Concert appearances include Handel’s “Jephtha” with RIAS Berlin and Marcus Creed, Mozart’s Mass in C Minor with the Oslo Baroque, Mahler’s 4th Symphony with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Dennis Russell Davies and her debut at the 1998 Aldeburgh Festival with Skip Sempé and Capriccio Stravagante. An accomplished and passionate recitalist, she has regularly performed at Wigmore Hall, St Martin in the Fields, Windsor Castle and Government House, Sydney. She has recorded and broadcast in her native Australia, RTE Ireland and for BBC Radio Three and Four.