Miriam Gauci was born on Malta and pursued her musical education mostly in Milan. Since her stage-debut in Bologna she appeared frequently at numerous international opera-houses and is considered to be one of today’s leading sopranos in the Italian repertoire. She is closely connected to the State Operas in Hamburg, Munich, Berlin and Vienna as well as to the Opéra National in Paris. In March 2001 she made her successful debut with the New York Metropolitan Opera singing Mimi in Puccini’s La Bohème. The artist’s recent repertoire includes mainly roles by Verdi like Elisabetta (Don Carlo), Amelia (Simon Boccanegra) and Desdemona (Otello) as well as by Puccini e. g. Mimi (La Bohème), Cio-Cio-San (Madama Butterfly), Suor Angelica and Manon Lescaut. However Mozart’s Contessa (Le Nozze di Figaro) and Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Massenet’s "Manon" and Leoncavallo’s Nedda (I Pagliacci) also belong to her successful repertoire on opera-stage. As Margherita and as Elena in Boito’s Mefistofele she had sensational success in Vienna under Riccardo Muti’s baton. With this maestro she has sung Verdi’s Messa da Requiem in Tokyo and Vienna as well as when making her debut with Salzburg Festival in