Margaret Baker Genovesi
Margaret Baker Genovesi was an Australian soprano based in Rome.
Early life
Born in Brisbane as MargaretBaker, her early musical promise as a child was recognised with performances broadcast on Australia's Amateur Hour. Later, she represented Queensland in the 1953 Melba Quest and won the Queensland ABC Concerto and Vocal competition in 1954.
Career
Early in her career, while still in Australia, Baker Genovesi was a popular young soloist performing with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the Queensland National Opera now Opera Queensland.Baker Genovesi then moved to Europe to complete her studies and was supported by scholarships awarded by the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Rome, and the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena. She was eventually based in Rome. Her operatic roles included: Violetta La traviata ; Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro ; Circe in The Enchantress Circe ; Miss Pinkerton in The Old Maid and the Thief ; Valletto in L'incoronazione di Poppea ; Fortuna, Guinone and Melanto in Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria and First Witch/
Second Woman in L'incoronazione di Poppea.
During her operatic career in Europe and on later retirement in Australia, Baker Genovesi was also a renowned musical educator, operatic vocal coach and adjudicator of international operatic singing competitions. Amongst her pupils is the Italian dramatic coloratura soprano Desirée Rancatore.
Personal life
She was married to the Italian engineer Vittorio Genovesi. Baker Genovesi died aged 89 in Brisbane.Discography
- Anfossi: La maga Circe, Baker-Genovesi et al., Il Gruppo di Roma, Bongiovanni-Inedita conducted by Flavio Colusso GB 10001/2-2.
- Menotti: The Old Maid and the Thief, Judith Blegen, John Reardon, Anna Reynolds, Margaret Baker, Orchestra of the Teatro Verdi Di Trieste, conducted by Jorge Mester, Mercury Living Presence SR90521
- Monteverdi: L'incoronazione di Poppea, Margaret Baker-Genovesi, Cathy Berberian, Helen Donath et al, Concentus Musicus, Wein, conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Deutsche Grammophon, 1995.
- Monteverdi: Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria, with Lasdislaus Anderko, Giacomo Badoaro, Margaret Baker-Genovesi, Murray Dickie et al. Concentus Musicus, Wein, conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Teledec 1971.
- Purcell: Dido and Aeneas with Tatiana Troyanos, Barry McDaniel, Sheila Armstrong, Patricia Johnson, Margaret Baker-Genovesi, Monteverdi Choir, Norddeutscher Rundfunk Kammerorchester, conducted by Charles Mackerras. Hamburg : Archiv Produktion, 1967.
- Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin, Geoffrey Chard, Joan Carden, Keith Lewis, Suzanne Johnston, Margaret Baker-Genovesi, Noel Mangin, Bev Shean, Richard Divall conducting
- Louis Spohr, 6 Lieder, Op. 103, Margaret Baker, Rainer Schumacher, Hermann Reutter.