Cincinnati Opera Debut
Florencia Grimaldi
Florencia en el Amazonas

How many times have you performed this role?
Never, this is my debut in the role.

If you have been to Cincinnati before, where is your favorite place to go?
I have never been to Cincinnati before.

What is your hometown?
Los Angeles, California

Where do you currently reside?
Munich, Germany

What is your favorite opera and why?
I would have to say Stravinsky's Rakes Progress. Having sung the role of Anne Trulove many times, I developed a great admiration for W.H. Auden's profoundly moving libretto.

What is a favorite role you have sung and why?
Mozart's Pamina is the role I have performed most often (over 100 times). I have always felt in tune with her innocence, sensitivity and courage.

Where did you make your professional debut?
I had the great fortune to sing Mozart's Elettra in Francesca Zambello's production of Idomeneo with Chicago City Musik (staged in the John G. Shedd Aquarium!).

Do you have professional recordings or DVDs?
Yes, I am featured on the DVD of Wagner's Ring Cycle with the Netherlands Opera. I have made many CDs, including Schumann's Das Paradies und Peri with John Elliot Gardiner, Mahler's 2nd Symphony, and most recently Dvorak's Stabat Mater and Beethoven's Missa Solemnis.

Are there other jobs you have had in addition to singing?
After completing my B.A. in English Literature at Stanford, I worked in advertising for a year before deciding to go back to grad school and study music.

If you weren't an opera singer, what would be your dream job?
Definitely something to do with film.

Do you sing other styles of music besides opera?
In Europe, I am best known as a concert singer. I have a great affinity for jazz and love the music of Kurt Weill.

What are your hobbies?
I love gardening, knitting and anything to do with dogs.

What is your greatest achievement?
I was the first person in my family to go to college. When I received a full scholarship to Stanford University, it was the proudest moment of my life. My Stanford education made me the artist I am today.