While she won numerous national and international piano competitions and participated in important festivals and concerts as a soloist and as a member of chamber music ensembles, she was best known for her work in opera. She became “Maestro di sala” in theatres like Pisa, Lucca, Livorno, the Ravenna festival and the Torre del Lago Festival. As a collaborator with opera singers, she performed in the main European capital cities and across the globe in Japan, the USA, Argentina, and Cuba. She collaborated on master courses on vocal technique and interpretation run by Desderi, Cupido, Ricciarelli, and Kabaivanska among others. In June 2005 she began working as “Maestro di sala” with Riccardo Muti, and in 2016, she joined the faculty of Bel Canto in Tuscany, effortlessly endearing herself to the next generation of emerging global opera talent. She died in August of 2021, leaving behind a daughter and a devoted community of students, fans, and admirers.

We honor Laura's memory by providing affordable access to world-class opera education to young and emerging artists from all backgrounds. At $45,000, the lofty goal of the fund represents full tuition and room and board for 10 participants for all three weeks of Bel Canto in Tuscany's 2023 summer program, or partial scholarships for up to 30 students. Gifts to this fund made in honor of our beloved colleague serve to preserve the history and tradition of Bel Canto while ensuring the future of our field.