Anna Girò

Anna Girò (born circa 1710/1711), or Anna Giraud La Mantovana, was the stage name of Anna Maddalena Teseire, an Italian contralto. She is best known for her collaborations with composer Antonio Vivaldi, who wrote several operatic roles for her.

Life and career

Girò was born in Mantua. Girò's father was a French barber and wig manufacturer. She began to study with Vivaldi around 1720. She made her debut at Treviso in the fall of 1723, and in 1724 debuted on stage in Venice, performing Laodice by Tomaso Albinoni. She sang for Vivaldi starting with her 1727 appearance in his opera Farnace.^[1] Vivaldi's contemporaries and modern scholars have speculated on the nature of the relationship between Vivaldi and Girò, but Vivaldi insisted the relationship was purely artistic.^[2]

Girò was prima donna on dozens of performances through her career. She continued her successful career until 1748, when, after singing during the carnival in Piacenza, she married a widower, Count Antonio Maria Zanardi Landi, and retired from performing.

References

Vivaldi's Muse, Sarah Bruce Kelly, Bel Canto Press 2011, ISBN 978-0-9836304-0-1

The Red Priest's Annina, Sarah Bruce Kelly, Bel Canto Press 2009, ISBN 978-0-578-02565-0

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