Francesca Roberto

Francesca Roberto, born around 1935 in Connecticut, is an American operatic soprano whose career spanned Broadway and opera stages across the United States. Raised in Greenwich, Connecticut, she trained at The Hartt School and pursued additional vocal studies in Italy.

Roberto's Broadway career began in 1954, when she appeared as a member of the chorus in the world premiere of Gian Carlo Menotti's The Saint of Bleecker Street. Seven years later, in 1961, she won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, a distinction that preceded a busy decade of operatic engagements.

Her operatic work in the early 1960s included a 1962 appearance on The Bell Telephone Hour alongside tenor George Shirley, as well as a portrayal of Violetta in La traviata with the New England Opera Theater under conductor Boris Goldovsky. In 1963 she took on the title role of Samuel Barber's Vanessa at the Washington National Opera, with Beverly Wolff singing the role of Erika. The following year she performed the title role in Puccini's Tosca with the Brooklyn Opera.

During the 1965–1966 season Roberto toured the United States with the Metropolitan Opera National Company, performing Cio-Cio-San in Puccini's Madama Butterfly and Frasquita in Carmen. That same period brought her debut at the Metropolitan Opera itself, where she sang Cio-Cio-San opposite George Shirley as Pinkerton, with George Schick on the podium. Also in 1966, she portrayed the title role in Verdi's Aida at the Toledo Opera, made her Seattle Opera debut as Nedda in Pagliacci alongside James McCracken as Canio and Roald Reitan as Silvio, and served as soloist with the Rhode Island Philharmonic.

Roberto's 1967 season brought two significant house debuts. She joined the San Francisco Opera as Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana and made her New York City Opera debut as Mimì in La bohème, with Plácido Domingo singing Rodolfo. Later that same year she portrayed Cio-Cio-San to Domingo's Pinkerton in another NYCO production. She returned to the New York City Opera during the 1968–1969 season in both Cio-Cio-San and Santuzza, and appeared there again in 1972 as Santuzza.