Biography

Described by Opera Now as ‘a magnetic Italian mezzo-soprano who stole the show as Carmen’, Italian mezzo-soprano Arlene Miatto Albeldas is rapidly establishing herself as a versatile and compelling artist, recognised for her expressive interpretations, commanding stage presence, and wide-ranging repertoire spanning opera, concert works, and contemporary music.

Her career has brought her to leading companies including Welsh National Opera, English National Opera, Opera North, Wexford Festival Opera, The Grange Festival, Teatro Olimpico di Vicenza, Teatro La Fenice, Teatro Goldoni di Livorno and Teatro Regio di Parma. She has appeared in prestigious venues such as St David’s Hall in Cardiff, the London Coliseum and Cadogan Hall, collaborating with internationally respected conductors and stage directors.

The 2026 season marks an important milestone in her career with a series of significant debuts. She makes her U.S. house and role debut with Opera Carolina as Ciesca (Gianni Schicchi) and Zelatrice (Suor Angelica), where OperaMundus praised ‘her rich, consistent tone, which carried well throughout the hall, and her highly musical phrasing’. The season also includes her debut in Verdi’s Requiem, role debuts as Zita (Gianni Schicchi) and Zia Principessa (Suor Angelica) at Teatro Pergolesi di Jesi, a recital at Opera Tirana, and a return to Teatro Regio di Parma as Il Musico in Manon Lescaut under the baton of Francesco Ivan Ciampa, as well as appearing as mezzo-soprano soloist in Regio 197, the theatre’s anniversary concert. She also makes her debut as La Madre in Dallapiccola’s Il Prigioniero at the Piccolo Opera Festival.

In 2027 she will make both her house and role debut at Teatro La Fenice in Venice as the Gingerbread Witch in Hänsel und Gretel, and at Teatro Verdi di Trieste as Amneris in Aida.

She returned to Teatro Regio di Parma in 2025 to cover Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, directed by Pier Luigi Pizzi and conducted by George Petrou, before making her role debut as Bersi in Andrea Chénier alongside Gregory Kunde, Saioa Hernández and Luca Salsi under the baton of Francesco Lanzillotta.

Other engagements during 2025 included Salieri’s Requiem at Teatro Salieri and Fondazione Teatro Coccia di Novara, Mrs Quickly in Verdi’s Falstaff for Regio in Tour (a project of Teatro Regio di Parma), Suzuki in Madama Butterfly on a UK tour, and her house and role debut at Fondazione Teatro Goldoni di Livorno as Beppe in Mascagni’s L’amico Fritz. During the same season, she returned to her hometown of Padua to perform Bach’s Cantatas BWV4 and BWV6 with Iris Ensemble and Amici della Musica di Padova.

In 2024 she made both her house and role debut at Teatro Regio di Parma during the Festival Verdi, performing Imelda in La battaglia di Legnano alongside Marina Rebeka, Antonio Poli, Vladimir Stoyanov and Riccardo Fassi, under the baton of Diego Ceretta and in a production by Valentina Carrasco.

Among her recent UK highlights are Polina in The Queen of Spades at The Grange Festival under the baton of Paul Daniel and directed by Paul Curran; Carmen both on tour with Opera Brava and in concert at Cadogan Hall with the English National Opera Orchestra under Olivia Clarke and directed by Amy Lane; Lucretia in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia with Welsh National Opera and Opera North, once again under the baton of Paul Daniel and directed by Olivia Fuchs; and Dorabella in Così fan tutte with Welsh National Opera under James Southall and directed by Emma Jenkins, performing at venues including St David’s Hall and the London Coliseum. Other roles include Teresa (La sonnambula) and Zaida (Il turco in Italia).

Alongside the standard repertoire, Arlene has maintained a strong commitment to contemporary opera. She has created the roles of Lady Louisa Wolseley in The Master at Wexford Festival Opera, Dmitra in The Last Siren -written especially for her by Edward Lambert - and The Pope in Lambert’s The Burning Question, both presented at the Tête à Tête Opera Festival, where Chute Chronicle praised the ‘incredible roundness and richness of her voice’. She is currently collaborating with composer Lisa Logan on a new project.

An active concert performer, Arlene regularly appears as a soloist with orchestras and choral societies throughout the UK and Italy. Her concert repertoire includes Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 at London’s Cadogan Hall with the Royal Orchestral Society under Orlando Jopling, Handel’s Messiah with the Rosenau Sinfonia, and Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle in both the UK and Italy with the Orchestra della Magna Grecia at the Magnum Mysterium Festival. Her repertoire further includes Mozart’s Requiem K626, Haydn’s Nelson Mass, Handel’s Foundling Hospital Anthem, Saint-Saëns’ Oratorio de Noël, Schubert’s Masses No. 1 D105 and No. 6 D678, and Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater.

A graduate of the National Opera Studio in London (2020/21) and the 2024 Accademia Verdiana at Teatro Regio di Parma, she is the winner of the 2026 ANON – The Anonymous Project (NYIOP), the 2025 Voci Mascagnane Competition (receiving the Premio Mascagni, Premio Soroptimist, Premio Fondazione Teatro Goldoni di Livorno and Premio Macerata Opera Festival), the 2nd Prize and Opera Tirana Prize at the 2025 Marmo all’Opera Competition, and 3rd Prize at the 2025 Mattia Battistini International Singing Competition.

Arlene made her operatic debut in 2016 at Teatro Eliseo in Rome, creating the leading role of Adele in the contemporary opera La sopravvivenza della specie while studying at the Conservatorio Santa Cecilia with Maestro Carlo Desideri. Alongside her musical training, she also completed a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and International Relations at LUISS Guido Carli University.

She subsequently continued her vocal development with mezzo-soprano Manuela Custer at the Accademia di Alto Perfezionamento Lorenzo Perosi in Biella, studied Baroque performance practice with Sonia Prina at the Accademia per l’Opera di Verona, and refined her artistry with Patrizia Ciofi at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole. She currently studies with Renata Lamanda and Gaëlle Meyer.

She has also been a finalist at the 2026 Agorà Lyric Competition and a semi-finalist in several prestigious international competitions, including the 59th Tenor Viñas International Singing Contest, where she was unfortunately unable to compete due to COVID restrictions, the 60th Voci Verdiane Competition (2024), the International Singing Competition for Baroque Opera Pietro Antonio Cesti, the Handel Singing Competition and the 71st AsLiCo Competition.