Michela Sburlati successfully concluded her academic studies in harp and opera singing, achieving the highest honours cum laude and she embarked on a professional singing career, initially under the tutelage of Margaret Baker, followed by Mietta Sighele and Veriano Luchetti.
She made her first stage debut at a very young age in 1989, performing in Menotti’s “La Medium” in Rome. Following this, she secured victory in the “Mattia Battistini” competition, which facilitated her portrayal of Mimì in “La Boheme”, and she also won the “Madama Butterfly” competition in Viareggio for Puccini’s Voice.
In 1991, she portrayed “Suor Angelica” in a successful edition of opera at the Todifestival. Subsequently, in 1992 Giancarlo Menotti personally chose her as the female interpreter of “Il Duca d’Alba" by Donizetti, under the direction of A.M. Giuri, which marked the inauguration of the American festival in Charleston, South Carolina (U.S.A.), as well as the “35th Festival dei due mondi” in Spoleto. The staging was revisited later by the Carlo Felice theatre in Genova.
Since 1994, she had engaged in an intensive collaboration with Gustav Kuhn, which culminated in her debut in principal roles of R.Strauss’s Capriccio at the Regio Theatre in Parma, Puccini’s “Manon Lescaut” at the Teatro del Giglio in Lucca and in Pisa, Mozart’s “Il Re pastore”in Florence, which was broadcast live on the radio by Rai Radiotre, Wagner’s “Das Rheingold” ( CD B.M.G Arte Nova Classics) at the S. Carlo Theatre in Naples and at the Tiroler Festspiele Erl. She was a frequent participant in this festival from 1998 to 2012, where she made her debut in Verdi’s “Requiem,”( CD B.M.G Arte Nova Classics). Furthermore, she portrayed the role of Rosalinde in J.Strauss’s “Die Fledermaus” in the summer of 2002 ( CD “B.M.G Arte Nova”) and in fundamental pages of the German operatic and symphonic repertoire.
Since 2001, she has engaged in a significant collaboration with the Arena di Verona, which has afforded her the opportunity to perform in major European capitals, as well as in New York and Hong Kong. Notably, she inaugurated the 2002 winter season of the Teatro Filarmonico di Verona with a distinguished production of "La Rondine" by G. Puccini, conducted by M. Arena. Additionally, she opened the 2004 season with "Le Donne Curiose" by E. Wolf Ferrari, and in 2005, she was part of the cast for Beethoven's "Ninth Symphony," conducted by G. Kuhn.
She was a member of the quartet of soloists that inaugurated the 2002 symphony season in Palermo with Beethoven's "Missa solemnis," under the direction of A. Veronesi. In 2003, she inaugurated the season at the Teatro Regio di Parma, performing alongside R. Raimondi in Pizzetti's "Assassinio nella cattedrale," conducted by B. Bartoletti. This production was subsequently reprised in the following season at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma.
In 2004, she inaugurated the Year of Culture in Genoa with a recital at the Carlo Felice Theatre, performing alongside Josè Carreras, with whom she also collaborated for a concert in Rome in 2007. That same year, she portrayed the role of Liù in "Turandot" at the Teatro Lirico in Cagliari and took on the character of Mimì in "La Bohème" during the 42nd Osaka Festival in Japan. Additionally, she performed as Medora in Verdi's "Il Corsaro," under the direction of R. Palumbo at the Teatro Regio in Parma, (DVD Dynamic) and aired multiple times on Sky Classica. She also played Isabella in the first world’s performance of "Federico II" by M. Tutino, which inaugurated the 2004-2005 season at the Pergolesi Theatre in Jesi. Furthermore, she interpreted chamber music compositions by Maestro Tutino at the Erl Festival in Austria, receiving acclaim from both critics and audiences.
She performed Verdi's "Requiem" in Beijing, followed by notable presentations at the Verdi Auditorium in Milan and the Teatro Sociale in Como, conducted by R. Chailly.
In January 2005, she made her professional debut as Donna Elvira in "Don Giovanni" at the Teatro Regio in Turin, directed by G.A. Noseda. She was also part of the cast that inaugurated the Macerata Festival at the Sferisterio Arena, performing the role of Elisabetta di Valois in Verdi's "Don Carlo," conducted by G. Kuhn. In April 2005, she collaborated with G. Kuhn again to perform Richard Strauss's "Vier letzte Lieder" and Mahler's Fourth Symphony with the Marche Philharmonic Orchestra in various prominent theaters in Marche region.
Her performance repertoire extends beyond Italy, such as Beijing and Hong Kong, as well as in Japan, South America, Russia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Albania, Turkey, Qatar, Ethiopia, Algeria, Morocco, Syria, and Jordan. She has frequently been a guest at prestigious international festivals.
In 2000, in Vienna, as part of the celebrations honoring Pietro Metastasio, she recorded two oratorios for Fonè: "Giuseppe riconoscimento" by P. Anfossi and "La Passione di Cristo" by Salieri, both conducted by G. Pelliccia.
The summer of 2006 represented a pivotal moment in her artistic career, as she undertook the role of Isolde in Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde," produced by the Erl Festival and conducted by G. Kuhn. This performance received widespread acclaim from both audiences and international critics, including notable publications such as the New York Times, Herald Tribune, Wiener Zeitung, and Frankfurter Allgemeine. She subsequently reprised this role in the following seasons, including performances captured on DVD in Collegno and Paris.
In 2006, she recorded the leading role in "Adelia" by G. Donizetti with the Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano, also conducted by G. Kuhn (CD RCA Red Seal).
In November 2007, she performed Beethoven's Ninth Symphony at the European Parliament in Brussels, conducted by Lorin Maazel.
In 2008, she made her debut in the role of "Tosca" at the Kazan Opera Theatre in Russia, under the direction of Marco Boemi.
In collaboration with G. Kuhn, she made a remarkable debut as Chrysothemis in Strauss's "Elektra" at the Erl Festival in 2009. Subsequently, she reprised this role in Italy in 2010, performing in the theaters of Bolzano, Modena, Piacenza, and Ferrara, where she received commendations from esteemed international critics. For her outstanding performance, she was honored with the "G. Poggi" award, which was presented to her at the Piacenza Theater.
In the same year, she performed in St. Petersburg at the prestigious Philharmonic Hall, delivering a Puccini gala that garnered acclaim from both the audience and critics alike. This performance was accompanied by the prestigious Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of A. Giuri. In 2011, she returned to St. Petersburg to perform alongside Maestro Emanuele Lippi in the Glazunov Hall at the Conservatory, where she also conducted a masterclass in opera singing.
In June 2010, she returned to the "Festival dei due Mondi" in Spoleto, presenting a recital inspired by the repertoire of Maria Malibran, in collaboration with A. Naccari. This concert was subsequently repeated in April 2011 at the "Parco della Musica" auditorium in Rome.
In September 2010, she performed the role of "Adelia" in Donizetti's opera, which garnered significant acclaim at the Mahler Festival in Dobbiaco, once again under the direction of G. Kuhn. Throughout her career, she has consistently portrayed leading roles alongside esteemed artists such as Giuseppe Taddei, Piero Cappuccilli, Franco Bonisolli, Ruggero Raimondi, José Carreras, Francisco Araiza, Marcello Giordani, Leo Nucci, Renato Bruson, Kurt Riedl, Mariella Devia, Lucia Valentini Terrani, and Bonaldo Giaiotti. Her performances have been conducted by notable maestros including Gian Andrea Gavazzeni (La Rondine), Karl Martin (Turandot), Isaac Karabtchevsky (Madama Butterfly and a Verdi gala), Liu Ja (Nuit d'été, Berlioz), Krzysztof Penderecki and Dimitri Kostin (Beethoven's Ninth Symphony), Pier Giorgio Morandi and Bruno Aprea (Rossini's Stabat Mater), Claudio Desderi (The Shepherd King), and Giuliano Silveri (Mozart's Requiem and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony). Additionally, she has collaborated with distinguished directors such as Ermanno Olmi, Saverio Marconi, Franca Valeri, Michele Placido, Lamberto Pugelli, Gigi Dall'Aglio, Manfred Schweighofer, Filippo Saint Just, and Franco Mearelli.
She currently holds the position of Chair of Opera Singing at the "S. Cecilia" Conservatory in Rome. She has received multiple invitations to conduct master classes at the "Zhou Xiaoyan International Opera Centre," in collaboration with the Conservatory in Shanghai, and serves as a guest singing professor at Henan University in Kaifeng, China, which has recently attained conservatory status. She has been visiting this institution regularly for the past four years.
Among her recent productions, she has recorded Wagner's Lieder for soprano in collaboration with Marco Scolastra. This CD, released by "Brillant Classics," benefits from the artistic supervision and direction of Luca Ricci.
She is also a founding member of the international festival "Sanctae Juliae" in Livorno, presided over by Marta Lotti, where she participates in concerts and master classes in partnership with various international concert institutions.
For several years, she has collaborated with soprano Mietta Sighele, her teacher, inspiration, and friend, at the "Musicariva Festival" in Riva del Garda, serving as an assistant for the advanced singing course and as a juror for the prestigious international opera singing competition "R. Zandonai." In this capacity, she awarded the prestigious "Tiroler Festspiele Erl" prize as a representative of the Accademia di Montegral and on behalf of Maestro G. Kuhn.