Ermonela Jaho was born in Albania and started singing lessons when she was six. She later moved to Rome to study at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. Over the next ten years, Jaho won singing competitions in Italy and started her singing career there.Described as ‘the world’s most acclaimed soprano’ by The Economist, Ermonela Jaho received the International Opera Readers’ Award in 2016 and was nominated in the Best Female Singer category in 2018. In demand across the world, she is particularly recognised for her portrayals of Violetta, Madama Butterfly, Suor Angelica and many other roles in which she leaves an indelible mark upon everything she sings. Her broad repertoire spans Handel, Mozart, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, Massenet, Gounod and Puccini. In future seasons, she will appear at the Royal Opera House in London, Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Opera National de Paris, Staatsoper Vienna, Teatro Real in Madrid, Metropolitan Opera in New York, Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona and the Sydney Opera House in Australia. Ermonela Jaho’s association with Opera Rara began in 2015 when she sang the title role in the recording and Barbican concert of Leoncavallo’s Zazà. She returned to Opera Rara in 2018 to sing the role of Anna in the recording and concert of Puccini’s first opera Le Willis.Anima Rara is Ermonela Jaho’s first recital recording.