Dr. Anabella Petronsi is an Argentine-born mezzo-soprano and jazz vocalist whose work spans opera, chamber music, contemporary repertoire, and music from Latin America. She has performed principal and featured roles in both Argentina and the United States, including Francisca (West Side Story), Hänsel (Hansel and Gretel), the Sorceress (Dido and Aeneas), Rosine (Signor Deluso), Mrs. Webster (Sweets by Kate), Kate (Pirates of Penzance), Mercédès (Carmen), and Giovanna (Rigoletto). She has also sung Despina, Serpetta, Papagena, and Barbarina (Mozart); Rosita (Torroba); Heraldo (Lambertini); Poesié (Charpentier); Mariquita Sánchez de Thompson (Kohan); and Berenice (Rossini).
In the U.S., she has performed with Opera Columbus, Opera Project Columbus, OSU Opera Theatre, and Worthington Chamber Orchestra. In Columbus, she founded the Cardinal Ensemble, which debuted in 2024 with works by Jake Heggie, and led the Andes Ensemble, focusing on music from Latin America. Dr. Petronsi is part of the Columbus Symphony Chorus and cantor at St. Mary Catholic Church in German Village.
As a passionate advocate of new music, Dr. Petronsi founded Ensemble Tempus in Argentina, dedicated to 20th- and 21st-century repertoire, and performed across major cultural venues in Buenos Aires. In 2017, the group received a Special Mention from the University Artistic Festival for their performance of Luciano Berio’s Folk Songs. She appeared in The Marriage of Figaro, Tosca, and María de Buenos Aires with Opera Columbus in the US, Molière’s The Imaginary Invalid with Ensemble Arcana, and Carissimi’s The Territory of Sacrifice at the Palacio Libertad in Buenos Aires.
Also an accomplished jazz singer, Dr. Petronsi has performed with the OSU Jazz Ensemble, Heisey Wind Ensemble Big Band, and Vaughn Wiester’s Famous Jazz Orchestra.
Her honors include first place at the 2024 Berlioz Music Competition, the Platinum Prize and Master of Emotion Award at the 2023 UK Elizabeth Music Competition, third prize at the World’s Best Musicians Classical Music Competition, and the 2023 Wilson Voice Competition. She received artist grants from the Greater Columbus Arts Council, a scholarship from Argentina’s National Endowment for the Arts to perform in New York and at the Latin American Festival in Ohio, as well as scholarships from The Ohio State University.
She has also held leadership roles in arts administration, including Artistic Administrator and Director of Operations for the National University of Art’s College of Music, Executive Coordinator of the Araiz Ballet, and Producer for the Ensamble Vocal Contemporáneo.
Dr. Petronsi holds a DMA in Voice Performance with a Singing Health Specialization and a Master’s in Music Education from The Ohio State University, where she served as a graduate teaching assistant. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree in voice from the National University of Arts in Buenos Aires.
