Ilenia Cipollari
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Ilenia Cipollari | |
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| Education | Mabellini Conservatory, Pistoia (Jazz Vocals); Goldsmiths, University of London (MA, World Theatres); University of the Arts London (PhD in progress) |
| Occupation | Vocalist, performer, researcher |
| Known for | Experimental voice performance; voice as embodied practice |
Ilenia Cipollari is an Italian-born, UK-based vocalist, performer, and researcher. She has been profiled in Italian national newspapers including La Nazione[1] and Corriere Fiorentino, the Tuscan edition of the national daily ‘‘Corriere della Sera’’, [2] as well as in Andrea Porcheddu’s book Le signore attrici (2015), which collected portraits of Italian performers.[3] She has also been cited in The Guardian, [4] and reviewed in UK theatre outlets including Everything Theatre, The Reviews Hub, and Salterton Arts Review for her 2025 performance Sirena.[5][6][7] Her work spans early music, jazz, and experimental performance, and she has performed internationally with ensembles including Song of the Goat Theatre (Teatr Pieśń Kozła) and the Idrîsî Ensemble. She is undertaking doctoral research at the University of the Arts London, exploring trauma, memory, and feminist reinterpretations of myth.[8]
Early life and education
Cipollari studied jazz vocals at the Mabellini Conservatory in Pistoia, Italy.[9][10] In a 2015 profile, critic Andrea Porcheddu described her theatrical debut as “a courageous choice, sustained by determination and surprising enthusiasm”, noting that she came to the stage later than many of her peers.[11] She has cited formative encounters with Kristin Linklater, Thomas Richards from the Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski in Pontedera and Jan Lauwers (Needcompany) as shaping her early artistic direction.[11] She later earned an MA in World Theatres from Goldsmiths, University of London, before beginning a practice-based PhD at the University of the Arts London.[8]
Career
Early career
Cipollari’s stage debut was in La Casina dei Gonzaga, directed by Dario Moretti for Teatro All’Improvviso, in which she performed the role of Camilla Faà di Bruno.[3] The production toured widely in Italy.[12] Porcheddu highlighted the intensity of her debut, describing it as a challenging entry into youth-oriented theatre.[11]
Song of the Goat Theatre
She subsequently joined Song of the Goat Theatre (Teatr Pieśń Kozła), performing in Songs of Lear and Return to the Voice. With the company, she toured internationally, including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (2015),[13] the Tbilisi International Theatre Festival (2014), the SESC Chamber Music Festival in São Paulo,[14] and Yale Repertory Theatre’s No Boundaries series.[15] The production also appeared at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York,[citation needed] Cal Performances in Berkeley,[16] and in Chicago through Culture.pl.[17] The work was reviewed by European Stages[18] and archived by Octopus Theatricals.[19]
Idrîsî Ensemble and collaborations
From 2023 to 2025, Cipollari performed with the Idrîsî Ensemble, a group exploring Mediterranean and Middle Eastern vocal traditions, including the piece Tribbiera, staged at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival.[20] A review of an Idrîsî Ensemble concert at Koko (music venue) described it as “a brilliantly vibrant evening of music breathing resounding new life into the sounds of the medieval Mediterranean.”[21]
She also collaborated with Musarc and Jay Bernard (writer) in The Last Seven Years (Artangel, 2023)[22] and the Northampton Complaints Choir (2023), presented with NN Contemporary Art.[23] The latter was covered by both The Guardian and BBC News.[24][25]
Sirena and recent work
In 2025, Cipollari premiered Sirena, a performance exploring feminist re-imaginations of the siren figure, at London’s The Glitch theatre. Everything Theatre described her final unaccompanied song as “sublime”,[5] Salterton Arts Review[7] and The Reviews Hub highlighted the ensemble’s “tremendous chemistry”.[6] In 2024, she also contributed vocals to the exhibition Background Noise at Des Bains gallery, supported by the Italian Cultural Institute.[26]
Film and television
Cipollari has appeared on screen in the BBC Alba documentary Brigh a’ Chiùil: Return to the Voice (2014),[27][28] the Sky Atlantic series 1993 (2017), and the Netflix docuseries Aftershock: Everest and the Nepal Earthquake (2022).[29] She has also contributed to independent shorts including Wunderkammer (2019).[30]
Academic work
Cipollari contributes to practice-based research in performance and voice. She is undertaking a PhD at the University of the Arts London, focusing on trauma-informed performance and feminist reinterpretations of myth.[8] In 2024 she received the Arts Bursary from the British School at Athens.[31]
References
- ↑ Terreri, Gabriele (26 August 2015). "Ilenia Cipollari, quando il teatro è vita. "Tutta colpa... del Funaro"". La Nazione (in italiano). Retrieved 6 September 2025.
- ↑ "Ilenia Cipollari talento pistoiese". Corriere Fiorentino (via PressReader) (in italiano). 20 August 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Porcheddu, Andrea (2015). Le signore attrici (in italiano). Succedeoggi. pp. 47–50. ISBN 9788899467005.
- ↑ Halliday, Josh (10 July 2023). "'There's a lot to complain about in Northampton': the choir singing about their town's failings". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Review: Sirena – The Glitch (London)". Everything Theatre. 2025. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Sirena – The Glitch, London". The Reviews Hub. 2025. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Sirena – The Glitch, London". Salterton Arts Review. 2025. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Ilenia Cipollari – profile". University of the Arts London. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
- ↑ "Ilenia Cipollari talento pistoiese". Corriere Fiorentino. 20 August 2015.
- ↑ "Ilenia Cipollari, quando il teatro è vita. "Tutta colpa... del Funaro"". La Nazione. 26 August 2015.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Porcheddu, Andrea (2015). Le signore attrici (in italiano). Succedeoggi. pp. 47–50. ISBN 9788899467005.
- ↑ "La Casina dei Gonzaga, spettacolo del Teatro all'Improvviso". Mantova Notizie. 17 October 2013. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
- ↑ "Return to the Voice". Summerhall. 31 December 2015.
- ↑ "Diversidade Sonora". SESC. 24 October 2014.
- ↑ "Songs of Lear". Yale Repertory Theatre.
- ↑ "Cal Performances – Songs of Lear (West Coast Premiere)" (PDF). Cal Performances.
- ↑ "Songs of the Goat's Songs of Lear comes to Chicago". Culture.pl.
- ↑ "Songs of Lear – review". European Stages. 25 June 2015.
- ↑ "Songs of Lear". Octopus Theatricals.
- ↑ "Idrîsî Ensemble – Norfolk & Norwich Festival". Norfolk & Norwich Festival. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
- ↑ "Review: Idrîsî Ensemble at Koko". A Young(ish) Perspective. 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
- ↑ "The Last Seven Years". Artangel. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
- ↑ "Northampton Complaints Choir". NN Contemporary Art. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
- ↑ Halliday, Josh (10 July 2023). "'There's a lot to complain about in Northampton': the choir singing about their town's failings". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
- ↑ "Northampton complaints choir voices residents' gripes". BBC News. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
- ↑ "Background Noise – Des Bains exhibitions". MutualArt. 2024. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
- ↑ "Return to the Voice". BBC.
- ↑ "Return to the Voice (programme page)". BBC. 18 December 2014.
- ↑ "Aftershock: Everest and the Nepal Earthquake". ScreenRant. 14 September 2022.
- ↑ "Wunderkammer – A Short Stravaganza". YouTube. Andres Neumann Channel. 2019.
- ↑ "Ilenia Cipollari – Arts Bursary 2024–25". British School at Athens. 2024. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
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