Lady Gianna Rolandi Davis, acclaimed American soprano, passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 20, 2021, surrounded by her loving husband and son after ongoing health issues. Rolandi found her love of music at an early age. She studied violin and voice at the Brevard Music Center and went on to study voice at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. She was a finalist in the Metropolitan Opera auditions in 1974. Immediately following her graduation from Curtis in 1975, Rolandi launched her professional career with the New York City Opera in sensational debuts as Olympia in The Tales of Hoffmann and as Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos. Over the next 15 years, she performed more than 30 roles at NYCO. In 1979, Rolandi made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier. She went on to perform with several of the world’s most distinguished opera companies, including Lyric Opera of Chicago, the San Francisco Opera, the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, the Canadian Opera Company, the Washington National Opera, and Santa Fe Opera. In addition to these she sang on the stages of the major companies in Rome, Turin, Geneva, Lyon, and Paris. Her many concert and recital engagements included appearances with the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, with conductors including Leonard Bernstein, Bernard Haitink, Erich Leinsdorf, and her husband, Sir Andrew Davis who she met in 1984 when he conducted her performances of Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos at the Metropolitan Opera. They married in 1989 and have one son, composer Edward Frazier Davis. Rolandi sang on several recordings made for CD, film, and television. She performed Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro under Bernard Haitink and the title roles in two Live from Lincoln Center opera broadcasts: Lucia di Lammermoor and The Cunning Little Vixen. In 1984 she sang Zdenka in Glyndebourne’s film version of Arabella. After a highly successful 20-year international career, Rolandi retired from performing and served as Director and Principal Instructor at Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center. She was renowned as a superb teacher, and many of her students, including Erin Wall and Nicole Cabell, went on to enjoy distinguished careers. She retired after the 2012/2013 season. Rolandi also served on faculty at the University of Michigan from 1987-1988. The most notable qualities that characterized her singing included seemingly effortless coloratura, musical intelligence, and captivating beauty of sound and legato. She was a true singing actress. On stage, she showed her theatrical finesse, coloring her voice to glorious effect. Her “Mad Scene” from Lucia di Lammermoor was particularly memorable and moving. Her recordings are available on many of the streaming services and on YouTube. Born on August 16, 1952 in New York City, Rolandi grew up in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the daughter of Jane Frazier and Enrico Rolandi. She was particularly close with her mother, who was also an opera singer, and her stepfather Jim Gray. Ms. Rolandi is survived by her husband, Sir Andrew Davis, their son Edward Frazier Davis (Gabriela O’Grady Sutton), brother Walter Rolandi (Linda), nieces Veronica Russell (Ty), Amanda Barnwell (John), and Anna Rolandi (Ward Stare), as well as numerous great nieces and nephews. Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions may be made to: Curtis Institute of Music 1726 Locust Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 CLICK HERE TO DONATE ONLINE Or American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) 424 E. 92nd Street New York, NY 10128 CLICK HERE TO DONATE ONLINE Info: donnellanfuneral.com or 847-675-1990