Born and raised in New York, Ms. Malfitano got introduced to classical music at an early age. Influenced by the artistic lifestyle of her parents - Ballett Dancer Maria Maslova and violonist Joseph Malfitano -, it was only a close step of becoming a professionell in this business herself. Although wanting to be an actress or a dancer first, she got more determined of a singing career while receiving positive reactions about her voice. Under the directions of her father she took her first singing lessons. "My mother strongly inluenced my way of moving and acting. Later my father taught me to study singing in a disciplined way. He broadened my technique". With him she also recorded her first album »Music for Voice and Violin« in 1976. She studied at the Frank Corsaro Studio and the Manhattan School of Music. In 1966 she won the Daily News Contest for new singers, in 1973 the contest of the Opera-America Audition. She made her debut 1972 at the Central City Opera as »Falstaff´s« Nannetta and was an ensemble member of the Minnesota Opera and the New York City Opera. Quite early in her career she also performed on European stages, sarting 1974 at the Nederlands Opera as Susanna in »Figaro«. In 1976 she performed for the first time at the Salzburg Festival, in the Ponelle interpretation of »La clemenza di Tito«. Since then she has returned there for many productions, among them the acclaimed Cheréau staging of »Don Giovanni« and the 1992 Luc Bondy version of »Salome«, for which she had bookings up into the year 1997. One of Catherine Malfitano´s characteristics is, that she never restricts herself to a certain style of music and has hence built up an extense repertory of classical roles as well as interpretations of temporary characters. "I have always been fascinated by different styles of music. My father played modern, classical and baroque music, so I follow in that line. My way of dealing with them is that I see each as an own language. I do not change my tools or my way of approaching them - as well as you don´t change your voice-mechanism if you speak one language first and than the other. Of course every language has different sounds that require a specific lip-movement, like while producing vocals. But in the end you don´t change anything fundamental." Ms. Malfitano sings in English, German, Italian, French and most recently Check. She went the patient way of a continuous career instead of hunting for the immediate, short-term success and moved slowly from the lyrical soprano parts to the spectacular dramatic tunes. She often chooses complex female roles, that completely differ from each other. She traces that back to her schizophrenic need to impersonate all her inner sides. Acting soon became an essential part of her stage performances and she has visited classes at an Actor´s studio. "Singers shouldn´t just be singing machines on stage, people expect characters you can believe in. You have to think of yourself as more than a voice. Having a voice is essential, but the other side of the coin is developing every angle of your dramatic instrument, and that means physically developing your body, so it has strength, flexibility and expression." On her preparation list for every new role is not only the conscientious exposition with the different aspects of the character, but also a combination of physical exercise. Something that makes her very attractive for directors with a dramatic concept: she has cooperated with renowned directing masters like Robert Altman, Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, Götz Friedrich, Jürgen Flimm, Patrice Chéreau, a.o., and has sung at most of the world´s prestigious opera houses. Catherine Malfitano has not only been part of well remembered stagings like her »Salome« or »Madama Butterfly«, but also created the female roles of some world premieres, like Conrad Susa´s »Transformations« or Bolcom´s »Mc Teague«. In 1992 she received an Emmy Award for her Outstanding Individual Performance as Floria Tosca in the famous live-telecast of »Tosca«. For Catherine Malfitano it is important to contribute something to the people, the audience. "People need a recreation from daily life´s problems. They need the theater. In the theater they can approach their original feelings, joy, ecstasy, grief. I can make them feel their sadness, their pain and their rage." Besides her opera career Catherine Malfitano has recently graced the stages with a recital program that stretches from Kurt Weill to George Gershwin. Currently residing in Chicago, Ms. Malfitano is married and has an eleven-year-old daughter.