Mauro Calcagno

Mauro Calcagno is an Associate Professor of Music at the University of Pennsylvania, specializing in opera studies, early modern music, performance studies, critical theory, and digital humanities. He holds a Ph.D. in Music from Yale University (2000) and previously taught at Harvard University (until 2008) and Stony Brook University (until 2013). His research focuses on Baroque opera, Monteverdi’s works, and digital editions of early music. Notable publications include From Madrigal to Opera: Monteverdi's Staging of the Self and contributions to the Journal of the American Musicological Society. His edition of Cavalli's Eliogabalo has been internationally performed and critically praised. He co-directs the Marenzio Online Digital Edition (MODE), funded by a NEH grant, and is involved in initiatives like the Bibliotheca Dantesca online journal and the Music in the Pavilion concert series. His awards include the Alfred Einstein Award for an essay on 17th-century vocal aesthetics.

At Penn, he directs undergraduate education in the Music Department, chairs the Center for Italian Studies (2017–2021), and co-leads the Rodin Arts Collective. His teaching spans doctoral seminars on opera theory, Baroque music, and digital editing, as well as undergraduate courses on opera history. He actively collaborates with institutions like the Juilliard School and the Centre for Baroque Music in Versailles, offering workshops on Baroque performance practices. His current projects include a book on modern stagings of Baroque opera and a comparative literature initiative through Penn’s graduate programs.