Carlotta Ferrari (27 January 1837 – 22 November 1907) was an Italian composer noted for opera.
Carlotta Ferrari was born in Lodi, Italy, and studied singing and piano at the Milan Conservatory with Giuseppina Strepponi. Ferrari wrote her first opera Ugo at the age of twenty. Faced with a lack of interest, she raised funds for its first public production in Lecco and conducted the performances herself. In April 1875, Ferrari was made an honorary professor of composition at the Philharmonic Academy of Bologna, upon the recommendation of
Ambroise Thomas. Besides songs and opera, she published an autobiography and poetry and prose works in four volumes titled Versi e prose in Bologna from 1878-82. She died in Bologna.
Ferrari was a successful composer within her lifetime. She composed operas and cantatas and was considered a master of canon. Selected works include:
