Born in Lucca, Serena Farnoccia studied singing with Gianpiero Mastromei and Giovanna Canetti. She has been the winner of numerous singing competitions, such as the 'Luciano Pavarotti Competition' in Philadelphia. In 1997 she was selected by Riccardo Muti for the Accademia del Teatro alla Scala in Milan, where she made her debut as Donna Anna in DON GIOVANNI.

Since then, Serena Farnocchia has been regularly invited to the most prestigious international theatres such as the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Teatro alla Scala, Opernhaus Zürich, Teatro La Fenice, New National Theatre Tokyo, Semperoper Dresden, Oper Frankfurt, Grand Theatre Geneva, Maggio Musicale in Florence, Teatro Regio in Turin, Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Lyric Opera Chicago, Canadian Opera Company in Toronto, Glyndebourne Festival and San Francisco Opera.

Serena has performed with major conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Roberto Abbado, Bruno Bartoletti, Bertrand de Billy, Daniele Callegari, Paolo Carignani, Sir Andrew Davis, Asher Fisch, Antonino Fogliani, Vladimir Jurowski, Fabio Luisi, Nicola Luisotti, Zubin Metha, Gianandrea Noseda, Daniel Oren, Daniele Rustioni, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Pinchas Steinberg, Yury Temirkanov and Alberto Zedda.

A refined interpreter of the concert repertoire, Serena regularly performs the soprano part in Verdi's MESSA DA REQUIEM, Rossini's STABAT MATER and PETITE MESSE SOLENNELLE, Pergolesi's STABAT MATER. Her extensive opera repertoire ranges from Mozart to Puccini and includes roles such as Donna Anna and Donna Elvira/DON GIOVANNI, Elettra/IDOMENEO, Fiordiligi/COSI FAN TUTTE, Vitellia/LA CLEMENZA DI TITO, Contessa/LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, the title role in MARIA STUARDA, Adalgisa/NORMA, ANNA BOLENA, Madama Cortese/IL VIAGGIO A REIMS and Mathilde/GUILLAUME TELL. Her principal roles include LUISA MILLER, Amelia/SIMON BOCCANEGRA, Alice/FALSTAFF, Desdemona/OTELLO, Leonora/IL TROVATORE, Elisabetta/DON CARLO and AIDA. Serena is a great interpreter of Puccini heroines such as MANON LESCAUT, Cio-Cio-San/MADAMA BUTTERFLY, Mimi/LA BOHEME and Liu/TURANDOT.

Recent engagements include SUOR ANGELICA and Carmela/IL MESE MARIANO at the Opéra de Wallonie in Liège, Contessa/LE NOZZE DI FIGARO at the Stuttgart Opera, ERMIONE at the Rossini Festival in Wildbad and AIDA at the New National Theatre in Tokyo and the Aurora Theatre in Gozo, Malta.