Eleonora Buratto appointed Ambassador for EB Research Partnership

"Proud to lend my voice, my heart and my strength to this mission"

NEW YORK, Aug. 5, 2026 — It was fate that brought internationally acclaimed soprano Eleonora Buratto and EB Research Partnership (EBRP) together. What began with her role debut as Madama Butterfly at the Metropolitan Opera in April 2022 has now come full circle: Buratto has been appointed an Ambassador for EBRP, the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to funding research to cure Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), a rare genetic skin disorder also known as "butterfly disease."

Internationally acclaimed soprano Eleonora Buratto, Ambassador for EB Research Partnership. Photo by Gianluca Fontana.

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Already an ambassador for DEBRA Südtirol Alto Adige and long committed to supporting the EB community, Buratto's connection with EBRP began that same evening, when philanthropist Bill Smith made a donation to the organization in her honor, writing:

"I wanted to thank you for your magnificent performance as Madama Butterfly at Lincoln Center last night. Brava. I understand this is a cause near and dear to your heart. A donation in your name for an extraordinary evening".

Since then, Buratto and EBRP have worked closely together through events and initiatives whenever her career has brought her back to the United States, while also supporting the cause through her own Butterfly Gala, the charity concert she holds every two years in Italy in support of children living with EB, often called "butterfly children" because their skin is as fragile as butterfly wings.

"I am deeply honored to become an Ambassador for EB Research Partnership. The groundbreaking work this organization is doing and the extraordinary results it continues to achieve leave me in awe and make me proud to lend my voice, my heart and my strength to this mission. But there is still so much to be done and this appointment motivates me to continue raising awareness and, above all, to help bring us closer to a cure. My heartfelt thanks go first and foremost to CEO Michael Hund for his tireless dedication to this cause and for welcoming me into the EBRP family. I look forward to returning to the United States, this time to open the San Francisco Opera season, and to continuing our work alongside the incredible EBRP team, families, generous supporters and my fellow ambassadors", says Buratto.

"EB Research Partnership was built on the belief that bold ideas, relentless collaboration, and people willing to act can change what is possible for families living with EB. Eleonora embodies the passion and generosity I have always admired in Italian culture, and what inspires me most is how she uses those gifts in service of others. Her voice will help more people understand the urgent need for research, inspire them to act and invite them to use their own platforms as ambassadors for change. We hope her leadership sparks a new generation of ambassadors around the world to join us in accelerating lifesaving breakthroughs and moving closer to more treatments, and ultimately a cure, for every person living with EB." says EB Research Partnership's CEO, Michael Hund

About Eleonora Buratto

Eleonora Buratto is one of today's leading Italian sopranos, acclaimed as "the most precious and complete soprano that the Italian school has produced in recent years" (Il Foglio, 2022). Upcoming engagements include the opening of the Teatro alla Scala season as Desdemona in Otello for, the Verdi Requiem at the Teatro Regio in Parma and her San Francisco Opera debut as Amelia in Simon Boccanegra. Alongside her artistic career, Buratto is committed to social initiatives, including the creation of the Butterfly Gala in support of DEBRA Südtirol Alto Adige and families affected by Epidermolysis Bullosa. She is a Cavaliere della Repubblica, recipient of the Abbiati Prize as "Best Singer of 2021" and was named "Best Singer of the Year 2025" by Opernwelt, becoming the first Italian artist to receive this recognition.

About EBRP

EBRP was founded in 2010 by a group of parents set out to save their children's lives along with Jill and Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) with one bold audacious goal: cure the devastating and life-threatening genetic rare skin disease epidermolysis bullosa (EB) by 2030 and in the process pioneer an innovative business model to lead the way for 10,000 rare diseases that affect 400 million people.

EBRP utilizes an innovative business model of venture philanthropy. When making a grant to a research project they retain the added upside of generating an additional revenue stream if the therapy or product is commercially successful, and use the return on investment to fund additional EB research until a cure is found.

To date, EBRP has raised $80M+ to fund 189 EB research projects, grown EB clinical trials from 2 to over 50, and directly led to the first three FDA-approved treatments for EB in the past two years.

To learn more, visit www.ebresearch.org.

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