Maheya Collins
Maheya Collins is an Italian singer, composer, and songwriter.
She has been involved with music since childhood, developing her artistic career in the fields of singing and composition. According to the artist’s biographies, her passion for music also stems from her family background: her father was a percussionist in Pérez Prado’s orchestra during its Italian tour in the early 1960s.
In 1997 She started her studies in singing at the Centro Etneo Studi Musicali in Catania, and subsequently began a professional career characterized by a fusion of pop, world music, jazz, Celtic music, and spiritually inspired sounds.
In 1998 she took part in the auditions for the San Marino Festival, an experience that led to an artistic collaboration with producer and arranger Maestro Sandro Barbieri. This collaboration gave rise to a series of musical projects intended for record release and television production. A graduate in Educational Sciences, she has composed more than 300 songs throughout her artistic career, solidifying her position in the Italian music scene.
Record and television work
In the late 1990s, Maheya Collins developed a repertoire focused on world music and ambient music. In 1999, she released the Maheya project, from which the self-titled single distributed by Azzurra Music was released. In 2000, she launched the Planet Garden project, a 22-album music series created for the Erga/Halidon label, dedicated to compositions themed around nature, meditation, and well-being. Some of these compositions were subsequently featured in Rai television programming, including the show Overland. In 2002, she created a musical project dedicated to Mother Teresa of Calcutta, a theme that would become recurrent in her subsequent artistic work. During the same period, she participated in national cultural and musical events. In 2006, the Tributo a Madre Teresa di Calcutta project was presented as part of the Premio Internazionale Profilo Donna. In 2007, she released the EP Tributo a Madre Teresa di Calcutta, featuring five Christian-inspired tracks, distributed by the Galletti-Boston label. In 2009, she released the album Easy Jazz through Italian Way Music, a project in which she performed international standards in a jazz key alongside original compositions. In 2012, Maheya Collins released the EP Ave Maria, a recording project characterized by spiritual themes. During the same period, the track "Flower" was released and subsequently remixed by several producers and musicians from the Italian electronic scene. On September 3, 2016, on the occasion of the canonization of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Maheya Collins organized and performed in the charity show "Madre Teresa – Una goccia nell'oceano" (Mother Teresa – A Drop in the Ocean) at the Palazzo della Cancelleria in the Vatican, in collaboration with the production and events agency Melos International. The event, hosted by Rai journalist Piero Damosso, also featured actress Serena Autieri. In 2017, she took part in the cultural initiative “L'Arte non deve scartare niente e nessuno” (Art Must Not Discard Anyone or Anything), organized in Assisi by the Vatican association Tota Pulchra, presenting songs connected to the project Mother Theresa – The Joy. In the same year, she began an artistic collaboration with the Emilia-based record label Ardiente Edizioni Musicali, which would give rise to several recording projects developed in subsequent years.
Artistic Activity
International Projects and Concerts: In 2019, Maheya Collins was invited to perform at the Peace Concert "Il Pane della Pace" ("The Bread of Peace"), an initiative organized at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. On this occasion, she performed the song Bread of Life, which is connected to her musical project dedicated to Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Between 2019 and 2020, she performed concerts in the United Arab Emirates as part of a collaboration with the entertainment agency Inspire Music Dubai. In 2022, the Fabrizio De André Theater in Casalgrande (Reggio Emilia) hosted a special evening featuring Maheya Collins and Music Top Class, organized in collaboration with The Lions Jazz Quartet and enriched by the extraordinary presence of trumpeter Fabrizio Bosso. The event, characterized by a strong charitable focus, served as a fundraising benefit concert.
Music Top Class
Since 2020, Maheya Collins has been the frontwoman of Music Top Class, a lineup featuring the singer alongside pianist and arranger Sandro Barbieri and saxophonist Enrico Malucelli. The project presents a repertoire spanning jazz standards, bossa nova, Italian singer-songwriter classics, and reinterpreting pieces from both pop and classical traditions. The group has performed at concerts and cultural festivals across numerous Italian cities and theaters.
Teaching Activity
In 2021, Maheya Collins co-founded the EMME International Music School alongside Maestro Sandro Barbieri, a music education institution based in Crevalcore (Bologna). The school's activities run parallel to the artist's creative production and concert schedule.
Vincenzo Crocitti International Award
In 2021, she received the Vincenzo Crocitti International Award in the "Career Award – Singer" category. The honor was bestowed as part of the 9th edition of the event, which is dedicated to distinguished figures from the worlds of culture, entertainment, and the arts.
Maria Callas Tribute Prize and Puccini Jazz Project
In 2024, Maheya Collins received the "Maria Callas Tribute Prize New York" at the Italian Cultural Institute of New York, an award dedicated to honoring Italian and international artistic figures. The award marked the launch of the Puccini Jazz Project. The Puccini Jazz Project grew out of the collaboration between Maheya Collins, Sandro Barbieri, and Enrico Malucelli (Music Top Class), offering a jazz and contemporary reimagining of famous Giacomo Puccini arias. The artistic project also features the involvement of Plácido Domingo Jr.
Merry Christmas Album
Between 2024 and 2025, the Christmas album Merry Christmas was released, produced by the record label Ardiente Edizioni Musicali. The project features reinterpretations of holiday classics and includes collaborations with several artists, including Plácido Domingo Jr., Fabrizio Bosso, Felicia Bongiovanni, and Enrico Malucelli.
"Puccini in Jazz" Concert and Project Developments
In 2025, Maheya Collins, together with Music Top Class and featuring Plácido Domingo Jr.,brought the Puccini Jazz Project to the stage, dedicated to the jazz reinterpretation of Giacomo Puccini's works. The collaboration with Music Top Class and the project itself have also been featured in interviews and dedicated press coverage about the musical ensemble.
My story
Early Recording and Television Activities
In the late 1990s, Maheya Collins developed a repertoire focused on world music and ambient music.
In 1999 they published the Maheya project, from which the self-titled single was released, distributed by Azzurra Music.
In 2000, she launched the Planet Garden project, a music series consisting of 22 albums created for the Erga /Halidon label, dedicated to compositions tied to themes of nature, meditation, and well-being.
Some compositions were subsequently associated with Rai television programming, including the program Overland.
In 2002, she created a musical project dedicated to Mother Teresa of Calcutta, a theme that would become recurring in his subsequent artistic output. During the same period, he participated in national cultural and musical events.
In 2006, the project Tributo a Madre Teresa di Calcutta was presented as part of the Premio Internazionale Profilo Donna.
In 2007, she released the EP Tributo a Madre Teresa di Calcutta, consisting of five Christian-inspired tracks, distributed by the label Galletti-Boston.
In 2009, she released the album Easy Jazz with Italian Way Music, a project featuring jazz renditions of international standards alongside original compositions.
In 2012, Maheya Collins released the EP Ave Maria, a recording project characterized by spiritual themes. During the same period, the track Flower was released, later receiving several remixes by producers and musicians from the Italian electronic scene.
On September 3, 2016, on the occasion of the canonization of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Maheya Collins organized and performed in the charity show “Madre Teresa – Una goccia nell’oceano” at the Palazzo della Cancelleria in the Vatican, in collaboration with the production and events agency Melos International. The event, hosted by Rai journalist Piero Damosso, also featured actress Serena Autieri.
In 2017, she took part in the cultural initiative “L’Arte non deve scartare niente e nessuno,” organized in Assisi by the Tota Pulchra association in the Vatican, presenting tracks connected to the project Mother Theresa – The Joy.
In the same year, she began an artistic collaboration with the Emilian record label Ardiente Edizioni Musicali, which would give rise to several recording projects developed in subsequent years.
Artistic Activity
International Projects and Concert Activity
In 2019, Maheya Collins was invited to the Peace Concert “Il Pane della Pace,” an initiative organized in the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem, performing the song Bread of Life, connected to the musical project dedicated to Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Between 2019 and 2020, she performed in concerts in the United Arab Emirates as part of a collaboration with the entertainment agency Inspire Music Dubai.
In 2022, the Fabrizio De André Theater in Casalgrande (RE) hosted a special evening featuring Maheya Collins and Music Top Class, organized in collaboration with The Lions Jazz Quartet and enriched by the extraordinary presence of trumpeter Fabrizio Bosso. The event, characterized by a strong charitable focus, was structured as a fundraising benefit.
Music Top Class
Since 2020, Maheya Collins has been the frontwoman of Music Top Class, a group consisting of the singer alongside pianist and arranger Sandro Barbieri and saxophonist Enrico Malucelli.
The project offers a repertoire that includes jazz standards, bossa nova, Italian singer-songwriter classics, and reinterpretations of songs from the pop and classical traditions. The group has been featured in concerts and cultural festivals across various Italian cities and theaters.
Teaching Activity
In 2021, Maheya Collins co-founded the EMME International Music School alongside Maestro Sandro Barbieri, an institution dedicated to music education based in Crevalcore (Bologna). The school's activities run parallel to the artist's creative production and concert performances.
Vincenzo Crocitti International Award
In 2021, she received the Vincenzo Crocitti International Award in the “Career Award – Singer” category. The award was presented as part of the 9th edition of the event, which honors personalities from the worlds of culture, entertainment, and art.
CHARITY EVENTS
2006 – Premio Internazionale Profilo Donna. Maheya Collins served as the musical headliner of the event, presenting the national preview of the "Maheya Project," a CD entitled Tributo a Madre Teresa di Calcutta. The artist backed a major charitable initiative in support of the non-profit organization "Comunità Mamma della Pace" in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, inspired by the visionary work of the famous missionary.
In 2016, in Palazzo della Cancelleria in Vaticano, took place a concert named “ Madre Teresa- Una goccia nell’oceano”, entirely dedicated to supporting the Ospedale Bambin Gesù di Roma.The benefit event successfully raised funds for the capital's prestigious pediatric hospital. For the occasion, Maheya Collins wore designs by the fashion house Maison Anna Marchetti.
June 4, 2023 – Maheya Collins organized the charity event "La ricerca dona la vita" ("Research Gives Life") in collaboration with Maria Ceraso ("Mamma rara"). Hosted at the Teatro Verdi in Crevalcore, the event was dedicated to raising funds for rare genetic disease research supported by Telethon. Singer and composer Plácido Domingo Jr. participated as a special guest, performing a duet with Maheya Collins. For the evening, Maheya Collins wore a haute couture gown created by the Davide Muccinelli fashion house.
March 27, 2025 – Alongside Music Top Class, Maheya Collins headlined "Puccini in Jazz," a benefit concert held at the Teatro Eden in Viareggio in support of the "Cuore 3D" ("3D Heart") project led by Simona Celi's Bio Cardio Lab. Combining music and social commitment, the event also commemorated the centenary of Giacomo Puccini's passing with original jazz reinterpretations of his most famous works in an evening dedicated to memory and philanthropy.
DISCOGRAPHY
Album
Planet Garden
(2000)
A series of albums created within the realm of ambient and spiritual music, released through the Erga/Halidon labels.
The project features compositions dedicated to themes of nature, meditation, and well-being.
Easy jazz (2009)
An album released by Italian Way Music in which Maheya Collins presents jazz reinterpretations of international pop classics alongside original compositions. The project is styled as a bridge between pop and jazz languages.
merry christmas (2024)
A Christmas album released by Ardiente Edizioni Musicali. The record includes holiday classics and new interpretations featuring guest appearances from figures across the Italian and international music scenes. The album is available on digital music streaming platforms. Discover the Album
puccini jazz project
(2026)
Released by Ardiente Edizioni Musicali, the Puccini Jazz Project album features an elegant selection of 10 of Giacomo Puccini's most iconic arias, along with an original track written in tribute to the composer. The recording was made live and features a special guest appearance by Plácido Domingo Jr.
ep
Tributo a Madre Teresa di Calcutta (Tribute to Mother Teresa of Calcutta) (2007)
An EP consisting of five original tracks dedicated to Mother Teresa of Calcutta, featuring sounds inspired by Christian contemporary music.
ave maria
(2012)
An EP featuring five spiritually themed tracks.
Singles and Projects
maheya (1999)
A single released from the self-titled world music project and distributed by Azzurra Music.
flower (2012)
A track released as part of the Easy Jazz project, which was subsequently featured in several remix versions.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
festival tricolore
(2002)
Recognition for artistic contribution and performance.
Festival Europeo per il Cinema e il Turismo (European Festival for Cinema and Tourism)
(2002)
Award presented by Rai journalist Franco Lanzilli.
Premio Internazionale Profilo Donna (International Profile Woman Award) (2006)
Musical appearance at the event, featuring the presentation of the Tributo a Madre Teresa di Calcutta project.
Premio Vincenzo Crocitti International (Vincenzo Crocitti International Award) (2021)
Career Award in the "Singer" category.
maria callas tribute prize new york
(2024)
Award presented as part of the initiative celebrating Italian art and culture.