ELENA MOSUC
Soprano
Romanian-swiss soprano Elena Mosuc, born in Iasi (Romania), was educated at the "George Enescu" – Conservatory in Iasi and before completing her studies, she won several international competitions (a.o. the international music competition organised by the ARD German in 1990 by Television Channel I in Munich). She received many prestigious prizes (a.o.Siola d’ Oro,Premio Zenatello di Verona); in 2005 the Romanian president bestowed upon her the titleOfficer of the Arts,one of the highest honour which can be awarded to a musician in Romania. In 2009, she made her doctor’s degree in music science withThe Theme of Madness in the Italian opera of the first half of the 19th century. In Romania she has recently been appointedWoman of the year 2009. In 2010, she became honorary citizen of her native city.
Since the beginning of her career, Elena Mosuc was connected closely to the Zurich Opera House, and she appeared there in various roles, among others as the Queen of the Night ( in whole world more than 250 times ), Konstanze, Donna Anna, Lucia di Lammermoor, Linda di Chamounix, Elvira, Gilda, Violetta, Luisa Miller, Sophie, Zerbinetta, Aminta/Timidia (The silent woman), Musetta, Micaëla, Marguerite, Liù, Medora (Il Corsaro), Nedda, Mrs. Alice Ford, Stella, Olympia, Antonia and Giulietta etc.
Guest star appearances take her continuously to all the important opera houses and festivals in Europe (a.o. to Barcelona, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Vienna, Salzburg, Paris, London, Milan, Rome, Venice, Verona, Brussels, Amsterdam) as well as to the USA (a.o. Metropolitan Operahouse New-York, Dallas) and Japan and China. She has worked with many of the greatest conductors (a.o. Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Fabio Luisi, Lorin Maazel, Gustavo Dudamel, Daniel Harding) and stage directors (a.o. Franco Zeffirelli, Liliana Cavani, Ruth Berghaus, Sven-Eric Bechtolf, Stefan Herheim, Martin Kusej). Elena Mosuc also continues to give frequent concerts and to appear in opera soirees in her native country. During the last years, Elena Mosuc has established her reputation as one of the world’s most versatile and expressive sopranos.
Highlights of recent seasons include her highly acclaimed role debuts as Mimì (La Bohème) in Zürich and Bucharest,Luisa Miller,NormaandMaria Stuardain Zurich and at the State Opera Berlin andNormain Lyon and at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris. Thereupon she appeared with sensational success inLa Traviata, Rigoletto, Luisa Miller, CarmenandLucia di Lammermoorat the Teatro alla Scala Milan,Lucia di Lammermoor, La Traviata, Riigolettoat the Bavarian State Opera,La Traviatain the Verona Arena, at the Opera Nationala Iasi in Romania and Liceu di Barcelona, as Lucia and Donna Anna at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Lucia at the Theatre du Capitole of Toulouse, Palermo and at the Teatro Regio di Torino, as Gilda at the Teatro Regio di Parma, Elvira inIPuritani,Gilda and Violettaat the Vienna State Opera, Gilda and Elvira at the Palacio Euskalduna in Bilbao, as Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos)in Zurich, at the Salzburg Festival and in Bastille ( Paris ), in all principal female roles inLes Contes d’Hoffmannat the State Opera of Hamburg and in Zurich, and lately asLucrezia Borgiaat the Théâtre Royale de la Monnaie in Brussels,Semiramidein Lyon and Paris, Magda (La Rondine) in München,Normaat the Savonlinna Opera Festival in Finland,Lucrezia Borgia in Bilbao and La Traviata in Athens.
Among her next engagements it must be noticed Lucia di Lammermoor inLas Palmas de Gran Canaria and Menorca, Maria StuardaandAnna Bolenain Genova and the debut as Desdemona inOtellowith the Tokyo Philharmonie.
In addition to her opera performances, she also likes to lend her talent to other projects that spark her interest. In recent years she discovered among others Fado and Musical and has given various concerts ( OPERFADO with the greatest soloist Fado Gonçalo Salgueiro ). She also feels passionate about film music, which led to her involvement in the CDL'amore è poesiawith the wonderful music of Flavio Motalla especially composed for her voice.
Her discography includes solo albums A Portrait 3 CD box (Au jardin de mon Coeur, Mozart Portrait, Notre amour) andDonizetti Heroinesby Sony Classical,Stabat Mater by Gualberto Brunetti ( World Premier Recording ),With Compliments( Händel arias with the Chamber Orchestra Zürich ),Schön ist die Weltby Franz Léhar (the recording received the preis of the german recordings critic), the2° Mahler Sinfonieconducted by Valéry Gergiev,but also numerous opera productions on DVD (a.o.La Bohème,Rigoletto, Ariadne auf NaxosandThe magic Flute). Interesting was her interpretation in the filmThe Genius of Mozartrealized by BBC and her participation already twice at the FIFA Gala transmitted live in the whole world.
June 2017 -
JESSICA PRATT
Soprano
Hailed by the New York Times as a soprano of "gleaming sound, free and easy
high notes, agile coloratura runs and lyrical grace", Jessica Pratt is considered one of today's foremost interpreters of some of bel canto's most challenging repertoire.
Since her European debut in 2007 as Lucia di Lammermoor Ms. Pratt's schedule has included performances at opera theatres and festivals such as the Teatro alla Scala of Milan, Zurich Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Vienna State Opera and the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, working with conductors such as Daniel Oren, Nello Santi, Kent Nagano, Sir Colin Davis, Christian Thielemann, Donato Renzetti, Pier Giorgio Morandi, Carlo Rizzi, Antonino Fogliani, Wayne Marshall and David Parry.
The 2012/13 season brings several acclaimed debuts at Festival Verdi in Parma, like Gilda next to Rigolettointerpreted by Leo Nucci, at Deutsche Oper Berlin as Lucia, at Vlaamse Opera in New Year's Eve Concert, at Teatro de la Maestranza in Sevilla (Gilda, once more next to Leo Nucci), in the role of Matilde in Guillaume Tell next to Juan Diego Florez interpreting Arnold in Lima, Giulietta in I Capuleti e i Montecchi inReims, in the role of Lisinga in Demetrio e Polibio of Rossini in Neaples, and in the role of the protagonist in Giovanna d’Arco at Festival della Valle d’Itria in Martina Franca.
In the 2013/14 season Ms Pratt could be heard in new productions of Lucia di Lammermoor at La Scala and in Amsterdam, as Amina in La sonnambula in Bari, Gilda in Padova, in the season opening of La Fenice as Inès in Meyerbeer's L'Africaine, as Musetta in La Bohème in Salerno, in her role debut as Violetta in La Traviata in Melbourne, as Zenobia in Aureliano in Palmira at the Pesaro Rossini Opera Festival as well as in recitals in Tokyo and Florence with Vincenzo Scalera.
In 2014/15 the soprano made her role debuts as Cleopatra in Handel's Giulio Cesare at the Teatro Regio in Turin and as Amenaide in Rossini's Tancredi at the Opéra de Lausanne. Other performances included Donna Anna in Don Giovanni and Giulietta in I Capuleti e i Montecchi at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice; Elvira in I Puritani in Florence and in Melbourne; Lucia di Lammermoor at the Rome Opera House and at the Festival Granda in Lima; her role and festival debut as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Arena di Verona, where she could also be heard as soprano soloist in Carmina burana; the soprano solo in Rossini’s Messa di Gloria alongside Juan Diego Florez and La morte di Didone at the Rossini Opera Festival; as well as
concerts in Milan, Bonn, and London.
Performances of the 2015/16 season included Jessica Pratt's returns to Florence, Turin and Melbourne as Lucia di Lammermoor, her debuts at the Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona in Desdemona in Rossini's Otello, at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia Valencia in Mozart's Davidde penitente and at the ABAO Bilbao as Amina in La sonnambula, her role debuts as Semiramide at the Opéra de Marseille and later at the Washington Concert Opera and as Linda di Chamounix at the Rome Opera House; and concerts in Oviedo and Moscow.
More recently, Semiramide and Rosmonda d'Inghilterra at the Florence Opera House, a concert with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Rosmonda d'Inghilterra at the Donizetti Festival Bergamo, her debut at the Metropolitan Opera House New York as Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute, and the she sang in Rigoletto in Oviedo.
Future engagements include I Puritani in tournée with Teatro Real de Madrid, Don Pasquale in Bilbao and she will return to Met to sing Lucia.
Her discography includes CD recordings of Rossini's Otello and Vaccai's La sposa di Messina, DVD/Blu-Ray recordings of Rossini's Adelaide di Borgogna, Ciro in Babilonia and Aureliano in Palmira from the Rossini Opera Festival, the 2012 New Year's Gala from Teatro La Fenice, Donizetti's Viva la mamma from Teatro alla Scala Milan as well as Bellini's La Sonnambula from La Fenice. In January 2016 her first solo album Serenade will be released on Opus Arte.
Ms. Pratt is the winner of numerous international vocal competitions, including the Australian Singing Competition, the Vienna State Opera Award, and the Rome Opera Award.
In May 2013 she was awarded the prestigious international prize for coloratura sopranos “La Siola d'Oro – Lina Pagliughi”.
She completed her vocal studies in Italy working with Maestro Gianluigi Gelmetti at Rome Opera as well as with Renata Scotto and is now studying with Lella Cuberli.
British-born and raised in Australia, Ms. Pratt currently resides in Florence, Italy, with her adopted dogs, Daisy and Buddy.
EKATERINA SIURINA
Soprano
Ekaterina Siurina is an established Russian soprano who studied at the Russian Academy of Theatrical Arts, Moscow, where she made her professional debut singing opposite the world-renowned baritone Dimitri Hvorostovsky at the Novaya Opera. She became a soloist with the Municipal Moscow Theatre and was a prize winner of the Rimski-Korsakov competition in St. Petersburg during her studies. Her operatic roles include Pamina Die Zauberflöte, Rigoletto and Gianni Schicchi for the Royal Opera House, L’elisir d’amore for the Opera de Nice, Glyndebourne Festival, Staatsoper Berlin and Hamburgische Staatsoper, Le nozze di Figaro at the Opera de Paris, Zerlina Don Giovanni at the Salzburg Festival, Susanna Le nozze di Figaro at Teatro alla Scala, Violetta La traviata with the Canadian Opera Company, Leila Les pêcheurs de perles at Opera Australia and Guilietta I Capuleti e I Montecchi at the Liceu Barcelona.
As a versatile soprano, Ekaterina is in demand within the opera scene, performing at some of the world’s greatest opera houses, as well as being recognised on the concert platform, where she has worked with many of today’s prominent conductors including Yuri Temirkanov, Evelino Pidò, Daniel Oren, Philippe Jordan, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and Richard Bonynge.
Engagements this season and beyond include L’elisir d’amore and Falstaff at the Bayerische Staatsoper, her debut as Donna Anna at the Wiener Staatsoper and a return to the Royal Opera House Covent Garden as Mimi. Her future concert appearances include the Rossini Stabat Mater with the Orchestre d’Ille de France conducted by Maestro Mazzola and Handel Messiah with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
She released her debut solo album, Amore e Morte for Opus Arte featuring songs by Verdi, Bellini, Donizetti and Rossini.
Also released in 2014, she features amongst others on the Complete Rachmaninov songs disc, accompanied by Iain Burnside released on Delphian records.
For the most up-to-date biography, please contact us. This biography should not be edited without permission from Askonas Holt.
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JESSICA NUCCIO
Soprano
She was born in Palermo in 1985. Winner of numerous international awards and opera competitions such as, in 2010, the first prize of the First International Singing Competition "Simone Alaimo e le sue opere", the first prize at the International Singing Competition "Voci del Mediterraneo" in Siracusa and in 2011 the first Prize and the Prize of critics in the first edition of the International Singing Competition "Marcello Giordani."
In 2011 she made her debut at Teatro La Fenice in Venice as Violetta in La Traviata, with great success of audiences and critics.
She also sang in Le convenienze ed inconvenienze teatrali at Teatro Bellini in Catania and Zurich, La Bohème in Lucca, Pisa, Ravenna, Debussy's L'enfant prodigue at Teatro Lirico in Cagliari. She recently sang as Adina in L'Elisir d'amore in Messina and Palermo, Violetta in La Traviata at Teatro La Fenice in Venice, at Palau de les Arts in Valencia, in Trieste, Naples and Verona, as Musetta in La Bohème at Carlo Felice in Genova as well as Liu in Turandot in Valencia, L'Elisir d'amore in Modena and Parma, Rigoletto in Macerata, Il Corsaro in Parma, Carmen in Naples, La cena delle beffe at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Otello in Macerata. Recently he sang in La Bohème in Florence, Lucia di Lammermoor in Munich and Rigoletto in Naples.
Her upcoming engagements include Carmen in Naples, Rigoletto in Verona, Liege and Menorca, La Bohème in Bilbao.
June 2017 -