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Elīna Garanča The young mezzo-soprano Elina Garanča has quickly established herself as one of the music world’s newest stars through her performances with leading opera theaters and symphony orchestras around the world. She has captured critical and popular acclaim for her beautiful voice, intelligent musicianship, and compelling stage portrayals, and her success has garnered her engagements with the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Opéra de Paris, Bayerische Staatsoper, Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, and Los Angeles Opera.
The singer was born into a musical family in Riga, Latvia. In 1996 she entered the Latvian Academy of Music, and since 1998 she has studied with Irina Gavrilovici in Vienna and Virginia Zeani in the United States. She won the Mirjam Helin Singing Competition in 1999 and was a finalist in the 2001 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition.
Elina Garanča began her professional career as a resident artist with the Südthüringischer Staatstheater in Meiningen where she appeared in a number of roles including Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier. Later, as a resident artist with the Frankfurt Opera, she appeared as Rosina and Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel. The mezzo-soprano’s debut with the Salzburg Festival was as Annio in a new production of La clemenza di Tito under the direction of Harnoncourt, and her first performances as Dorabella were with Frankfurt Opera. She has appeared frequently in Finland including performances as Rosina and Giovanna Seymour in Anna Bolena with the Finnish National Opera and Maddalena in Rigoletto with the Savonlinna Festival. She has appeared as soloist in Rossini's Stabat Mater in Helsinki, and has also returned to her home in Riga, Latvia to sing Christmas concerts. She has appeared in concert with the RAI Orchestra in Turin and with the Belgian National Orchestra. Ms. Garanča has a varied recital repertoire, and has given solo recitals at the Helsinki Festival and the Turku Festival. In her native Latvia, she has appeared as Rosina with the National Opera and as Giovanna Seymour on tour with the National Opera to Romania and Greece.
In the 2009/2010 season, Garanča has earned widespread acclaim for her performances in the role of Carmen at the Metropolitan Opera, with the weekly newspaper “New York” describing Garanča as “the most convincing Carmen in a long time”.
Ms. Garanča’s solo recording debut was a program of Opera Arias released by Ondine in 2001. In 2004 the mezzo-soprano recorded Vivaldi’s Les Bajazet for EMI Classics, which was nominated for a prestigious Grammy award in 2005, as well as an being recognized by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (category the Best Opera Recording) and receiving a MIDEM Classic Award. In 2005 she also recorded a solo recording of Mozart arias with Virgin Classics, and signed an exclusive contract with the recording company "Deutsche Garmmophon".
The singer’s first “Deutsche Grammophon” solo recording was 2007’s “Aria Cantelina”, featuring highlights from some of her celebrated operatic roles accompanied by the Dresden Staatskapelle under Fabio Luisi. The album received great critical aclaim and received an ECHO Klassik Award. “Deutsche Grammophon” also released the solo album “Bel Canto” in 2008, while in 2009 the same label released a recording of Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi, with Garanča in the role of Romeo.
In October 2006, Elīna Garanča was awarded a European Culture Prize in Music. In 2009, she was recognized as “Singer of the Year” with an Echo Klassik Award, a MIDEM Classical Award, and a Musical America Award. In both 2000 and 2010 the singer received Latvia’s highest award in music – the Latvian Great Music Award.
In 2007, Garanča was awarded the Three-Star Order by the Latvian state.
Video: Elīna Garanča. Broadcast "Opera News" by r/a "Labvakar" on May 21, 2006. Interviewer: Kristaps Menniks, director: Signe Birkova, camera: Baiba Lagzdiņa.
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