Elīna Garanča Mezzo-soprano

Elīna Garanča was born into a musical family in the Latvian capital Riga. She first joined the Meiningen Staatstheater in Germany, before performing leading roles at the Frankfurt and Vienna Staatsopers. Her repertoire includes, among others, the title role in Carmen (Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Bayerische Staatsoper Munich, Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía Valencia, Metropolitan Opera New York). The production of Carmen at the Metropolitan Opera New York has been shown in over 1,000 cinemas around the world and is one of the most widely viewed 'Live in HD' shows. In the role of Kundry (Parsifal), Elīna Garanča became the first Latvian singer to sing at the Bayreuth Festival, in 2023. Her recent engagements include her role debut as Amneris (Aïda) at the Vienna Staatsoper and the “Summer Night’s concert” of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, with Yannick Nézet-Séguin, broadcast in over 80 countries, including 30 live shows.

This season sees her in many festivals and galas across Europe, North and South America. In September 2005, Elīna Garanča became an exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist. Her discography includes the albums ‘Aria Cantilena’, ‘Romantique’ and ‘Meditation’ (ECHO Klassik Award), ‘Sol y Vida’. Her first solo recital album was released in 2020 and the album ‘Live from Salzburg’ was recorded during the 2020 and 2021 Salzburg Festivals with the Wiener Philharmoniker and Christian Thielemann. Elīna Garanča has performed 18 roles over more than 160 performances at the Vienna Staatsoper and was awarded the title Kammersängerin for her dedication to the institution. She appears regularly at the Metropolitan Opera New York, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Bayerische Staatsoper Munich, Carnegie Hall and Wigmore Hall.

At the Paris Opera: Così fan tutte (Dorabella), 2005; Der Rosenkavalier (Octavian), 2006; La clemenza di Tito (Sesto), 2006; Werther (Charlotte), 2016; Carmen (title role), 2017; Cavalleria rusticana (Santuzza), 2016; Don Carlo (Princess Eboli), 2017