Sondra Radvanovsky

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sondra Radvanovsky, photograph by Nigel Dickson

Sondra Radvanovsky (born April 11, 1969) is an American soprano. Specializing in 19th-century Italian opera, Radvanovsky has been called one of the leading Verdi sopranos of her generation.[1][2] Her signature roles include Elvira in Ernani, Leonora in Il Trovatore,[3] Elena in I vespri siciliani and Élisabeth in Don Carlos.

Early life and studies

Radvanovsky was born in Berwyn, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. At age 11, she moved to Richmond, Indiana. She sang her first full length opera in Richmond at the age of 21.[4] Radvanovsky studied theater and voice at University of Southern California and University of California, Los Angeles.[5] She later undertook advanced studies at at the Tanglewood Music Center and the University of Cincinnati's College Conservatory of Music.[6]

After winning Metropolitan Opera's National Council Auditions in 1995, she enrolled in the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.[1] Her teachers have included Martial Singher,[4] Ruth Falcon,[7] and Diana Soviero.[8]

Career

Radvanovsky has performed in every major opera house in the world, including Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Paris Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Vienna State Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, and numerous others.[9]

In 2010, she opened the Canadian Opera Company's season in the title role of Verdi's Aida.[10] She has had success in recent years as Leonora, notably in David McVicar's production of Il Trovatore at the Metropolitan Opera.[11] In 2011, she hosted the Live in HD in movie theaters around the world.[5] In addition to her specialty in Verdi heroines, she has also sung the roles of Suor Angelica, Tosca, Susannah, Rusalka, among others.[12][13]

Tenor Plácido Domingo has been a noted champion of her career.[1][4]

Personal life

Radvanovsky lives with her husband in a suburb of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[9]

Awards

  • Winner of the 1997 George London Foundation Competition[6]
  • Winner of the 1995 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions[14]
  • First prize in the 1995 Loren L. Zachary Society Competition[15]

Discography

CD

  • Verdi Arias Delos 2010
  • Verdi Opera Scenes with Dmitri Hvorostovsky Delos 2011

DVD

  • Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac with Plácido Domingo Naxos 2009
  • " Il Trovatore" as Leonora, The Metropolitan Opera, 2011

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Schweitzer, Vivien: "At the Met, a Soprano Ascendant", The New York Times, April 19, 2011
  2. ↑ Serinus, Jason Victor: "Powerhouse Verdi From Hvorostovsky and Radvanovsky", San Francisco Classical Voice, April 26, 2011
  3. ↑ Delacoma, Wynne: "Injured by offstage mugger and onstage tenor, Sondra Radvanovsky perseveres to sing in Lyric Opera 'Ernani' "Chicago Classical Review", October 21, 2009
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Wasserman, Adam: "Chanson Triste", Opera News Online', February 2009
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Taylor, James C: "Dispatch from New York: A soprano's second debut", "The Los Angeles Times", January 8, 2011
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Naxos Website"
  7. ↑ Citron, Paula: "Sondra Radvanovsky", "Opera Canada", September 22, 2003
  8. ↑ Interview: Sondra Radvanovsky at The New Classical 96.3 FM, "La Scene Musicale", March 17, 2010.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "IMG Website"
  10. ↑ "Canadian Opera Company's Webside"
  11. ↑ Tommasini, Anthony: "Verdi's Foundlings, Nobles and Gypsies, Transported to the Age of Goya", "The New York Times", February 18, 2009
  12. ↑ "Los Angeles Opera Website
  13. ↑ Smith, Steve: "Tosca, With Tinkering, Cooler Tempers and a Fill-In Tenor", "New York Times", January 11, 2011
  14. ↑ "Metropolitan Opera Website
  15. ↑ "Zachary Society Website

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.