Ana María González (Spanish singer) facts for kids

Ana María González (born April 13, 1951) is a talented Spanish opera singer. She is a lyric soprano, which means she sings high, clear notes. Ana María trained in Argentina and became famous for performing at the Teatro Colón, a very important opera house, from 1973 to 1994.

She was well-known for singing roles in Italian operas. However, she also shined in French operas. Some of her famous French roles included Manon, Marguerite in Faust, and Juliette in Roméo et Juliette. These roles helped her become famous around the world.

Ana María's Early Life and Training

Ana María González was just two years old when her family moved to Mendoza, Argentina. There, she started learning to play the piano and sing. She even performed on a radio station called Radio Libertador de Mendoza when she was very young.

At 17, she moved to Buenos Aires. She continued to improve her singing at the Teatro Colón Higher Institute of Art. She studied with a famous Argentine soprano named Hina Spani. Ana María was so good that she won the Gold Medal from the Fondo Nacional de las Artes.

Her Career at Teatro Colón

Ana María González first performed at the Teatro Colón in 1973. Her first role was El niño in Ravel's opera L'enfant et les sortilèges. After that, she sang in El retablo de maese Pedro.

In 1976, she played Gretel in Hansel and Gretel. She also performed as Micaela in Carmen alongside the famous singer Régine Crespin. She continued to sing many roles at the Teatro Colón. These included Susanna, Gilda, Nannetta, Adina, Pamina, and Euridice.

Taking on Bigger Roles

Later in her career, Ana María started singing more challenging lyrical roles. She played Mimi and Musetta in Giacomo Puccini's La bohème. She also sang as Magda in La rondine and Liù in Turandot, both by Puccini.

She performed as Marguerite in Gounod's Faust. She also took on the main role in Massenet's Manon. Other important roles were Anne Trulove in Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress and Juliette in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette.

In 1980, the Argentine Verdian Association named her the best Argentine soprano of the season. She returned to the Teatro Colón in 1993. There, she played Antonia in The Tales of Hoffmann with the tenor Alfredo Kraus.

International Performances

Ana María González made her international debut in Avignon, France. She performed in Roméo et Juliette. After that, she sang Mimi in La bohème at the Covent Garden in London.

She also performed in La Traviata at the Vienna State Opera and in Hamburg. She sang at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf and Duisburg. At the Paris Opera, she performed Roméo et Juliette again with Alfredo Kraus.

She also sang in Bordeaux and at the Teatro Regio di Parma. There, she played Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni and sang in Faust. She performed in Modena, Palermo, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Peru, Chile, and Uruguay.

Other roles she performed included Elisabetta in Don Carlo, Amelia in Simon Boccanegra, Nedda in Pagliacci, and Alice Ford in Falstaff.

Performances in Spain

In Spain, Ana María performed at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. She sang in Roméo et Juliette, Manon, and Pagliacci. She also performed at the Palau de la Música and the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid.

She sang in Seville, Granada, Malaga, and at the Cuenca Festival. In Oviedo, she performed in Marina, Simon Boccanegra, L'elisir d'amore, and Faust. She also sang in A Coruña and Santiago de Compostela. She was part of opera festivals in Las Palmas and Tenerife.

Other performances included Thaïs for the Massenet Festival of Saint-Étienne. She also sang at the Opéra comique of Paris, Warsaw, and Rotterdam. She gave recitals with famous singers like Giacomo Aragall, José Carreras, and Giuseppe Giacomini. She also performed zarzuela recitals with Alfredo Kraus in 1987.

Teaching and Awards

Ana María González later became a professor. She taught at the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu in Barcelona. In 2008, she was invited to the 100th-anniversary celebrations of the Teatro Colón.

She received the Gold Badge of the City of Oviedo as an Illustrious Citizen. In 1989, she won the Konex Award. This award recognized her as one of the five best singers in Argentina's history.

Ana María is married to the Argentine conductor and pianist Enrique Ricci [es].

Discography

Ana María González has recorded several albums:

• Bach, Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach.
• Gounod, Faust.
• Puccini, Turandot.
• A recital of songs by various composers like Stradella, Cesti, Granados, Turina, Guastavino, Richard Strauss, Mahler, and Wolf.
• Música de la Catedral de Lima.
• Royal Concerts Serie, a recital with Jaume Aragall on DVD.

See also

In Spanish: Ana María González (soprano española) para niños