Ana María González (Spanish singer) facts for kids

Ana María González (born April 13, 1951) is a talented Spanish singer. She is a type of singer called a lyric soprano. This means she has a beautiful, high-pitched voice that is perfect for singing opera. Ana María grew up and trained in Argentina. She became famous for performing at the Teatro Colón, a very important opera house, from 1973 to 1994. She was especially good at singing roles from Italian operas, but she also shined in French operas. Some of her most famous roles were Manon, Marguerite, and Juliette. These roles helped her become known around the world.

Ana María's Life Story

Ana María González was just two years old when her family moved from Spain to Mendoza, Argentina. There, she started learning to play the piano and sing with a teacher named Franca Cavalieri. She even performed on a radio station in Mendoza when she was very young!

When she was 17, Ana María 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.

Starting Her Opera Career

Ana María first performed at the Teatro Colón in 1973. Her first role was El niño in an opera called L'enfant et les sortilèges. After that, she sang in El retablo de maese Pedro and played Gretel in Hansel and Gretel. In 1976, she played Micaela in the famous opera Carmen.

She continued to perform many roles at the Teatro Colón. These included Susanna, Gilda, Nannetta, Adina, Pamina, and Euridice.

Taking on Bigger Roles

Later, Ana María started singing more challenging and dramatic roles. She played Mimi and Musetta in Giacomo Puccini's La bohème. She also sang Magda in La rondine and Liù in Turandot, both by Puccini. Other important roles were Marguerite in Gounod's Faust and the main character in Massenet's Manon. She also played Anne Trulove in Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress and Juliette in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette.

In 1980, the Asociación Verdiana Argentina named her the best Argentine soprano of the season. She returned to the Teatro Colón in 1993 to play Antonia in The Tales of Hoffmann alongside the famous tenor Alfredo Kraus.

Singing Around the World

Ana María's international career began in Avignon, France, where she performed in Roméo et Juliette. She then 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 in many other famous opera houses, including the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Germany and the Paris Opera (again with Alfredo Kraus in Roméo et Juliette). She also performed in Italy, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Peru, Chile, and Uruguay.

Some of her other roles included Elisabetta in Don Carlo, Amelia in Simon Boccanegra, Nedda in Pagliacci, and Alice Ford in Falstaff.

Performances in Spain

In her home country of Spain, Ana María performed at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. She also sang at the Palau de la Música, the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid, and the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville. She performed in many other Spanish cities and at various opera festivals.

She also sang in Thaïs for the Massenet Festival in France. She gave concerts with famous tenors like Giacomo Aragall, José Carreras, and Giuseppe Giacomini. She also performed in zarzuela concerts (a type of Spanish musical play) with Alfredo Kraus.

Teaching and Awards

Later in her career, Ana María González became a professor at the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu in Barcelona, teaching new singers. She was also invited to special events celebrating 100 years of the Teatro Colón in 2008.

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

Ana María is married to Enrique Ricci, an Argentine director and pianist.

Ana María's Recordings (Discography)

A discography is a list of all the music an artist has recorded. Here are some of Ana María González's recordings:

• Bach, Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach.
• Gounod, Faust. With Alfredo Kraus.
• Puccini, Turandot.
• A recital of songs by various composers like Stradella, Granados, and Richard Strauss.
• Música de la Catedral de Lima.
• Royal Concerts Serie, a concert recording with Jaume Aragall.

See also

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