Diana Damrau facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Diana Damrau
Damrau in 2012
Born	(1971-05-31) 31 May 1971 (age 54) Günzburg, Bavaria, West Germany
Alma mater	Hochschule für Musik Würzburg
Occupation	Opera singer (soprano)
Years active	1995–present
Title	Kammersängerin
Spouse(s)	Nicolas Testé ​ (m. 2010)​
Children	2
Awards	Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art Bavarian Order of Merit

Diana Damrau (born May 31, 1971) is a famous German soprano opera singer. A soprano is a female singer with the highest vocal range. She is known around the world for her amazing performances in operas, concerts, and classical songs called lieder.

Early in her career, she was very successful in roles that needed a special kind of singing called coloratura soprano. This means singing very fast, fancy notes. Later, she started singing more dramatic roles from 19th-century Italian operas. Some of her most famous roles include the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute and Violetta in La traviata.

Diana Damrau studied music at the Hochschule für Musik Würzburg. After finishing her studies, she performed at opera houses in Würzburg, Mannheim, and Frankfurt. Since 2002, she has been a freelance singer. This means she chooses where and when she performs. She often sings at top opera houses like the Bavarian State Opera, Vienna State Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. She has performed there for 12 years in a row! She is married to French singer Nicolas Testé, and they sometimes perform concerts together.

Diana Damrau has recorded many albums of opera and classical songs. She has received several important awards, including the Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art.

Early Life and Training

Diana Damrau was born in Günzburg, Bavaria, Germany, on May 31, 1971. She was inspired to become an opera singer after watching a movie of the opera La traviata when she was young.

She began her opera studies at the Hochschule für Musik Würzburg. During her training, she had a problem with one of her vocal cords. After talking to many doctors, she chose a special non-surgical treatment. This treatment lasted about a year and a half. After graduating, she continued her training in Salzburg.

Opera Career Highlights

Starting Out: Coloratura Roles

Diana Damrau made her first opera appearance in 1995. She sang the role of Barbarina in The Marriage of Figaro in Würzburg. Over the next two years, she performed in other shows, including My Fair Lady. She also sang the Queen of the Night in Mozart's The Magic Flute for the first time. This role became one of her most famous.

She then performed with the Mannheim National Theatre and Oper Frankfurt. In 1999, she made her debut at the Bavarian State Opera. The next year, she sang at the Vienna State Opera. In 2001, she performed at the famous Salzburg Festival and became a regular performer there.

Since 2002, Diana Damrau has been a freelance singer. She often performed at the Bavarian State Opera in roles like Adele in Die Fledermaus. At the Salzburg Festival, she sang only in Mozart operas. In 2006, she played the Queen of the Night in a new production of The Magic Flute. This was part of the festival celebrating Mozart's 200th anniversary.

In 2003, she made her debut at the Royal Opera, London. She performed in a new production of The Magic Flute. She also sang in other operas there, including Ariadne auf Naxos. In 2004, she sang the main role in Salieri's Europa riconosciuta. This was for the grand reopening of La Scala in Milan, a very famous opera house. In 2005, she made her Metropolitan Opera debut in New York City.

New Challenges: Lyric and Bel Canto Roles

In 2006, Diana Damrau sang her first Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro at La Scala. She continued to perform at the Vienna State Opera and the Met. At the Met, she starred in new productions like The Barber of Seville (as Rosina) and Le comte Ory (as Countess Adèle). She also sang in revivals of other operas, including her first time as Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor.

In a special moment in 2007, she made Metropolitan Opera history. She performed as both Pamina and the Queen of the Night in different shows of The Magic Flute during the same season. After this, she stopped singing the Queen of the Night role, which she had performed in over 15 productions.

She also performed at other major opera houses, such as the Teatro Real and the Semperoper in Dresden. She continued to perform at the Bavarian State Opera. In 2008, she returned to the Royal Opera, London for Hänsel und Gretel.

Diana Damrau began to explore more bel canto roles. Bel canto is an Italian singing style that focuses on beautiful, smooth singing. She sang Elvira in I puritani in 2011 and the main role in Linda di Chamounix. She also performed as Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor in Berlin and Vienna. In 2011, she sang all four main female roles in Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann at the Bavarian State Opera.

After her second child was born in 2012, Diana Damrau returned to the stage. In 2013, she performed in a new production of Verdi's Rigoletto at the Metropolitan Opera. She also sang her first Violetta in Verdi's La traviata there. In 2016, she debuted as Countess d'Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro at La Scala. In 2018, she took on the main role in Maria Stuarda.

Concert Performances

Besides opera, Diana Damrau also performs in concerts. She has sung alongside famous artists like Plácido Domingo. She performs classical songs (lieder) at famous concert halls around the world. These include Vienna's Musikverein and Carnegie Hall in New York. She often performs with harpist Xavier de Maistre.

Her concert music includes works by Mozart and Handel. She has worked with many famous conductors, such as James Levine and Zubin Mehta.

Personal Life

Diana Damrau married French singer Nicolas Testé in May 2010. They have two sons, Alexander and Colyn.

Key Performances at Major Opera Houses

Here are some of the important roles Diana Damrau has performed at famous opera houses:

• La Scala (Milan): Europa in Europa riconosciuta, Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro, Violetta in La traviata, Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor.
• Metropolitan Opera (New York): Amina in La sonnambula, Violetta in La traviata, Queen of the Night and Pamina in The Magic Flute, Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, Rosina in The Barber of Seville, Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, Gilda in Rigoletto, Marie in La fille du régiment, Adèle in Le comte Ory, Adina in L'elisir d'amore, Manon in Manon, Leila in Les pêcheurs de perles, Juliette in Roméo et Juliette.
• The Royal Opera (London): Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute, Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, Adina in L'elisir d'amore, Violetta in La traviata.
• Bavarian State Opera (Munich): Olympia/Antonia/Giulietta/Stella in The Tales of Hoffmann, Aminta in Die schweigsame Frau, Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute, Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, Gilda in Rigoletto, Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro, Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier, Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor.

Awards and Honours

Diana Damrau has received many awards for her talent:

• 1999: Prizewinner at the 7th International Mozart Competition, Salzburg.
• 1999: Named "Young Singer of the Year" by Opernwelt magazine.
• 2007: Awarded the title of Bavarian Kammersängerin. This is a special honour for outstanding singers.
• 2008: Named "Singer of the Year 2008" by Opernwelt magazine.
• 2010: Received the Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art.
• 2011: Won an Echo Klassik Award for her album Poesie.
• 2014: Named "Female Singer of the Year" at the International Opera Awards.
• 2016: Received the Bavarian Order of Merit.
• 2020: An asteroid, 33034 Dianadamrau, was named in her honour!

Music Albums (Discography)

Diana Damrau has released many albums. Here are some of them:

• Arie di Bravura (2007): Features arias (songs) by Mozart and Salieri.
• Donna: Opera and Concert Arias by Mozart (2008): A collection of Mozart's opera and concert songs.
• Coloraturas (2009): Showcases her amazing coloratura singing.
• Poesie: Richard Strauss Lieder (2011): A collection of orchestral songs by Richard Strauss.
• Liszt Lieder (2011): Classical songs by Liszt, with piano.
• Forever (2013): A collection of operetta and musical theatre songs.
• Fiamma del belcanto (2015): Bel canto songs by famous Italian composers like Bellini and Verdi.
• Meyerbeer: Grand Opera (2017): Pieces by Giacomo Meyerbeer.
• Hugo Wolf: Italienisches Liederbuch (2019): With tenor Jonas Kaufmann.
• Richard Strauss: Vier letzte Lieder, Lieder (2020).
• Tudor Queens (2020): Features music about famous queens.

Video Performances (Videography)

You can watch Diana Damrau's performances on DVD and streaming services:

You can also find streaming videos of her performances on Met Opera on Demand:

Opera Roles Performed

Here is a list of opera roles Diana Damrau has performed on stage or in the studio:

See also

In Spanish: Diana Damrau para niños