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Elīna Garanča
Woman with blond hair in three-quarter profile. Hair is held up in a ponytail, a pearl earring is visible.
Garanča in 2012
Born (1976-09-16) 16 September 1976 (age 48)
Riga, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union
Occupation Opera singer
Years active 1998–present
Spouse(s) Karel Mark Chichon
Children 2
Parent(s)
  • Anita Garanča (mother)

Elīna Garanča (born September 16, 1976) is a famous opera singer from Latvia. She is known as a mezzo-soprano, which means she sings in a lower female voice range. Elīna started learning to sing in her hometown of Riga in 1996. She then continued her studies in Vienna, Austria, and in the United States.

By 1999, she had already won a big singing competition in Finland. Soon after, she began her amazing career in Europe. Her performances at the 2003 Salzburg Festival made her famous around the world.

Early Life and Musical Family

Elīna Garanča was born in Riga, Latvia. Music was a big part of her family! Her father directed choirs, and her mother, Anita Garanča, was also a singer. Her mother taught singing at the Latvian Academy of Music and the Latvian National Opera. She also gave private singing lessons.

Becoming an Opera Star

Elīna joined the Latvian Academy of Music in 1996 to study singing. She later studied with famous teachers in Vienna and the United States.

Her professional career began in 1998 in Germany. In 1999, she won the Mirjam Helin Singing Competition in Helsinki, Finland. This was a big step for her!

Breakthrough Performances

Elīna became widely known in 2003 at the Salzburg Festival. She sang the role of Annio in an opera called La clemenza di Tito by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. After this, she quickly got many important roles.

She sang as Charlotte in Werther and Dorabella in Così fan tutte at the Vienna State Opera. In 2008, Elīna performed for the first time at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. She played Rosina in Gioachino Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia. A newspaper review said she was "the real thing" and sounded "completely comfortable" with the challenging music.

Elīna also famously played the main role of Carmen in Georges Bizet's opera Carmen at the Metropolitan Opera in 2010 and 2015. In 2018, she took on the role of Dalila in Samson et Dalila at the Vienna State Opera.

Personal Life

Elīna Garanča is married to a conductor named Karel Mark Chichon. They have two daughters. Elīna is very good at languages! She can speak Latvian, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Italian, and English.

Awards and Recognitions

Elīna Garanča has received many awards for her amazing singing. Some of them include:

  • 1999: First Place at the Mirjam Helin International Singing Competition.
  • 2000: Latvian Great Music Award.
  • 2007: Echo Klassik Award for "Singer of the Year."
  • 2007: Three-Star Order, a special award from the Latvian State.
  • 2010: Musical America Award for "Vocalist of the Year."
  • 2013: Named Austrian Kammersängerin, a special title for distinguished singers.
  • 2018: Named "Rigan of the Year" in her hometown.
  • 2019: Latvian Excellence Award in Culture.

Famous Opera Roles

Elīna Garanča has sung many different roles in operas. Here are some of her most well-known parts:

Recordings

Elīna Garanča has made many recordings of her performances. One of her recordings, Bajazet, even won a Grammy Award! In 2005, she signed a special contract with Deutsche Grammophon, a famous record company.

Some of her other audio recordings include:

She has also appeared in DVD recordings of operas like:

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Elīna Garanča para niños

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