Vesselina Kasarova facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vesselina Kasarova
Веселина Кацарова
Vesselina Kasarova at the Offenbach Konzert in 2007
Born	(1965-07-18) 18 July 1965 (age 59) Stara Zagora, People's Republic of Bulgaria
Occupation	Operatic mezzo-soprano
Years active	1989–present
Organisation	Zürich Opera House

Vesselina Kasarova (Bulgarian: Веселина Кацарова; born on July 18, 1965) is a famous Bulgarian opera singer. She is known as a mezzo-soprano, which means she has a beautiful, rich voice that is lower than a soprano but higher than a contralto. She has performed in many major opera houses around the world.

Early Life and Music Training

Vesselina Kasarova was born in Stara Zagora, a town in central Bulgaria. She started learning piano at just four years old in 1970. In 1979, she joined the Hristina Morfova School of Music and Performing Arts in her hometown.

After earning her diploma as a concert pianist in 1987, Vesselina decided to switch to singing. She loved how the human voice could be a musical instrument. She studied singing at the Bulgarian State Music Academy in Sofia. There, she focused on the music of famous composers like Mozart and Rossini. Her very first singing performance was in her hometown, where she sang "Habanera" from Bizet's opera Carmen. While still a student, she performed at the Sofia National Opera. For her graduation exam, she sang the part of Rosina in Rossini's opera The Barber of Seville.

Starting Her Singing Career

In 1989, during her last year at the Sofia Conservatory, Vesselina went on a concert tour in France. An artist agent named Luisa Lasser-Petrov recorded one of her performances. This recording was sent to the famous conductor Herbert von Karajan. He was so impressed that he immediately asked to meet her in Salzburg and then in Vienna.

They met in Salzburg, where she sang "Agnus Dei" from Bach's Mass in B minor. Karajan wanted her to sing with him at the Salzburg Festival the next year, but he sadly passed away soon after. However, her talent had been noticed! The director of the Vienna State Opera, Ioan Holender, heard her audition and offered her a two-year contract to start in 1991.

When she returned to Bulgaria, she also auditioned for the Stara Zagora Opera. There, Christoph Groszer, the director of the Zürich Opera, heard her. He also immediately offered her a job with his company.

After graduating, Kasarova joined the Zurich Opera in 1989. Her first professional stage role was in Wagner's Götterdämmerung. She quickly became a favorite with the audience in Zurich. People loved her unique voice, strong emotions, and amazing skill. That same year, she won the Neue Stimmen competition. This competition was sponsored by Bertelsmann, which owns the BMG Classics music label. This led to her getting an exclusive contract to record music.

In 1991, she made her first appearance at the Salzburg Festival. She sang in two concerts celebrating 200 years since Mozart's death. She also performed as Annio in Mozart's La clemenza di Tito. That same year, she moved from Zurich to start her contract at the Vienna State Opera. She debuted there as Rosina in Rossini's The Barber of Seville and stayed with the company for two years.

Her international career really took off in Salzburg in 1992. She stepped in at the last minute for another famous singer, Marilyn Horne, to sing the role of Tancredi in a Rossini opera. Since then, she has been a regular guest at this summer festival. She has performed in many Mozart operas like La clemenza di Tito and Così fan tutte. She has also sung at other important opera festivals around the world.

Vesselina Kasarova first focused on Mozart's operas and works by "bel canto" composers. Bel canto means "beautiful singing" and focuses on smooth, flowing melodies. These composers include Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti. By the mid-2000s, she became very popular for "Baroque trouser roles." These are roles where a female singer plays a male character, like Orphée in Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice.

After she first sang the role of Carmen in Bizet's Carmen in 2008, her voice became even warmer and bigger. She started adding more dramatic roles to her performances. She has said that she wants to keep singing bel canto roles for as long as possible. This helps her keep her voice healthy as she takes on more challenging roles in French, Verdi, and Wagnerian operas.

In 2003, Vesselina worked with Bulgarian composer Krassimir Kyurkchiyski to create a CD called 'Bulgarian Soul'. On this album, she sings traditional Bulgarian folk songs with the Cosmic Voices from Bulgaria choir and the Sofia Soloists Orchestra. She said, "Many people don't know my native land. I would like them to discover the Bulgarian soul." She also hosted a TV series called Vesselina Kasarova: Bulgarian Encounters for Deutsche Welle's Euromaxx. This show helped European audiences learn about her home country.

Besides performing, Vesselina also teaches master classes to other singers. In March 2012, she published her first book, Ich singe mit Leib und Seele (which means "I Sing With Heart And Soul"). She wrote it with music critic Dr. Mariane Zelger-Vogt.

Recent Roles

Vesselina Kasarova has performed many different roles, including:

• "Carmen" in Bizet's Carmen
• "Charlotte" in Massenet's Werther
• "Dalila" in Saint-Saëns's Samson et Dalila
• "Eboli" in Verdi's Don Carlo
• "Marina" in Modest Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov
• "Romeo" in Bellini's I Capuleti e I Montecchi (she retired this role in Munich in 2012)
• "Ruggiero" in Handel's Alcina
• "Venus" in Wagner's Tannhäuser
• "Orlofsky" in Strauss Jr's Die Fledermaus
• "Helene" in Offenbach's La Belle Helene
• "Judit" in Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle

Awards and Honors

Vesselina Kasarova has received many awards for her amazing singing.

• In 2003, she won "Female Singer of the Year" (Sängerin des Jahres) at the Echo Klassik awards.
• In 2005, she won the Merkur Preis. She was also named Bavarian Kammersängerin, which is a special title given to honored opera singers.
• In April 2010, she was also named Österreichische Kammersängerin, another high honor for singers in Austria.

Recordings

Vesselina Kasarova has an exclusive recording contract with RCA Victor Red Seal. She has recorded many of her opera roles and other types of music.

Operatic Roles on Recordings

Some of her recordings of opera roles include:

• Tchaikovsky: Pique Dame (The Queen Of Spades) (1988)
• Bellini: Beatrice di Tenda (1992)
• Rossini: Tancredi (1996)
• Offenbach: La Belle Hélène (1997)
• Massenet: Werther (1999)
• Bellini: I Capuleti e i Montecchi (1999)
• Rossini: The Barber of Seville (2001)
• Donizetti: La Favorite (2001)
• Mozart: La clemenza di Tito (2003)
• Gluck: Orphée et Eurydice (2004)
• R. Strauß: Der Rosenkavalier (2005)
• Händel: Alcina (September 2007)
• Bizet: Carmen (2008)

Other Music Recordings

Vesselina has also recorded other types of music, including:

• Hermann Suter Le Laudi (1991)
• Wir Schwestern Zwei, Wir Schönen (duets with Edita Gruberova)
• Berlioz, Ravel, Chausson (1994) - This recording won the Prix Maurice Ravel award.
• A Portrait (1996) - Arias from operas by Handel, Gluck, Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini.
• Mozart Arias (1997) - This recording was nominated for a Grammy Award.
• Rossini: Arias and Duets (2000) - This record won the 2000 Cannes Classical Awards.
• Bulgarian Soul: Kyurkchiyski (2003) - Traditional Bulgarian folk songs. This recording was nominated for the German ECHO Klassik award.
• The Magic of Kasarova (2004) - A collection of arias from her famous roles.
• Belle Nuit (2008) - Offenbach operetta arias.
• Sento Brillar (July 2008) - Handel opera arias.
• Passionate Arias (May 2009) - Dramatic mezzo-soprano arias.
• Of Madness And Love (2015) - Music of Hector Berlioz.
• Russian Arias (2015) - Russian opera arias.

TV Documentaries

Vesselina Kasarova has been featured in several TV documentaries:

• Vesselina Kasarova: Ein Portrait: Mozart ist ohne Ende (1997) - An interview with clips from her performances.
• Tell Me, Little White Cloud (Arte-TV) - About the making of her Bulgarian Soul CD.
• Vesselina Kasarova: Die Kunst der Verwandlung (ORF) (2005) - A documentary about her career.
• Bulgarian Encounters - A Deutsche Welle's Euromaxx television series where Kasarova was the host.

Images for kids

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  Vesselina Kasarova at the Offenbach Konzert in 2007

See also

In Spanish: Vesselina Kasarova para niños