Polish-born soprano Aleksandra Kurzak began her musical education at the age of 7, playing violin and piano. She studied voice at the conservatories of Wroclaw and Hamburg. She made her professional opera debut at the age of 21 at the Wroclaw State Opera as Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro. Her mother and teacher Jolanta Żmurko performed the role of Countess. Kurzak is a laureate of singing competitions in Warsaw, Barcelona, Helsinki and Canton. She received a PhD in Music in 2019, and a Prof. in Music in 2021.
Between 2001 and 2007 Kurzak was a member of the ensemble of the Hamburg State Opera, where she sang numerous roles: Queen of the Night, Blonde, Susanna, Servilia, Marzelline (Fidelio), Nannetta (Falstaff), Ännchen (Der Freischütz), Gilda, Adèle, Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel), Maid (Powder her Face), Musetta, Cleopatra, Fiorilla (Il Turco in Italia), Marie (La Fille du Régiment). She recently made her return as Desdemona in Otello.
In 2004 Kurzak made her debut at The Metropolitan Opera in the role of Olympia in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, and she returned in the following seasons as Blonde (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Gilda (Rigoletto), Gretel, Adina (L’Elisir d’amore), Nedda (Pagliacci), Micaela (Carmen), Violetta (La Traviata), Tosca and Musetta (La bohème), Cio-cio-san (Madama Butterfly) and Liù (Turandot).
In the same season she debuted at the Royal Opera House-Covent Garden as Aspasia in Mitridate, Re di Ponto, and since her first London appearance, Kurzak has returned regularly to the Royal Opera House, where she has performed roles of Norina (Don Pasquale), Adina, Susanna, Matilde (Matilde di Shabran), achieving a real triumph on this stage and most recently as Fiorilla, Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Gilda, Lucia di Lammermoor, Liù, Violetta, Nedda and Santuzza (Cavalleria Rusticana).
In February 2010 Kurzak made her debut at the Teatro alla Scala in the role of Gilda and returned as Susanna and Adele in Le Comte Ory, as well as in two recitals.
Kurzak has appeared as well at Opera di Roma and Palau de les Arts (Adina), Staatsoper in Berlin (Queen of the Night, Mimì in La Bohème, Cio-cio-san in Madama Butterfly, Elisabetta di Valois in Don Carlo, Tosca), San Francico Opera, Teatro Regio in Parma,
Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse and Finnish National Opera (Gilda), Bavarian State Opera in Munich (Cleopatra, Adele, Rosina, Fiorilla, Adina, Rachel in La Juive, Cio-cio-san, Violetta), Vienna State Opera (Rosina, Adina, Susanna, Marie, Gilda, Violetta, Desdemona, Liù, Nedda), Teatro Regio di Torino e Teatro di San Carlo (Violetta), Teatro Massimo in Palermo (Norina, Santuzza), Teatro Massimo di Bellini in Catania (concert with arias by Bellini), Teatro Real in Madrid (Susanna, Marie, Cio-cio-san), Lyric Opera of Chicago (Blonde), Salzburg Festival (concert arias by Mozart, Ännchen, Donna Anna), Arena di Verona (Rosina, Juliette, Gilda, Violetta, Verdi-Gala, Santuzza, Nedda, Tosca, Cio-cio-san, Micaela), Los Angeles Opera (Fiordiligi), Gran Teatre del Liceu (Adina, Nedda, Adriana Lecouvreur), as well as Mozart Festival in A Coruña and Welsh National Opera in Cardiff (Aspasia), Theater an der Wien (Donna Anna and Amenaide), National Opera in Warsaw (Gilda, Violetta, Lucia, Hanna, Tosca, Cio-cio-san), Teatro La Fenice (Donna Anna), Opernhaus in Zürich (Gilda, Norina, Nedda), Deutsche Oper Berlin (Violetta, Adina, Nedda), Opéra de Paris (Adina, Micaela, Alice Ford in Falstaff, Vitellia in La Clemenza di Tito, Violetta, Desdemona, Elisabetta di Valois), Seattle Opera (Lucia), Opéra de Monte-Carlo (Luisa Miller, Cio-cio-san), Chorégies d’Orange (Tosca).
Kurzak has collaborated with many well known conductors including Marco Armiliato, Maurizio Benini, Ivor Bolton, Bruno Campanella, James Conlon, Sir Andrew Davis, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Riccardo Frizza, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, René Jacobs, Fabio Luisi, Nicola Luisotti, Sir Charles Mackerras, Ingo Metzmacher, Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Daniel Oren, Antonio Pappano, Carlo Rizzi.
Aleksandra Kurzak has been an exclusive recording artist for Decca and Sony Classical, and she has also recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, Warner, Aparté.
Plans in 2024/25 include Tosca with Metropolitan Opera, Berlin State Opera and Vienna State Opera, the role debut as Fedora at Grand Théâtre de Genève, Tosca and Madama Butterfly at the National Opera in Warsaw, the role debut as Leonora in Il trovatore at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, Otello with Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra.
Gianluca Macheda
Grzybowska 43a, lok. 72 00-855
Warsaw Poland
gmacheda@gmartandmusic.com
Martina Biagini
Via Romana 578/B 55100 Lucca Italy
+39 3479762848
mbiagini@gmartandmusic.com
“Comic dynamism and quality of the vocal ensembles, seducing voices, quiet and cynical charm of Aleksandra Kurzak as Alice Ford.”
RTBF
“Aleksandra Kurzak was a great surprise in the role of Alice Ford. Her voice is fresh, without any flaw on a musical standpoint, so that she perfectly illustrates Verdi’s intentions when he said, more or less, that after Falstaff, Alice was the most important character of the work, because, without having in her score any particular passage for vocal demonstration, she had to be a real devil, because she is the one who holds all the keys of the comic plot. As an actress, she lived up to her suitor. “
L’ape musicale
“For her role rebut, Aleksandra Kurzak has managed to capture the complexity of a woman who renounces love by duty and shows an impressive maturity. Bright top range, flourishing medium, phrasing rich in nuances and mezzavoce, the Polish soprano convinces without fail.”
Philippe Venturini, Les Echos
“Aleksandra Kurzak as Rachel positively surprised, I have heard her in live performance as well as recordings mostly in bel canto repertoire, thus listening to her even in the first act, it was clear that her voice has matured and rounded, and is on the path to become more dramatic, and suited for heavier, like Verdian repertoire. Even more impressed I was of her stage presence and engaged acting, and I believe we have another diva in making – have to keep close attention of Aleksandras future roles and progress!”
operaexplorer.com
“For sure, reviewers must use superlatives sparingly. But after such an evening, superlatives become inescapable: the revival of this diptych (two almost inseparable works) at the Opernhaus Zürich was a great moment, a triumph of musical and theatrical passions. […] In Pagliacci as Nedda, it is with a fascinating stage presence, a tinkling and pure voice, that Aleksandra Kurzak is embodying this cheerful lady, determined to find her own way and seeking to escape from Canio’s grip. She delivers the aria “Stridono lassù” with a phenomenal ease. Power and sensitivity mark her wonderful duet with the seductive and convincing Silvio by Alexey Lavrov. […] A memorable, very moving and top-class evening, so respectful for the composers that it may well become a referent performance.”
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