Elena Moșuc (born January 18, 1964) is a

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

n operatic

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

. Associated to the

Zürich Opera House The Zurich Opera House () is an opera house in the Swiss city of Zurich. Located at the Sechseläutenplatz, it has been the home of the Zurich Opera since 1891, and also houses the Bernhard-Theater Zürich. It is also home to Ballett Zürich. I ...

, she has an active career primarily in Europe, including guest appearances at the Romanian National Operas since 1990.

Life and career

Early years

Moșuc was born in

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the Cities in Romania, third largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical ...

. Since the age of 16, she studied at the ''Școala Populară de Arte'' in her native city for almost five years, with her teachers including Mioara Cortez. Since she was 18, she taught in a primary school for seven years. Meanwhile, she pursued her singing studies through private lessons. At the end of her studies, she made her opera debut in February 1990 with the Queen of the Night (Mozart's ''

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (, ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. It is a ''Singspiel'', a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue. The work premiered on ...

'') at the

Romanian National Opera, Iași The Romanian National Opera, Iași () is a public opera and ballet institution in Iași, Romania. It is one of the national opera companies of Romania. The first performance at the Iași Opera was on 3 November 1956 (the inaugural concert bein ...

, where she was a chorister in 1989/90. She later performed Lucia (''

Lucia di Lammermoor ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' () is a (tragic opera) in three acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian-language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel '' The Bride of Lammermoor''. ...

''), Gilda (''

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play '' Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had c ...

''), Violetta ('' La traviata'').Dublu eveniment la Iași
After the

Romanian Revolution The Romanian revolution () was a period of violent Civil disorder, civil unrest in Socialist Republic of Romania, Romania during December 1989 as a part of the revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several countries around the world, primarily ...

of 1989, she finally entered in July 1990 the

George Enescu National University of Arts The George Enescu National University of Arts () is a public university in Iași, Romania, founded in 1860. It was named in honor of the composer George Enescu. History The institution was established on 1 October 1860, as the ''Music and Declam ...

, where her studies lasted for seven years. In September 1990, she won the first prize at the

ARD International Music Competition The ARD International Music Competition () is the largest international classical music competition in Germany. It is organised by the Bayerischer Rundfunk and is held once a year in Munich, usually in September. Since its inception in 1952, it h ...

in Munich, which opened the way for an international career. In 1991, she won the International Monte-Carlo Music Competition. Immediately after winning the ARD Competition, Moșuc sang her second Queen of the Night in Munich. She became associated with the role, which she would sing more than 250 times, and with which she made her

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by ...

debut (1993), Italian debut in Rome (2000),

Paris Opera The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...

debut (2002), and

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

debut (2003).

Zürich Opera

Moșuc joined the Opernstudio of the

Zurich Opera House The Zurich Opera House () is an opera house in the Swiss city of Zurich. Located at the Sechseläutenplatz, it has been the home of the Zurich Opera since 1891, and also houses the Bernhard-Theater Zürich. It is also home to Ballett Zürich. I ...

in 1991. Originally in a contract of three years, she remained as a troop member till 2000 and continued the association, which lasted for more than two decades. Recognised by intendant Alexander Pereira, she was offered roles which constitutes the majority of her repertoire, and regularly alternated roles with

Edita Gruberová Edita Gruberová (; 23 December 1946 – 18 October 2021) was a Slovak coloratura soprano. She made her stage debut in Bratislava in 1968 as Rosina in Rossini's '' Il barbiere di Siviglia'', and successfully auditioned at the Vienna State Oper ...

. She dominated coloratura soprano roles at the House during Gruberová's absence due to the tension between the singer and the intendant. She appeared in various roles, among others as the Queen of the Night, Konstanze (''

Die Entführung aus dem Serail ' () (Köchel catalogue, K. 384; ''The Abduction from the Seraglio''; also known as ') is a singspiel in three acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The German libretto is by Gottlieb Stephanie, based on Christoph Friedrich Bretzner's . The plot concer ...

''), Donna Anna (''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...

''), Lucia (''

''), Linda (''

Linda di Chamounix ''Linda di Chamounix'' is an operatic '' melodramma semiserio'' in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. The Italian libretto was written by Gaetano Rossi. It premiered in Vienna, at the Kärntnertortheater, on 19 May 1842. Performance history ' ...

''), Elvira (''

I puritani ' (''The Puritans'') is an 1835 opera by Vincenzo Bellini. It was originally written in two acts and changed to three acts before the premiere on the advice of Gioachino Rossini, with whom the young composer had become friends. The music was set ...

''), Gilda (''

''), Violetta ('' La traviata''), Luisa (''

Luisa Miller ''Luisa Miller'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play '' Kabale und Liebe'' (''Intrigue and Love'') by the German dramatist Friedrich von Schiller. Verdi's initial idea f ...

''), Sophie (''

Der Rosenkavalier (''The Knight of the Rose'' or ''The Rose-Bearer''), Op. 59, is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from Louvet de Couvrai's novel ''Les amours du cheva ...

''), Zerbinetta (''

Ariadne auf Naxos (''Ariadne on Naxos''), Op. 60, is a 1912 opera by Richard Strauss with a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. The opera's unusual combination of elements of low commedia dell'arte with those of high opera seria points up one of the work's ...

''), Aminta/Timidia (''

Die schweigsame Frau ''Die schweigsame Frau'' (''The Silent Woman''), Op. 80, is a 1935 comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to a libretto by Stefan Zweig after Ben Jonson's 1609 comedy '' Epicœne, or The Silent Woman''. Composition history Since '' Elek ...

''), Musetta (''

La bohème ''La bohème'' ( , ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions '':wikt:quadro, quadri'', ''wikt:tableau, tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto b ...

''), Micaëla (''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...

''), Marguerite (Gounod's ''

Faust Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a ...

''), Liù (Puccini's ''

Turandot ''Turandot'' ( ; see #Origin and pronunciation of the name, below) is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to a libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni. Puccini left the opera unfinished at the time of his death in 1924; it ...

''), Medora (''

Il corsaro ''Il corsaro'' (''The Corsair'') is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, from a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on Lord Byron's 1814 poem '' The Corsair''. The first performance was given at the Teatro Grande in Trieste on 25 Oct ...

''), Nedda (''

Pagliacci ''Pagliacci'' (; literal translation, 'Clowns') is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The opera tells the tale of Canio, actor and leader of a commedia dell'arte theatrical company, who mu ...

''), Mrs. Alice Ford (''

Falstaff Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare and is eulogised in a fourth. His significance as a fully developed character is primarily formed in the plays ''Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Part 2'', w ...

''), Stella, Olympia, Antonia and Giulietta (''

The Tales of Hoffmann ''The Tales of Hoffmann'' (French: ) is an by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on three short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, who is the protagonist of the story. It was Offenbach's final work; he died in ...

'').

Performances elsewhere

In 2005, Moșuc was featured in

Franco Zeffirelli Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (; 12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019) was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post–World War II e ...

's new production of ''La traviata'', opening

Israeli Opera The Israeli Opera, formerly known as the New Israeli Opera, is the principal opera company of Israel. It was founded in 1985 after lack of Israeli government funding led to the demise of the Israel National Opera. Since 1994 the Tel Aviv Perfor ...

's 2005/06 season. In June 2008, she made her first appearance at the

New National Theatre Tokyo The is Japan's first and foremost national centre for the performing arts, including opera, ballet, contemporary dance and drama. It is located in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo. Since 1997 more than 650 productions were staged. There are about 300 p ...

with ''La traviata'', and returned in December with Donna Anna in a new production of ''Don Giovanni''. In October 2010, Moșuc made her United States debut at the New York

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...

as Olympia in ''

'', sharing the role with

Anna Christy Anna Christy (born July 26, 1976, Los Angeles) is an American soprano opera singer. She studied at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music and University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and made her debut in 2000 at New York City Op ...

. In October 2011, she opened the season at the

Dallas Opera The Dallas Opera is an American opera company located in Dallas, Texas. The company performs at the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, one venue of the AT&T Performing Arts Center. History The company was founded in 1957 as the Dallas Civic ...

in the title role in ''

''. In 2012, she starred in the original 1912 version of ''

'' at the

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival () is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer, for five weeks starting in late July, in Salzburg, Austria, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart's operas are a focus of ...

. In 2019, she made her role debut in ''

Lakmé ''Lakmé'' is an opera in three acts by Léo Delibes to a French libretto by Edmond Gondinet and Philippe Gille. The score, written from 1881 to 1882, was first performed on 14 April 1883 by the '' Opéra-Comique'' at the (second) Salle Fa ...

'' at the

Royal Opera House Muscat The Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) is Oman's premier venue for musical arts and culture. The opera house is located in Shati Al-Qurm district of Muscat on Sultan Qaboos Street. Built on the royal orders of Sultan Qaboos of Oman, the Royal Opera ...

. This was the company's first-ever original opera production.

Achievements

Moșuc received many prestigious prizes. She was awarded the "European Furtherance Prize for Music" (''Europäischer Förderpreis für Musik'') in 1993, and the Premio "Bellini d'Oro" in Catania in 1995. In 2002, Moșuc received the Premio "Zenatello" in Verona, and in 2004 the "Premio Verdi di Modena" and the "Premio Verdi di Verona". In 2009, Moșuc was the first soprano from Eastern Europe to receive the international award

Siola d'oro The Siola d'oro ("Golden Swallow") is a biennial opera prize awarded in Gatteo since 1983, in memory of Lina Pagliughi.Opera - Volume 48, Issues 7-12 - Page 107 1997 "The young soprano Patrizia Ciofi, who this year won the biennial prize of the 'Sio ...

. In 2005, Moșuc was appointed an "Officer of the Arts" (''Ofițer al Artelor'') by the Romanian presidency. She received the 2009 edition of "Woman of the Year" award (''Femeia Anului'') in the category of "Ambassador of Romanian Arts from Abroad". In the same year, she received her doctor's degree in music science from the

National University of Music Bucharest The National University of Music Bucharest (, UNMB) is a university-level school of music located in Bucharest, Romania. Established as a school of music in 1863 and reorganized as an academy in 1931, it has functioned as a public university since ...

. In 2010, Elena Moșuc became honorary citizen of her native city Iași. In 2015, she received the "Grand Prize of the National Operas of Romania". In 2019, Elena Moșuc has been awarded with the International Opera Awards - "Oscar della Lirica" - as the world's best soprano of the year.

Discography

*''Mozart Portrait''. Iași "Moldova" Philharmonic Orchestra, Camil Marinescu. Arte Nova Voices 2000 *''Au jardin de mon cœur''. Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra,

Jan Schultsz Jan Schultsz (born 1965 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch pianist and conductor. He is an accompanist in lieder recitals. Biography Schultsz first took piano lessons at the age of 4 and commenced horn lessons at the age of 10. Emphasis was laid on both t ...

. Arte Nova Voices 2000 *''Notre Amour'' – French and Romanian songs. Sabine Vatin, piano. Arte Nova Voices 2002 *''Flavio Motalla: L'amore è poesia – Vocalises for Soprano & Orchestra.''

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...

, John Scott. 2011. (reissued on Solo Musica 2016) *''Donizetti Heroines.'' Symphony Orchestra of Croatian Radio-Television, Ivo Lipanović. Sony Classical 2013Omul zilei: Elena Moșuc
/ref> *''A Portrait''. ompilationSony Classical 2015 *''Verdi Heroines''.

Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra The Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra (Croatian: Zagrebačka filharmonija) is a Croatian orchestra based in Zagreb. The orchestra gives its concerts principally at the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall and at the Croatian National Theatre, Zagreb. Hi ...

, Ivo Lipanović. Solo Musica 2018

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Moșuc, Elena 1964 births Living people Musicians from Iași Romanian operatic sopranos Romanian emigrants to Switzerland Naturalised citizens of Switzerland 20th-century Romanian women opera singers 21st-century Romanian women opera singers George Enescu National University of Arts alumni Sony Classical Records artists National University of Music Bucharest alumni Prize-winners of the ARD International Music Competition