Helen Lokuta (born 12 April 1975 in

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

) is an

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

...

opera singer Opera is a form of Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a lib ...

(

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...

). Lokuta studied in Music Class at ''Tartu 7th High School'' (currently ''Karlova Gymnasium'') and graduated from Aino Kõiv’s violin class at the

Heino Eller Tartu Music School The Heino Eller Tartu Music College () is a music school in Tartu, Estonia, founded in 1919. It received its current name in 1971, after the Estonian composer and music teacher Heino Eller, who taught at the school from 1920 until 1940. Tart ...

in 1997. She has also studied in ''Karlsruhe University of Music'' in 2000 and ''Karlsruhe Opera Highschool'' in 2001 with Prof. Maria Venuti. In 2002 she graduated with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

from

Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre The Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (''Eesti Muusika- ja Teatriakadeemia'') began as a mixed choir of the Estonia Society Musical Department (EMD) on the eve of World War I. The assembly of the Estonia Society created the Tallinn Higher Musi ...

with

Pille Lill Pille Lill (born on April 20 in 1962) is an Estonian opera singer (soprano) and an active member of the cultural life, the founder and artistic director of PLMF Music Trust. Biography Pille Lill was born in Pärnu. She started her journey as ...

and Prof. Tamara Novitšenko. In 2014 she obtained

magister's degree A magister degree (also magistar, female form: magistra; from , "teacher") is an academic degree used in various systems of higher education. The magister degree arose in medieval universities in Europe and was originally equal to the doctorate; ...

from Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre with

Jaakko Ryhänen Jaakko Ryhänen (born 2 December 1946) is a Finnish opera singer (bass) and voice pedagog. Ryhänen initially trained as a primary school teacher. He later studied singing at the Sibelius Academy under Matti Lehtinen and Jolanda di Maria Pet ...

. Since 2004 she has participated in

Tõnu Kaljuste Tõnu Kaljuste (born August 28, 1953) is an Estonian conductor. Born in Tallinn, Kaljuste is the son of Heino Kaljuste (1925–1989), an Estonian choral conductor, and Lia Kaljuste, a radio journalist. Tõnu sang in his father's choirs as a chil ...

’s project Nargen Opera. From 2001 to 2006 Helen Lokuta has worked as free-lance/guest soloist and since 2006 as a soloist at the

Estonian National Opera Estonian National Opera (''Rahvusooper Estonia'') is the national opera company of Estonia. The company is based at the Estonia Theatre in Tallinn. The theatre has had several names throughout its existence. The latest one being "The Estonian Na ...

Awards

* 1994 1st prize in Estonian Youth Singers Competition * 2005 2nd prize in International vocalists competition in

Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre The Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in Vilnius, Lithuania, is a state-supported College or university school of music, conservatory that trains students in music, theatre, and multimedia arts. History Composer Juozas Naujalis founded a ...

* 2005 Young Musician of the Year from the Pille Lill Music Fund * 2007 Annual Prize of Estonian Teatre Union * 2007

Estonian Cultural Endowment Cultural Endowment of Estonia (, abbreviated ''Kulka'' or ''KULKA''; also translated as ''Estonian Cultural Capital'') is an Estonian foundation which supports activities related to Estonian culture The culture of Estonia combines an indigen ...

prize * 2011, 2015 and 2019 SEB Audience Award

Roles

Georges Bizet Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, ''Carmen'', w ...

"Carmen" (Carmen) * Rimskij-Korsakov "Tsaari Mõrsja" (Ljubaša) *

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for List of compositions by Giuseppe Verdi, his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma ...

"La Traviata" (Flora) * Pjotr Tšaikovski "Padaemand" (Polina) *

Wolfgang Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

“Le nozze di Figaro” (Cherubino) *

Emmerich Kálmán Emmerich Kálmán ( ; 24 October 1882 – 30 October 1953) was a Kingdom of Hungary, Hungarian composer of operettas and a prominent figure in the development of Operetta#Austria–Hungary, Viennese operetta in the 20th century. Among his most p ...

“Die Csardasfürstin” (Silva) * George Händel “Julius Caesar” (Cleopatra)

References

Living people 1975 births 21st-century Estonian women opera singers {{Estonia-musician-stub