Kristine Opolais is one of the most sought after sopranos on the international scene today, with a firmly established reputation amongst the world’s pre-eminent singing actresses, combining lustrous tone and fierce dramatic intensity. Opolais appears at the Metropolitan Opera New York, Wiener Staatsoper, Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper, Teatro alla Scala, Opernhaus Zürich and Royal Opera House Covent Garden. She is working with such conductors as Daniel Barenboim, Sir Antonio Pappano, Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Mark Elder, Daniel Harding, Andris Nelsons, Fabio Luisi, Kirill Petrenko and Semyon Bychkov.
Kristine Opolais is one of the most sought-after sopranos on the international scene, with an established reputation amongst the world’s pre-eminent singing actresses. Opolais has appeared at The Metropolitan Opera House, Wiener Staatsoper, Staatsoper Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper, Teatro alla Scala, Opernhaus Zürich, and the Royal Opera House. She collaborates with renowned conductors including Daniel Barenboim, Sir Antonio Pappano, Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Mark Elder, Andris Nelsons, Fabio Luisi, and Kirill Petrenko.
Following her critically acclaimed portrayal of Katerina Ismailova in Shostakovich’s ‘Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk’ with Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra in early 2024, Opolais reprised the role – for which she was praised by ‘Operawire’ for her “powerful” performance and “incredible flexibility” – at the Staatsoper Hamburg under the baton of Kent Nagano.
In the 2024/25 season, Opolais joins the Orchestra of the Finnish National Opera, conducted by Roderick Cox for a performance of Shostakovich’s Symphony No.14, which she also performs as part of the Gewandhausorchester’s Shostakovich Festival under Nelsons’ baton. This is a piece Opolais also formally recorded with the Boston Symphony Orchestra for Deutsche Grammophon.
Further appearances this season include demonstration of her versatility with a selection of arias by Cilea, Dvořák, Verdi, Ponchielli, and Puccini for the opening season gala with the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kerem Hasan. A recital of note includes her return to China, with dates at Shanghai Oriental Art Center and Suzhou Bay Grand Theatre alongside pianist Agnese Eglina; the pair also joined forces last season for a recital series across Latvia, Hungary, and Brazil.
Kristine Opolais has been celebrated for her distinctive performances at the Metropolitan Opera House, including her appearances in ‘La bohème’ and ‘Madama Butterfly’, when, in 2014, she made history at the Met with two role debuts in 18 hours. At the Met, she has performed new productions of ‘Manon Lescaut’ and ‘Rusalka’, which were internationally broadcast as part of the Met’s Live in HD cinema series. In 2018, Opolais returned to the Met to sing ‘Suor Angelica’, a role she previously recorded on the Orfeo label.
Opolais’ appearances at the Royal Opera House, where she has been heralded as “the leading Puccini soprano of today” (The Telegraph), include the title roles in ‘Tosca’, ‘Manon Lescaut’, and ‘Madama Butterfly’. She also has a significant relationship with the Bayerische Staatsoper, which began in 2010 when she made her debut as ‘Rusalka’ in Martin Kušej’s new production. In Munich she has additionally assumed the roles of Manon Lescaut, Madama Butterfly, Tatjana in ‘Eugene Onegin’, Margherita in ‘Mefistofele’, and Vitellia in ‘La clemenza di Tito’.
Opolais has made appearances at the Salzburger Festspiele, BBC Proms, Tanglewood Festival, the Musikverein Wien, Baden-Baden Festspielhaus, Royal Opera House Muscat, Royal Concertgebouw, and Carnegie Hall. She has appeared with orchestras such as the Berliner Philharmoniker, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Concertgebouworkest, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Filarmonica della Scala, and the NHK Symphony Orchestra. Opolais’ discography includes a DVD of ‘Tosca’ in Baden-Baden with the Berliner Philharmoniker, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.
Last updated: July 2024
LIVE recording from the Theater an der Wien
Kristine Opolais, Jonathan Tetelman, Gábor Bretz
ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien
Marc Albrecht, conductor
Add the video to your collection today: Amazon (US) | Amazon (DE)
“Ms. Opolais seemed to live with it, growing in stature as the evening went on and radiating the kind of aura – one that demands you watch her, and sympathize with her – that defines a star… She is a performer with a tremendous future ahead of her. New York will be lucky to have her.”
New York Observer