Biography
Hungarian-Canadian mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó has become highly sought after in both North America and Europe as an artist of supreme musicianship and stagecraft. The Chicago Tribune exclaimed, "Krisztina Szabó stole her every scene with her powerful, mahogany voice and deeply poignant immersion in the empress' plight" after her performance of Ottavia in L'incoronazione di Poppea. She made her Lincoln Center début as Dorabella in Così fan tutte at the Mostly Mozart Festival where she was praised in the New York Times for being "clear, strong, stately and an endearingly vulnerable Dorabella."
Krisztina Szabó's 2012-13 season includes reengagements with Vancouver Opera as Musetta in La bohème, Edmonton Opera as Giulietta in Tales of Hoffman. She also appears as soloist with Chicago's Music of the Baroque, under Jane Glover, in Bach's St. John Passion, Mendelssohn Choir in Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, Calgary Philharmonic in Handel's Messiah and in an exciting new chamber music commission with Queen of Puddings Music Theatre. Ms. Szabó makes her début with the Vancouver Bach Choir as soloist in John Adams' El nino. In 2011-12, she appeared, to great critical acclaim, as Le Pèlerin in Saariaho's opera L'amour de loin, as well as appearing with Music of the Baroque, Aldeburgh Connection, Pax Christi Chorale, and débuted with Esprit Orchestra, Toronto's Pax Christi Chorale, Festival of the Sound and the Grand Teton Festival under the baton of Bernard Labadie.
Ms. Szabó exemplifies today’s modern singer: she is vocally versatile, possesses excellent stage prowess and paints vivid character portraits on both the opera and concert stages. She sings frequently at the Canadian Opera Company and has been seen in diverse roles, such as Idamante (Idomeneo), Musetta (La bohème), The Double-Offred in the Time Before (The Handmaid's Tale) and Nancy (Albert Herring). In 2006 she helped christen the company’s new opera house in their critically acclaimed Ring Cycle as Wellgunde (Das Rheingold and Götterdämmerung), and Siegrune (Die Walküre) and returned to open their 06/7 season in the role of Dorabella (Così fan tutte). Canadian audiences have also seen Ms. Szabó as Sesto (La clemenza di Tito) with Vancouver Opera, Meg (Little Women) with Calgary Opera, Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia) with L'Opéra de Québec, Edmonton Opera and Calgary Opera, Second Lady (Die Zauberflöte) with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Bernard Labadie conducting, Nerone (Agrippina) with L'Opéra de Montréal, and as the title role in Iphigénie en Tauride with Opera Atelier.
Outside of Canada, Ms Szabó has performed a wide variety of roles including: Rosalind (The Mines of Sulphur) for the Wexford Festival Opera (company début), Countess (Le nozze di Figaro), Judith (Bluebeard's Castle) and Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) - all with Chicago Opera Theater, Magnolia (Showboat) with L'Opéra National du Rhin, the title role in Charpentier's Médée with Le Concert Spirituel in Paris, The Queen of the Fairies in Ana Sokolovic's hilarious new opera, The Midnight Court, with Queen of Puddings Music Theatre's tour to England, Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel), Komponist (Ariadne auf Naxos) and Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro) with Stadttheater Klagenfurt, Bianca (Mercadante's Il giuramento) with Washington Concert Opera, and Dido (Dido and Aeneas) with Music of the Baroque.
Krisztina Szabó is a frequent performer of recital, concert and chamber repertoire. She has recently appeared as a soloist with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (Mozart's Mass in C Minor), L'Orchestre Symphonique de Québec (Bach's Mass in B Minor), the San Antonio Symphony (Handel's Messiah), the Talisker Players in Toronto for an evening of chamber music, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir (Beethoven's Missa Solemnis and Mendelssohn's Elijah), the Elora Festival Orchestra (Verdi's Requiem), Les Violons du Roy’s United States tour of (Haydn's cantata Arianna a Naxos) , the Brooklyn Academy of Music (staged production of Bach's St. Matthew Passion) and the Oregon Symphony (Mozart Requiem). In recital, she has appeared with Ravinia Festival, Aldeburgh Connection, Music Toronto, Off Centre Music Salon and Music at Sharon. In addition, she has performed with Symphony Nova Scotia, Lanaudière Festival, Calgary Philharmonic, Orchestra London, Toronto Operetta Theatre, Esprit Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, Canadian Art Song Project, Festival of the Sound, and Grand Teton Festival.
Ms, Szabó has appeared on television featured in CBC's "Opening Night" in concert with the Canadian Opera Company. On film, she can be seen as Zerlina with Dmitri Hvorostovsky in Don Giovanni Revealed: Leporello's Revenge, and she can be heard as the voice of Leanne in the new opera movie Burnt Toast. Krisztina Szabo can also be heard as a featured soloist in a recording with the Talisker Players "Where Words and Music Meet", Musica Leopolis CDs works of Lysenko, Stetsenko, and Stepovyi (3 different CDs) and Singing Somers Theatre (the works of Harry Somers).
Ms. Szabó finished her postgraduate studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, England, after completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Western Ontario studying with Darryl Edwards, with whom she continues to study. She has been the recipient of the Emerging Artist grant from Canada Council and was recently honoured by her home town of Mississauga with a star on the Music Walk of Fame in its inaugural year. Krisztina lives in Toronto with her husband, Kristian Clarke and their daughter, Phoibe Clarke.
For more information please contact Barrett Vantage Artists, New York
Tel: (212) 245-3530; Fax: (212) 397-5860 ; Website: www.barrettvantage.com