Agni Baltsa (Greek: Aγνή Mπάλτσα; also known as Agnes Baltsa;
born 19 November 1944) is a leading Greek mezzo-soprano singer.Baltsa
was born in Lefkada. She began playing piano at the age of six, before
moving to Athens in 1958 to concentrate on singing. She graduated from
the Greek National Conservatoire in 1965 and then travelled to Munich
to continue studying on a Maria Callas scholarship.Baltsa made her
first appearance in an opera in 1968 as Cherubino in The Marriage of
Figaro at Frankfurt Opera, before going on to appear as Octavian in
Der Rosenkavalier at the Vienna State Opera in 1970. Under the
guidance of Herbert von Karajan, she became a regular at the
prestigious Salzburg Festival. She became Kammersängerin of the
Vienna State Opera in 1980.Her best-known performance is that of
Carmen by Georges Bizet, which she has sung a number of times with
noted tenors such as José Carreras, Neil Shicoff, and others. She has
also sung works by Mozart (notably Così fan tutte), Rossini (Il
Barbiere di Siviglia, La Cenerentola, Semiramide, L'italiana in
Algeri), Mascagni (Cavalleria Rusticana), Saint-Saëns (Samson et
Dalila), Verdi (Aida, La forza del destino, Il trovatore, Don Carlos),
Bellini (I Capuleti e i Montecchi), Offenbach (Les Contes d'Hoffmann)
and Donizetti (Il Campanello, Maria Stuarda).
born 19 November 1944) is a leading Greek mezzo-soprano singer.Baltsa
was born in Lefkada. She began playing piano at the age of six, before
moving to Athens in 1958 to concentrate on singing. She graduated from
the Greek National Conservatoire in 1965 and then travelled to Munich
to continue studying on a Maria Callas scholarship.Baltsa made her
first appearance in an opera in 1968 as Cherubino in The Marriage of
Figaro at Frankfurt Opera, before going on to appear as Octavian in
Der Rosenkavalier at the Vienna State Opera in 1970. Under the
guidance of Herbert von Karajan, she became a regular at the
prestigious Salzburg Festival. She became Kammersängerin of the
Vienna State Opera in 1980.Her best-known performance is that of
Carmen by Georges Bizet, which she has sung a number of times with
noted tenors such as José Carreras, Neil Shicoff, and others. She has
also sung works by Mozart (notably Così fan tutte), Rossini (Il
Barbiere di Siviglia, La Cenerentola, Semiramide, L'italiana in
Algeri), Mascagni (Cavalleria Rusticana), Saint-Saëns (Samson et
Dalila), Verdi (Aida, La forza del destino, Il trovatore, Don Carlos),
Bellini (I Capuleti e i Montecchi), Offenbach (Les Contes d'Hoffmann)
and Donizetti (Il Campanello, Maria Stuarda).
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.