Biography v Upcoming Performances

"Adrianne Pieczonka, an absolutely riveting Sieglinde, rapturous to the point of delirium, effortlessly met Wagner's demands while preserving a richness of voice and beauty of phrasing." (Opera News)

"The heart and star of the COC's production was soprano Adrianne Pieczonka (Sieglinde), who fused an astonishing torrent of beautiful singing with a characterization that was almost painfully true." (Globe and Mail)

"Adrianne Pieczonka's vocally exquisite Sieglinde…singing with lushly beautiful sound and poignant vulnerability." (New York Times)

Dramatic and stunning, Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka is hailed for her beauty of "tone that can bloom into radiance or shrink to a whisper" (Daily Telegraph). She performs on leading opera and concert stages throughout Europe, North America and Asia under the direction of such conductors as Riccardo Muti, Zubin Mehta, Sir Neville Marriner, Claudio Abbado, Richard Bradshaw, Lorin Maazel, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Anthony Pappano and the late Sir Georg Solti.

In March 2007, Adrianne was named a Kammersängerin by the Austrian government, the second Canadian to be so honoured. Originally bestowed by the royal courts, the title "Kammersänger(in)", or chamber singer, is awarded to distinguished singers who have made a significant career in Austria.

The 2007-2008 season opens with Adrianne's much anticipated return to the Canadian Opera Company as Elisabetta in Don Carlo. The New Year begins with performances at the Metropolitan Opera in one of her signature roles - Sieglinde, in Die Walküre which earned her the title of "Sieglinde of the century" from Der Spiegel. Her debut as Chrysothemis in Electra in Barcelona follows, as does her return to the Vienna Staatsoper as the Prima Donna in Ariadne auf Naxo, a role she reprises in a new production in Munich in July. In May, Adrianne makes her long-awaited debut as Tosca at the Los Angeles Opera.

Following the critical and popular success of her first solo recording for Orfeo, released in spring 2006, and featuring some of her greatest Wagner and Strauss roles, Adrianne will record a CD of great Verdi heroines to be released in the fall 2008. Her first recording received high praise for showcasing her "dramatic finesse and musical intensity" (Bühne) and "her bright, gleaming sound with its vibrant top…ideal in the jügendlich-dramatisch fach. Her singing combines beauty, power and nuance." (La Scena Musicale).

Adrianne's Bayreuth debut as Sieglinde in a new production of Die Walküre in the summer of 2006 brought unanimous acclaim from critics and public alike. In September, she reprised the role in the Canadian Opera Company's new and highly acclaimed Ring Cycle to mark the opening of their new opera house. Recitals in Toronto and Calgary followed before her return to the Vienna Staatsoper to star in a new production of Arabella. January 2007 took her to Barcelona for performances as Elisabetta in Don Carlo and spring saw Adrianne return to Munich in one of her signature roles: the Marshallin in Der Rosenkavalier and debut with l'Orchestre symphonique de Montréal performing works by Schubert and Messiaen . In June she appeared in a major opera gala, Luna, at the Luminato Festival in Toronto and then returned to the Bayreuth Festival to reprise the role of Sieglinde.

Recent highlights include a tour with the Bavarian State Opera to Japan in Tannhäuser, appearances as Ariadne in Ariadne auf Naxos in Vienna, the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro at the Los Angeles Opera, Lisa in Pique Dame and the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier in Munich. She has received high praise for performances as the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier at the Salzburg Festival, Elisabetta in the Dresden State Opera's Don Carlo, a role she reprised for her debut at the Teatro Comunale in Florence, Sieglinde in Die Walküre and Lisa in Pique Dame at the Metropolitan Opera, and Elisabeth in Tännhauser at Milan's famed La Scala. In 2004, Adrianne's portrayal of Sieglinde in the Canadian Opera Company's new production of Die Walküre captured the imagination of audiences and critics and making this one of her signature roles.

Adrianne Pieczonka was recognized as the best female opera singer of the 2002/3 season by Spain's critics association for her performance in the title role of Ariadne auf Naxos at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona.

A consummate concert and recital artist, Adrianne took Toronto by storm in her debut recital at Roy Thomson Hall, garnering such praise as "Adrianne Pieczonka's pearly soprano is as lustrous a sound as anyone could imagine…" (Globe & Mail). She has also given song recitals in Great Britain, Austria, France and Canada. Recent appearances include performances of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester under the baton of Kent Nagano in Berlin, and a reprisal of the same work for a televised gala to celebrate the opening of the new Dortmund Theatre.

Adrianne's recordings have also garnered critical praise - of Falstaff with Bryn Terfel and conducted by Claudio Abbado the Sunday Times wrote: "the radiant-voiced Adrianne Pieczonka as Alice". Her Naxos recording of Don Giovanni received similar accolades: "Of the women, Adrianne Pieczonka, the Anna, is the best, with clear, bright tones..." (Grammaphone, December 2001). Considered a major interpreter of Richard Strauss, Ms. Pieczonka is featured on The Complete Orchestra Songs of Richard Strauss (Nightingale). She has also recorded Die Fledermaus (Rosalinde) for the same label.

Ms. Pieczonka began her career at the Canadian Opera Company in Lady MacBeth of Mzensk in 1988, returning to that company in 1994 to sing the role of Mimi in La Bohème. In 1989 she joined the Vienna Volksoper and established her home and career in Europe. In 1991 she became a member of the Vienna Staatsoper where she continues to enjoy great success. In 1995, Adrianne Pieczonka's U.K. debut at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni brought an immediate invitation to return to sing the title role of Arabella in 1996. In 1997 she made her debut at the Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires as Tatyana in Eugene Onegin, and in 1998, made her debut as Ellen Orford in Peter Grimes in Hamburg and as Desdemona at the Vienna Staatsoper.

Adrianne Pieczonka makes her home in Toronto, Canada.

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© 2000 Moira Johnson C August 7, 2007 onsulting, All Rights Reserved