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The South African soprano, Elza van den Heever, was born and raised in Johannesburg, as one of triplets, the daughter of a filmmaker and an actress. She was and first trained as a mezzo-soprano, studying from age 18 at thee San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She was part of both the Merola Opera Program (2003, 2004) and the San Francisco Opera's Adler Fellowship (2005, 2006, 2007). In a transition process of five years, she learned new vocal technique and new roles. Winner of the 2008 Seattle Opera International Wagner Competition, she continues to study with soprano and master teacher Sheri Greenawald.
At San Francisco Opera, Elza van den Heever created in 2007 the role of Mary Custis Lee in the world premiere of Philip Glass’s Appomattox (conducted by Dennis Russell Davies) and sang Donna Anna in the company’s 2007 presentation of W.A. Mozart's Don Giovanni (her first major soprano role), performances that were seen nationwide via the company’s Grand Opera Cinema Series, and broadcast on Northern California’s KQED Public Television. In 2008, she appeared as Giorgetta in Puccini's Il tabarro at the Oper Frankfurt, conducted by Nicola Luisotti. She recorded the role in a 2010 concert performance from the Konzerthaus in Vienna, conducted by Bertrand de Billy, with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, alongside Johan Botha as Luigi and Wolfgang Koch as Michele. Her interpretation was described as exciting, with feminine glow in the high register, velvety timbre in the middle range, and an impeccable technique ("mit fraulich leuchtenden Höhen, samtig timbrierter Mittellage und einer untadeligen Technik". Performing also at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and in Paris, she appeared at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich in 2011 as Elsa in Wagner's Lohengrin, and in 2013 as Donna Anna.
Elza van den Heever made her notable debut with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in 2012 as Elisabetta in Donizetti's Maria Stuarda, in the opera's first production at the house, broadcast live and recorded. She sang alongside Joyce DiDonato in the title role and Matthew Polenzani as Leicester, staged by David McVicar and conducted by Maurizio Benini. “[Elza is] a vocally burnished and emotionally tempestuous Elizabeth … her voice has penetrating depth and character. She turns flights of coloratura passagework into bursts of jealousy and defiance” (The New York Times). She has performed several roles to great acclaim at the Metropolitan Opera, including Elettra in W.A. Mozart’s Idomeneo, and Donna Anna in W.A. Mozart’s Don Giovanni.
Elza van den Heever was unforgettable in the title role of Norma in a new Christopher Alden-directed production for Opéra National de Bordeaux (2015). Other signature portrayals in Europe have included Ellen Orford in Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes at the English National Opera and Wiener Staatsoper. As Elsa in Lohengrin at the Opernhaus Zürich, she was described as “… sharing more than a first name with the Wagnerian heroine. Her vocal lines are sophisticated, diction impeccable, and her inflection and nuances serve to depict Elsa as a young woman who is at once daring, bold and strong. This is truly wondrous in the second act during the verbal sparring with Ortrud, as well as in the final dramatic scene, in which her defiance is breathtaking” (Forum Opéra).
Elza van den Heever has also been lauded for her artistry as Desdemona in Otello at Oper Frankfurt, where she received praise for her “… huge voice, full of tenderness and precision” (Frankfurter Rundschau). In addition to Desdemona and Elisabetta di Valois in Verdi’s Don Carlo, she has also appeared on the Frankfurt stage as Elsa in Lohengrin, Vitellia in W.A. Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito, Antonia in Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann, and Elettra in W.A. Mozart’s Idomeneo. She has also performed the role of Elsa in Lohengrin at Munich’s Bayerische Staatsoper, Agathe in Weber’s Der Freischütz at Vienna’s Theater an der Wien, Fiordiligi in W.A. Mozart’s Così fan tutte for Opéra National de Paris, and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni as well as Giselda in Verdi’s I Lombardi at Hamburgische Staatsoper. Previous roles at the Opéra National de Bordeaux also include Elettra in Idomeneo, Der Komponist in Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos, the title role in Donizetti’s Anna Bolena, and Leonora in Verdi’s Il trovatore.
In addition to performances at The Metropolitan Opera across several seasons, Elza van den Heever's appearances in North America have included Armida in George Frideric Handel’s Rinaldo at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte and Norma at The Dallas Opera; and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni and the tile role of Alcina in G.F. Handel's Alcina (July-August 2017) with Santa Fe Opera. She has also starred as Norma at the Canadian Opera Company.
Elza van den Heever enjoys a flourishing performance partnership with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, with performances of Strauss’ Vier letzte Lieder and Grammy Award-winning performances of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 in San Francisco, on tour throughout Europe, and on disc for SFS Media. Her depiction of Ellen Orford for the English National Opera was repeated with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra in June 2014, where she was lauded as “… a brilliant Ellen, deploying her focused, penetrating instrument with urgency upon discovering the Boy’s bruises in Act II, and singing with ineffable beauty and poignancy in the Embroidery Aria” (Opera News).
In the 2019-2020 season, Elza van den Heever debuted as Julia in a new production by Johannes Erath of Spontini’s La Vestale at the Theater an der Wien. She later returned to The Metropolitan Opera to sing her first Marie in Alban Berg’s Wozzeck opposite baritone Peter Mattei and conducted by the Met’s Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. This production, a highlight of the Met Opera season, also received a Live in HD broadcast. Returning to Europe, she made her greatly anticipated role debut as Die Kaiserin in Strauss’ Die Frau ohne Schatten, singing it first in Paris and then in Rotterdam presented in concert; both performances were conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin (May 2020). Later in the season, she revisited the role in a staged production at Dutch National Opera. She starred as Leonore in L.v. Beethoven's Fidelio in Paris under the baton of Simone Young (May 2020), and lastly, sang Elsa von Brabant in Wagner’s Lohengrin at the Opernhaus Zürich. Additionally, she performed Verdi’s Requiem with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Edward Gardner at the Royal Festival Hall; G. Mahler’s epic Symphony No. 8 at the Bayerische Staatsoper with the Orchestra Academy of the Bayerisches Staatsorchester under the baton of Kirill Petrenko (June 2020); and Strauss’ Vier letzte Lieder with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra led by Yannick Nézet-Séguin at Carnegie Hall.
Highlights of the 2020-2021 season included a performance of Strauss’ Four Last Songs with the Orchestre de Paris, led by Simone Young, which was broadcasted by The Philharmonie Live; a performance in the Metropolitan Opera’s At-Home Gala; and then the Met Opera’s “Wagnerians in Concert,” part of the Met Stars Live in Concert series, streamed live from Wiesbaden, Germany.
Elza van den Heever brings her signature vocalism and renowned stage presence to celebrated international venues in the 2021-2022 season. Her first operatic engagement takes her to San Francisco Opera, marking the house’s return to live performances. She will star as Leonore in Matthew Ozawa’s bold new production of L.v. Beethoven's Fidelio, led by Eun Sun Kim. She returns to Staatsoper Berlin as Elsa in Calixto Bieito’s production of Lohengrin, stars as the title role in G.F. Handel's Rodelinda at the Metropolitan Opera, conducted by Harry Bicket, and then concludes the season at Opéra national de Paris as Chrysothemis in Robert Carsen’s celebrated production of Elektra. On the concert stage, she performs A. Berg’s Sieben frühe Lieder and Johannes Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem with the Orchestre de Paris under the baton of Simone Young. With the Staatskapelle Berlin, conducted by Daniel Barenboim, Elza is the soprano soloist in Bruckner’s joyful Te Deum. She returns to Carnegie Hall for a recital with pianist Vlad Iftinca to perform Sieben frühe Lieder and Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder. Her performance part of the Met Opera’s Stars Live in Concert series, “Wagnerians in Concert,” will be broadcasted on PBS’ Great Performances.
A dual citizen of France and South Africa, Elza van den Heever van den Heever makes her home in St. Jean de Védas, France. |
