|
The Dutch mezzo-soprano, Tania Kross, was born in the Netherlands Antilles. She studied voice at the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten in Utrecht with Henny Yana Diemer. She was a member of the opera class under the direction of producer Monique Wagemakers and pianist/coach Jan Slothouwer. She gained her Performer's Diploma in 2001. She has taken part in master-classes with Dawn Upshaw, Sarah Walker and Christa Ludwig. In recent years she has been awarded various important prizes: a first prize by the Stichting Jong Muziektalent Nederland, first prize in the Cristina Deutekom Concours 2000, an incentive prize in the Rosa Ponselle International Competition for Vocal Arts (New York), and the NPS Cultuur Prijs 2000.
Tania Kross has performed in several opera productions; her roles include Baba in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress, Siébel in Charles Gounod’s Faust, Zita in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus and the title role in Georges Bizet's Carmen, a production directed by Pierre Audi. She made her entry in eleven Dutch concert halls, among which the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, in a series called "Het Debuut". This season she again could be heard in the Kleine Zaal at the Concertgebouw in a recital upon invitation of the Dutch reknown Dutch author Adriaan van Dis.
During the 2002-2004 seasons Tania Kross is ensemble member at the Staatsoper in Hanover singing among others Cherubino (in Mozart’s Le nozze de Figaro), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly by Puccini), Sesto in Händel’s Giulio Cesare, Hänsel in Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel and Rosina in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia. From 2004 onwards she has been a frequent guest singer in Hannover. In addition to that she sang Flora in La Traviata and Suzuki (Madama Butterfly) at the Nederlandse Reisopera in 2003-2004, followed by Baba the Turk in Stravinsky’sThe Rake’s Progress in 2005. She was given the honour to represent The Netherlands in the 2003 BBC Singer of the World Contest in Cardiff, and set a mark with her interpretations of the arias of Ottavia and Sesto.
During the season 2004-2005 Tania Kross represented the Amsterdam Concertgebouw in the well known Rising Star series, and tour to all the major concert venues in the world, like Carnegie Hall in New York, Cité de la Musique in Paris, Musikverein in Wien etc. etc. She could also be heard as Baba the Turk in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress. Next season (2005-2006) Tania Kross will make her debut at De Nederlandse Opera as Lola in Cavaleria Rusticana, and will continue her guest performances at the State Opera of Hanover.
Early 2005 Tania Kross signed an exclusive contract with Universal (Decca/Deutsche Grammophon/Philips). In May 2006 she will release her first CD with Universal Records (Decca/Deutsche Grammofon/Philips). She will be presenting composers such as Montsalvatge, Enrique Granados, Braga, Obradors, and Joaquin Nin, whose work contributed to the musical melting pot of the Antilles, which in turn influenced the music of most of the Caribbean. In the summer of 2005 she accompaned Queen Beatrix on her Silver Jubilee Tour to the overseas territories. |
