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The Hungarian-Canadian mezzo-soprano and voices teacher, Krisztina Szabó, obtained her Bacxhelor of Music degree from the University of Western Ontario studying with Darryl Edwards (1990-1994); and her Post Diploma Vocal Training in Voice Performance from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, England (1995-1996). She has been the recipient of the Emerging Artist grant from Canada Council and has been honoured by her home town of Mississauga with a star on the Music Walk of Fame in its inaugural year.
Krisztina Szabó is a self-employed mezzo soprano since 1998. She was Ensemble Studio Member at Canadian Opera Company (1998-2001), and mezzo-soprano singer at Queen of Puddings Music Theatre (2005-2011). She is highly sought after in both North America and Europe as an artist of supreme musicianship and stagecraft, and has become known for her promotion and performance of contemporary Canadian works. Among her many laudatory reviews, Opera Canada declared her to be an “exceptional talent” after her performance of the title role of Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, and after a performance with Tapestry Opera, the music blog, Schmopera wrote that “her instrument is one-of-a-kind and she has cemented herself as a darling of Canadian experimental music and opera…her sensibility and sensitivity to the material is truly inspiring”. In her hometown of Toronto, Canada, she has been nominated twice for a Dora Award for Outstanding Female Performance.
Krisztina 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, and is well-known as an interpreter of new music. She sings frequently at the Canadian Opera Company and has been seen in diverse roles, such as singing three leading roles (Thisbe/Arianna/Clorinda) in a triple bill production, Pyramus and Thisbe, Le Pèlerin in L’amour de loin, Idamante in W.A. Mozart's Idomeneo, Musetta in La bohème, The Double-Offred in the Time Before in The Handmaid’s Tale and Nancy in Benjamin Britten's Albert Herring. In 2006 she helped christen the company’s new opera house in their critically acclaimed Ring Cycle as Wellgunde in Das Rheingold and Götterdämmerung, and Siegrune in Die Walküre and returned to open their 2006-2007 season in the role of Dorabella in W.A. Mozart's Così fan tutte. Canadian audiences have also seen her as the tile role in Cenerentola with Edmonton Opera, Donna Elvira in W.A. Mozart's Don Giovanni, Sesto in W.A. Mozart's La clemenza di Tito and Musetta in La bohème with Vancouver Opera, Cherubino in W.A. Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro and Meg in Little Women with Calgary Opera, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia with L’Opéra de Québec, Edmonton Opera and Calgary Opera, Second Lady in W.A. Mozart's Die Zauberflöte with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Ruggiero in George Frideric Handel's Alcina in concert with Les Violons du Roy, Nerone in Agrippina with L’Opéra de Montréal, and as the title role in Iphigénie en Tauride with Opera Atelier. She has performed and débuted many new works, staged and concert, with Toronto’s Tapestry Opera, Against the Grain Theatre, Soundstreams, Esprit Orchestra, Continuum Music, and Queen of Puddings Music Theatre, National Arts Centre Orchestra.
Outside of Canada, Krisztina Szabó has performed a wide variety of roles including: Judith in Béla Bartók's Bluebeard’s Castle with Colorado Music Festival, Rosalind in The Mines of Sulphur for the Wexford Festival Opera (company début), Countess in Le nozze di Figaro, Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni – all with Chicago Opera Theater, Magnolia in 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 opera, The Midnight Court, with Queen of Puddings Music Theatre’s tour to England, Hänsel in Engelbert Humperdinck's Hänsel und Gretel, Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos and Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro with Stadttheater Klagenfurt, Bianca in Mercadante’s Il giuramento with Washington Concert Opera, Ljubica in Sokolovic’s Svadba/Wedding with Opera Philadelphia and Dido in Dido and Aeneas with Music of the Baroque.
Krisztina Szabó is a frequent performer of recital, concert and chamber repertoire. She has appeared as a soloist with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in W.A. Mozart’s Mass in C minor, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in J.S. Bach’s Mass in B minor (BWV 232), Orchestre Symphonique de Québec in J.S. Bach’s Mass in B minor (BWV 232), Vancouver Bach Choir in John Adams’ El niño, the San Antonio Symphony in G.F. Handel's Messiah, the Talisker Players in Toronto for an evening of chamber music, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir in L.v. Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis and Felix Mendelssohn’s Elijah, the Elora Festival Orchestra in Verdi’s Requiem, Les Violons du Roy's USA tour in Haydn’s cantata Arianna a Naxos , the Brooklyn Academy of Music in staged production of J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244) and the Oregon Symphony in W.A. Mozart's Requiem. She has also appeared as soloist with Plural Ensemble in Madrid, Spain, under the baton of renowned composer-conductor, Péter Eötvös.
In recital, Krisztina Szabó 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 Orchestra, Canadian Art Song Project, Festival of the Sound, Grand Teton Festival Soundstreams, Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, Waterside Music Festival, Stratford Summer Music Festival and Indian River Festival.
In the 2017-2018 season, Krisztina Szabó made her Royal Opera and Netherlands Opera débuts in George Benjamin’s new opera, Lessons in Love and Violence. The recording of Lessons in Love and Violence was recently nominated for a Grammy. Highlights of the 2018-2019 season include being featured performer in Steffani: Drama and Devotion and G.F. Handel's Messiah with the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra; George Benjamin’s Into the Little Hill with Mahler Chamber Orchestra for Musikfest Berlin; Kopernikus (Claude Vivier) with Against the Grain Theatre (Toronto) which won a Dora Award for Best Ensemble. She also sang the world premiere of Canadian composer, Ian Cusson’s Where There’s A Wall with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Ottawa, and the Canadian premiere of Toshio Hosokawa’s The Raven for Toronto New Music Projects at the University of Toronto.
In the 2019-2020 season, Krisztina Szabó sings Gertrude in Hänsel und Gretel with CanaOpera Company, as soloist in W.A. Mozart's Requiem with Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, G.F. Handel's Messiah with Early Music Vancouver and Portland Baroque Orchestra, J.S. Bach’s Mass in B minor (BWV 232) with Music of the Baroque, L.v. Beethoven’s Mass in C Major with Kansas City Symphony, Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder with Donald Runnicles and Toronto Symphony Orchestra Chamber Soloists, J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion (BWV 245) with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244) with Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, Craig Hella Johnson’s oratorio Considering Matthew Shephard with Pax Christi Chorale, and a return to Bethlehem Bach Festival for J.S. Bach cantatas and the Mass in B minor (BWV 232).
Krisztina 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. She can also be heard as a featured soloist in a recording with the Talisker Players “Where Words and Music Meet“, Musica Leopolis CD's works of Lysenko, Stetsenko, Stepovy and Galicians I (4 different CD's), Singing Somers Theatre (the works of Harry Somers) and Baby Kintyre, a radio opera by Dean Burry.
Krisztina Szabó has been Self-employed voice teacher since September 2011. She served as Voice Teacher at the University of Toronto (September 2014-April 2020). From August 2020, she is Assistant Professor of Voice and Opera at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver. She lives in Toronto with her husband, Kristian Clarke and their daughter, Phoibe Clarke. |
