The Isreali mezzo-soprano, Ilona Toivis, was born in the former Soviet Union. She graduated from the Buchman-Mehta School of Music at the Tel-Aviv University, where she studied for her Bachelor's Degree and her Master's degree with Tamar Rachum. She has participated in master-classes with Hilde Zadeck and John Meteli. She has been a recipient of the America Israel Cultural Foundation, the Land in Mine Foundation and the Buchman-Mehta School of Music scholarships. In 2005, she has won a special scholarship in the Hilde Zadeck Competition in Vienna.
Ilona Toivis performed as soloist in concerts and recital all over Israel including in works by Antonio Vivaldi (Gloria) and Leonard Bernstein (Chichester Psalms). She performed at the Mahler Festival in the Czech Republic. Her operatic repertoire includes Hansel in Hansel und Gretel (Engelbert Humperdinck), Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro (W.A. Mozart), Orfeo in Orfeo ed Euridice (Gluck), Sesto in Guglio Cesare (George Frideric Handel), Orlovsky in Die Fledermaus (J. Strauss) and others. She was a member of the Israeli Opera's Opera Studio where her repertoire includes the Third Lady in Die Zauberflote (W.A. Mozart) and the Witch in Hansel und Gretel (E. Humperdinck). She has performed the title role in La Cenerentola (Rossini) is a special touring production of the Israeli Opera. She currently lives in Tel-Aviv, Israel. |