This week the Royal Opera House will revive Nicholas Hytner’s production of Verdi’s “Don Carlo” and with it, an intriguing rising star will appear as Elisabetta. The soprano in question will be Kristin Lewis who will make her Royal Opera debut after Krassimira Stoynova canceled the production.

Lewis is slowly building her name internationally as she gained acclaimed in Italy, Germany, and the United States and recently sang the role of Elisabetta in Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.

Other recent highlights in her career include Ginevra in Giordano’s rarely performed “La cena delle beffe” and Bess Gerswhin’s “Porgy and Bess” at the Teatro alla Scala. She also performed the role of Nedda in Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci” at the Royal Danish Opera and Amelia in Verdi’s “Un Ballo In Maschera” at the Vienna State Opera.

Lewis is also a famous interpreter of Verdi’s “Aida,” a role she has performed at Teatro San Carlo, La Scala, Vienna State, Berlin Staatsoper, Seoul, Astana, Jerusalem, and Savonlinna.

Lewis first gained prominence as a finalist in many international competitions and was a winner at the Gian Battista Viotti International Music Competition. She was also named 2010 Artist of the Year by Savonlinna Opera Festival.

In addition to her efforts as a performer, the soprano founded the Kristin Lewis Foundation in 2014 to encourage talented musicians and encourage musical endeavors at all levels of performance.

Recordings 

For those unfamiliar with her voice, Lewis has several recordings including the Verdi Requiem for Erato under the direction of Philippe Jordan and Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera” from the Teatro Regio di Torino with Francesco Meli. She is also featured on a recording of Verdi’s “Aida” with Marianne Cornetti and Marco Berti. She also appears on the Berlin Opera Night gala DVD.