This week a new production of Ponchielli’s “La Gioconda” is set to open at the famed Salzburg Easter Festival. The opera, which is rarely performed, required six of the greatest voices and the festival lined up a star cast including rising star Eve-Maud Hubeaux, who is set to portray her first Laura.

Over the past years, the mezzo has become a go-to in some of the most demanding roles including the works of Verdi, Wagner, and Bizet. Hubeaux had a breakthrough in 2022 when she jumped into a run of “Aida” at the Salzburg Festival singing the role of Amneris. Critics praised the mezzo and said, “It might be fair to say that Ève-Maud Hubeaux’s Amneris enjoyed the evening’s real triumph. And indeed, with her appealing looks, strikingly-sleek figure and passionate vocal contribution, one has to question this Radamès taste somewhat.”

Now as she takes on the role of Laura, Hubeaux will receive the Herbert von Karajan Prize, which is given to rising stars that have already showcased outstanding artistic skills.

For those not in Salzburg for the sold-out performances of “La Gioconda,” O1 will broadcast a recording of the opening on April 6. The mezzo is also set to perform in Paris Opera’s “La Vestale” and will return to Salzburg for “Capriccio.”

Recordings 

For those who want to discover more about the mezzo’s work, here are videos of her performing in “Carmen,” “Don Carlo,” and “Hamlet.”