Dec 1, 2018

Artist Profile: Leontina Vaduva, Lyric Romanian Soprano

By David Salazar

There have been many great Romanian opera stars throughout the 20^th century. Leontina Vaduva was among them.

Born on Dec. 1, 1960, the soprano studied at the Bucharest Conservatory with Ileana Cotrubas and would go on to a solid international career that saw her appear at major houses in New York, London, Chicago, Paris, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Cologne, and Vienna.

In 1988, she won the Laurence Olivier Award for “Outstanding Achievement in Opera,” for her work in the title role of “Manon” at the Royal Opera House; she had debuted the role in Toulouse in 1987.

In addition to her work on stage, she has also taught several masterclasses. She also appeared in the film “Child’s Pose,” where she does give such a class.

Signature Role

The soprano was a well-known Mimì from Puccini’s “La Bohème.” It is the role that she performed at the Met in 2000; she also made her Chicago debut with the opera. She also recorded it and said in interviews that it was the one she identified with most closely.

Watch and Listen

Here are some famous clips from her “Romeo et Juliette” with Alagna.

And a clip from “La Bohème.”

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By David Salazar

Prior to creating OperaWire, DAVID SALAZAR, (Editor-in-Chief) worked as a reporter for Latin Post where he interviewed major opera stars including Placido Domingo, Anna Netrebko, Vittorio Grigolo, Diana Damrau and Rolando Villazon among others. His 2014 interview with opera star Kristine Opolais was cited in a New York Times Review.

He also had the opportunity of interviewing numerous Oscar nominees, Golden Globe winners and film industry giants such as Guillermo del Toro, Oscar Isaac and John Leguizamo among others.

David holds a Masters in Media Management from Fordham University. During his time at Fordham, he studied abroad at the Jagiellonian University in Poland. He also holds a dual bachelor’s from Hofstra University in Film Production and Journalism.