Mezzo Alexandra Papadjiakou has died at the age 76.

Born in Cyprus, Greece, Papadjiakou went on to study piano and harmony and continued her studies at the Conservatoire de Paris. She was eventually awarded first prize for song and lyric art and won the Toti Dal Monte award in Treviso, Italy. She also took home prizes at the International Competition of Wallonia and the International Competition in Paris.

Her career took off after making debut in France and later performed in festivals in Bayreuth, Montreux and Athens.

She also became an important star at the Greek National Opera where she made her debut in 1975 and sang until 1994. With company she sang 13 operas in 18 productions. Among the works she sang were “Le nozze di Figaro,” “Il barbiere di Siviglia,” “L ‘Italiana in Algeri,” and “L’ assedio di Corinto.”

Papadjiakou also appeared at the Athens Concert Hall in several operas including “Pelléas et Mélisande,” “Thaïs,” and “Medea” and collaborated with the Athens State Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) and the Orchestra of Colors.

Internationally, Papadjiakou performed in European theaters like the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and in the USA at the Spoleto Festival USA. The mezzo left many recordings behind including Bellini’s “Zaira” with Katia Ricciarelli and “La Sonnambula” with Raul Gimenez.