Viktoria Vizin (Carmen)
Hungarian mezzo soprano Viktoria Vizin has been hailed by critics as a "ravishing Carmen." Miss Vizin attended Franz Liszt Conservatory and won the International Singing Competition "Nicolae Bretan" in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. She debuted as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and completed her Master’s and Ph.D. in vocal studies in Romania in 1996.
She performed at the Arena di Verona Festival in 1997 and in 1998 singing the roles of Contessa di Ceprano, Giovanna, Maddalena and Paggio in Rigoletto, Sacerdotessa in Aïda, and Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly.In 1997, she was heralded "Best Hungarian Participant" at the International Singing Competition in Budapest and won the Giuseppe Di Stefano International Competition and the Hariclea Darclée Competition and performed Amaranta in Sarlatan at the Wexford Festival in 1998. She returned the following season to sing the role of Jadwiga in Straszny dwór and performed as a contralto solo singer in Stabat Mater. In 2000, she was awarded second prize at the International Belvedere Competition and debuted at the Vienna Staatsoper as Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, in Budapest as Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte, at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein as Zerlina in Don Giovanni, and at the Grand Théâtre de Gèneve as Rossweisse in Die Walküre. In 2002, Miss Vizin debuted at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in Hungary as Flora in La Traviata and returned to perform Pauline in Francesca Zambello’s production of Pique Dame the following season. In Greece, she appeared as Adalgisa in Norma, and in Hungary as Cherubino, Maddalena and Dorabella at the National State Theatre in Budapest. She also portrayed Melibea in Il Viaggio a Reims in Toronto, and returned the following season to perform Pauline in Queen of Spades. In 2003, Viktoria Vizin made her U.S. debut portraying Isabella in L'Italiana in Algeri and the title roles in Carmen, The Cunning Little Vixen, and Capriccio. In 2004, she returned to Dusseldorf to sing Hansel in Hansel and Gretel and Maddalena in Rigoletto. She appeared in two New Year's Eve concerts in Kecskemet, Hungary and sang the role of Maddalena at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden with Dimitri Hvorostovsky and Rolando Villazon. In 2006, she performed with Lyric Opera of Chicago as cover for Denyce Graves and then debuted as Carmen with Vincenzo la Scola. In 2007, Miss Vizin again debuted as Carmen at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, at the Hungarian State Opera House, at then as Carmen for Los Angeles Opera in 2008. Viktoria Vizin debuted as Maddalena in Rigoletto at the MET earlier this year.