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"Stunning in every day. I can't wait to her again" La republica
Biography
With her remarkable voice, innate musical sensitivity, rare physical beauty, and electric stage presence, the young French mezzo-soprano Aurhelia Varak is already making a name for herself on today’s operatic scene.
Ms. Varak will make her role and company debut as Sesto in Handel’s Giulio Cesare at Glimmerglass Opera during the company’s 2008 Festival Season in a production conducted by David Stern and directed by Robin Guarino. Ms. Varak’s recent performances include the roles of Bergère, Chatte, Chauve-souris and Ecureuil in Ravel’s L’Enfant et les sortilèges at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, the role of the female protagonist in the world premiere performances of Fabio Vacchi’s Il letto della storia at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale in Florence, La Ciesca in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi at the Teatro Bucci in San Giovanni Valdarno under Giovanni Battista Varoli, Dorabella in concert performances of Mozart’s Così fan tutte at the Palazzo Farnese & Villa Medici, the Mother in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel at the National Theater of Rome, and the Mother in Henze’s Pollicino at the Vascello Theater in Rome, all under the baton of Claire Gibault, with the Henze directed by Daniele Abbado. Ms. Varak performed the role of Dorabella in a fully-staged production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte at the Opera Academy of the Hague under the baton of Kenneth Montgomery and participated in a workshop performance of the same opera with conductor Claudio Desderi.
nArmed with an unusual artistic versatility, Ms. Varak is equally comfortable on the recital platform and has performed in recital in France, Italy and Holland in a diverse repertoire ranging from early music to 21st-century song.
Ms. Varak is the recipient of a 2005 grant from the Wagner Foundation in Venice. She was a finalist in the 2004 International Rocca delle Macìe Competition, won the Special Jury Prize in the 2000 International Maîtres du Chant Français Competition, was the 2nd Prize winner in the d’Art Lyrique de Béziers Competition, and won 3rd Prize in the Concours d’Art Lyrique d’Alès.
A proficient pianist and violinist, Ms. Varak holds a vocal performance degree from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where she pursued her vocal studies with celebrated Dutch voice teacher Margreet Honig. Additionally, she was the recipient of a full scholarship to study with Shirley Verrett at the l’Accademia Chigiana di Siena and was a member of the Rossini Festival Opera Academy in Pesaro in 2003, under the direction of Alberto Zedda.
She has undertaken master classes with Walter Berry, Yvonne Minton, Paolo Montarsolo, and Alessandra Althoff at the Salzburg Mozarteum.\n\nMs. Varak currently resides in Paris."