Kallen Esperian Biography
Favored by many to be the most important winner of the Luciano Pavarotti
Vocal Competition in her early twenties, Kallen Esperian has partnered star
quality like Pavarotti and Domingo from La Scala to the Metropolitan Opera. She
was featured in the film 'Distant Harmony' while in China with the great
Pavarotti and in recent years has emerged as the 'Verdi' soprano of choice by
international opera houses.
Kallen Esperian began the 2000-2001 season
performing Elisabetta in Don Carlo again after taking
part in the new production at the Bayerische Staatsoper under the
direction of Zubin Mehta last summer. She also recently had a
triumph in Carnegie Hall in one of her signature roles - Desdemona,
opposite the Otello of Carlo Begonzi! She has been performing in
the world's preeminent opera houses for a dozen years and has
evolved into a world-renowned Verdi soprano.
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1999-2000 began with her Alice in Chicago's opening night
Falstaff and continued with her Dallas Opera debut as
Rosalinde in their new Fledermaus. A winner of the 1985
Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition, she has since
performed on the stages of the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden,
La Scala, Vienna, Opera de Paris, Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires, Lyric
Opera of Chicago, Deutsche Opera and Staatsoper/Berlin, Teatro
Comunale, Bologna, San Carlo, Napoli, and the Arena di
Verona.
Highlights from recent seasons have included: Desdemona at the
Teatro Comunale Bologna, Liu in Chicago, and both Desdemona and
Amelia (Simon Boccanegra) at Covent Garden,
Traviata with Opera Memphis and Norma with both
Pittsburgh Opera and Opera Memphis. Earlier career highlights have
included the Metropolitan Opera Opening Night Gala in 1993 with
Pavarotti and Domingo; a great triumph as Desdemona to Placido
Domingo's Otello with the Opera National de Paris Bastille; the
soprano lead Lina for La Scala's first-ever Stiffelio
with Jose Carreras.
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She has performed numerous concerts with Luciano Pavarotti, some
of them televised on PBS. A CD and video of her Pavarotti Plus at
Royal Albert Hall was released by Decca in 1996. She also has an
album of American Folk Songs, entitled "AMERICAN
TREASURE" on the Pro Organo label.
In addition to opera, Ms. Esperian is a wonderful recitalist and
concert performer. She is one of tbe "Three Sopranos" who
have concertized throughout the world. She has performed with many
of the world's major orchestras and has sung numerous
performances of the Verdi Requiem with many of the
world's great conductors including: Sir Colin Davis, Giuseppe
Sinopoli, Robert Shaw, Daniele Gatti, Daniel Oren and David
Zinman.
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St Jude Hospital, Memphis, Benefit Concert
Kallen with Tom Machen, son John and a young patient
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The 1998-99 season began with her portrayal of Amelia in
Washington Opera's Simon Boccanegra and saw her in
Three Sopranos concerts as well as concerts with Luciano Pavarotti.
She performed Luisa Miller in Barcelona last spring. This
was followed by a recital in Austin and a Three Sopranos concert in
London with Pavarotti. July had her at the Teatro Comunale, Firenze
performing in the Richard Tucker Gala, televised in 2000 throughout
Europe and on PBS in the United States.
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2001 featured Verdi: Elisabetta, again in Munchen; Leonora in
Frankfurt Opera's Il Trovatore; Guliana in Il
Corsaro for her debut at the Athens Megaron,
followed by a Rome Opera appearance in a gala Verdi concert with
Marcello Giordani. She performed the Verdi Requiem at the
Maggio Musicale. A new production of
Manon Lescaut took place in Munchen and
Madama Butterfly and Ballo un Maschera entered her
repertoire with new productions in Munchen and Amsterdam.
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