Kristine Opolais is one of the most sought‐after sopranos on the international scene, with an established reputation amongst the world’s pre‐eminent singing actresses. Opolais has appeared at The Metropolitan Opera, Wiener Staatsoper, Staatsoper Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper, Teatro alla Scala, Opernhaus Zürich, and the Royal Opera House. She collaborates with renowned conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Sir Antonio Pappano, Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Mark Elder, Andris Nelsons, Fabio Luisi, and Kirill Petrenko.
Kristine Opolais has been celebrated for her distinctive performances at The Metropolitan Opera, including her appearances in La bohème, Madama Butterfly, and new productions of Manon Lescaut and Rusalka which received international broadcasts as part of the Met’s Live in HD cinema series. In 2018, Opolais returned to the Met to sing Suor Angelica, a role she previously recorded on the Orfeo label. Famously in 2014 she made history at the Met, with two role debuts in 18 hours. She gave an outstanding performance in the title role of Madama Butterfly, only to step in the following day for a matinée of La bohème, which was broadcast into theatres worldwide.
Opolais’ appearances at the Royal Opera House, where she has been heralded as “the leading Puccini soprano of today” (The Telegraph), include the title roles in Tosca, Manon Lescaut, and Madama Butterfly. Since 2012 she has had a significant relationship with the Bayerische Staatsoper, where she made her debut as Rusalka in Martin Kušej’s production. Additional roles in Munich include Manon Lescaut, Madama Butterfly, Tatjana in Eugene Onegin, Margherita in Mefistofele, and Vitellia in La clemenza di Tito.
Highlights of Opolais’ 2022/2023 season include returning to her signature role of Madama Butterfly at the Teatro Municipale Giuseppe Verdi Salerno. In concert, notable highlights include starring in a New Year's concert with the Gulbenkian Orchestra, led by Ukrainian conductor Oksana Lyniv and her highly anticipated return to Latvian National Opera for a gala concert in February 2023. Recently, Opolais joined renowned baritone Thomas Hampson and the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg for a their open‐air, season closing "Viva Verdi" concert, led by Gustavo Gimeno and gave her debut recital at the historic Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires.
Opolais also recently returned to the title role of Manon Lescaut at Staatsoper Hamburg and revisited the Teatro Comunale di Bologna in the title role of Adriana Lecouvreur after her triumphant role and house debut the previous season. Additionally, she starred in a new production of Tosca at Theater an der Wien, and returning to Semperoper Dresden in Madama Butterfly, led by Omer Meir Wellber. Amongst other highlights, Opolais made her debut as Cio‐Cio‐San in Marina Abramović's 7 Deaths of Maria Callas at the Teatro di San Carlo.
Opolais has made solo concert and recital appearances at the BBC Proms, Baden‐Baden Festspielhaus, Müpa Budapest, the Musikverein Wien, Salzburg Festival, Royal Concertgebouw, Royal Opera House Muscat, Tanglewood Festival and Carnegie Hall. She has appeared with the Berliner Philharmoniker, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the Concertgebouworkest, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Filarmonica della Scala and the NHK Symphony Orchestra. Opolais’ recent discography includes a DVD of “Tosca” in Baden‐Baden with the Berliner Philharmoniker, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.
