Aleksandra Kurzak

Soprano Aleksandra Kurzak possesses the vocal radiance and stage magnetism that have earned her superstar billing. Reviewers have singled out both the brilliance of her coloratura and the precision of her dramatic delivery. Her command of technique equips her to surmount the demanding range of Mozart’s “Come scoglio,” while her suppleness and nuance allow her to shape Donizetti’s “Regnava nel silenzio” with exquisite tenderness. Before she reached her early thirties she had already performed at the world’s foremost opera theaters—the Met, Covent Garden, Vienna State Opera, La Scala, and numerous others. Although her repertory centers on standard works, she has also embraced contemporary opera, appearing as the Maid in Adès’ Powder Her Face. Recital and concert engagements remain regular features of her schedule, and she has issued multiple recordings.

Born on August 7, 1977, in Brzeg Dolny, Poland, Kurzak grew up in a musical household; her father played the French horn and her mother was soprano Jolanta Zmurko. She regards her mother as her most influential instructor and credits Zmurko with laying the foundation of her vocal method, even after later study with additional teachers. At age seven she began lessons on both violin and piano, yet the violin soon became her principal instrument and she also entertained ambitions of a ballet career. Only at nineteen did she turn seriously to singing. Between 1996 and 2000 she attended the Wroclaw Conservatory, simultaneously entering competitions and making stage appearances. In 1998 she won the Stanislaw Moniuszko International Vocal Competition; the next year she made her Wroclaw State Opera debut as Susanna in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro. She added another victory in 2000 at Barcelona’s Viñas International Singing Competition.

From 2001 to 2007 Kurzak was engaged at the Hamburg State Opera, initially as an apprentice in its Young Artist program and, from 2003 onward, as a full company member. Early assignments there included secondary parts such as Kate Pinkerton in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, but she progressed to leading roles including Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto and the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. During the same period she pursued further studies at Hamburg’s Hochschule für Musik. Offers from major houses arrived in quick succession. Her Met debut occurred in 2004 as Olympia in Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann, followed in 2005 by her Covent Garden debut as Aspasia in Mozart’s Mitridate, rè di Ponto. Subsequent Met appearances encompassed Blonde in Mozart’s Abduction from the Seraglio (2008) and Gretel in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel (2011). She made her La Scala debut in 2010, again as Gilda.

Kurzak signed an exclusive contract with Decca in 2010; her debut album Gioia, featuring arias by Mozart, Rossini, Verdi, Puccini, and others, appeared the following year. Additional recordings have been released on Warner Classics, Deutsche Grammophon, and Sony Classical. In 2017 she married tenor Roberto Alagna and contributed to his 2019 album Caruso 1873. Two years later she issued the solo recital Desire on Sony Classical.