Soprano Katrina Galka. Photo by BRIAN PARILLO
Biography
The Oregonian praises soprano Katrina Galka for her recent performances of Adina in L’elisir d’amore, exclaiming that she “looked like a young Glenn Close, projecting power over Nemorino as she thrilled with fine coloratura filigree and pure high notes.” In the 2023-24 season, she makes her debut at the Teatro alla Scala as the First Niece in Peter Grimes and returns to the Staatsoper Hamburg as Adele in Die Fledermaus. She also returns to New Orleans Opera for her first performances of the title role of Lucia di Lammermoor and Portland Opera for concerts based on Shakespearean works. Coming seasons include her returns to Teatro alla Scala, Opernhaus Zürich, and Staatsoper Hamburg as well as her debuts with San Francisco Opera and Opera Colorado. Last season, she sang Blondchen in Die Entführung aus dem Serail in her debut with the Bayerische Staatsoper and in returns to the Opernhaus Zürich and Staatsoper Hamburg. Prior to this, she made her debut at the Staatsoper Hamburg as Frasquita in Carmen and, later in the season, she returned to Cunegonde in Candide with the Glimmerglass Festival, Gilda in Rigoletto with Intermountain Opera Bozeman as well as to Arizona Opera for her first performances of Konigin der Nacht in Die Zauberflöte. She also returned to the Las Vegas Philharmonic for Handel’s Messiah and sang Julie Jordan in Carousel at Pensacola Opera.
Ms. Galka made her role and company debut as Olympia in Les contes d’Hoffmann at the Opernhaus Zürich and her Wiener Staatsoper debut as Fritzi in the world premiere of Staud’s Die Weiden and was immediately reengaged for the revival in the following season. She added the roles of Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos and the Charmeuse in Thais to her repertoire for performances of Arizona Opera and Utah Opera, respectively, that were cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic. She made further role and company debuts as the Controller in Dove’s Flight with Minnesota Opera, Blondchen in Die Entführung aus dem Serail with Atlanta Opera—followed by reprisals at New Orleans Opera and Opera San Jose, Atalanta in Xerxes at the Glimmerglass Festival, and Serpetta in La finta giardiniera with On Site Opera at the Caramoor International Music Festival, and Aithra in Die ägyptische Helena with Odyssey Opera.
She sang her first performances of Gilda in Rigoletto in a return to Portland Opera, where she was previously a resident artist and host of role debuts that include Adina in L’elisir d’amore, Johanna in Sweeney Todd, Elvira in L’italiana in Algeri, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, and Frasquita in Carmen. With Arizona Opera Opera, she sang Cunegonde in Candide, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Woglinde in Das Rheingold, and a quartet of roles in Morganelli’s Hercules vs Vampires, the First Wood Nymph in Rusalka and Clorinda in La cenerentola as a resident artist. She joined the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy as a guest artist for Frasquita in Carmen and sang prior performances of Papagena in Die Zauberflöte with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis at which she has been both a Festival Artist and a Gerdine Young Artist. She joined the CoOperative Program as Marie in La fille du régiment.
On the concert stage, she has twice joined the Las Vegas Philharmonic for Handel’s Messiah, the Florida Orchestra for Mozart’s Requiem and an evening of Bernstein favorites, and the Rhode Island Civic Chorale for Messiah and the Angel in Respighi’s Laude to the Nativity. She sang Elvira in excerpts of L’italiana in Algeri with the Oregon Symphony and Violetta in excerpts of La traviata with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. With various Dallas-based chamber ensembles and orchestras, she has sung Fauré’s Requiem, Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate, and Bach’s St. John Passion. In 2011, Katrina performed in the East Coast premiere of Jake Heggie’s Pieces of 9/11 as the Girl Soprano, with Mr. Heggie at the piano.
Ms. Galka is a three-time regional award winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She is the first-place winner of the Mario Lanza Scholarship and has received further awards from the National Opera Association Vocal Competition, Marcello Giordani International Vocal Competition, and the Heida Hermanns International Vocal Competition. She holds a Master of Music from Boston University, at which she sang Servilia in La clemenza di Tito and Carolina in Il matrimonio segreto, and her Bachelor of Music from Southern Methodist University, from which she graduated summa cum laude.
“As Gilda, Katrina Galka sang a focused 'Caro nome,' with a fine trill, and at the other extreme, she held her own in the dramatic storm trio. But it was the pathos in the voice she brought to 'Tutte le feste' and the remainder of the opera that was most distinctive and outstanding.”
— Opera News
