Zuzana Marková

Biography

Born in Prague (1988), Zuzana Marková made her début at the age of 16 performing the role of Frantiska in Burian’s opera Opera z Pouti at the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre (Czech Republic). She studied singing, piano and conducting at the Prague Conservatory and participated in Master classes of Mietta Sighele and Veriano Lucchetti in Riva del Garda.
She continued her vocal studies by Paola Pittaluga in the Opera studio in Bologna (2010/2011).

She was the winner of the vocal competition “Young Prague Singers” in 2003 and 2nd prize at the song competition “Duškova” in Prague. In 2005 she also represented as a conductor the Czech Republic at the Expo in Japan. In 2012 Zuzana Marková was the winner of the second prize at the Ernst Häfliger International Competition in Switzerland.

In the recent seasons, Zuzana Marková debuted at Opernhaus Zürich as Elvira in I puritani, at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow in La Traviata, at Teatro San Carlo in Napoli in Il Cappello di Paglia di Firenze and at Carlo Felice in Genoa in Lucia di Lammermoor. She appeared in concert with the Essen Philharmonic, she returned to Teatro Massimo di Palermo as Violetta, to La Fenice in Venice as Lucia di Lammermoor and to Oper Köln as Manon. Most recently, she sang La Traviata at Opera di Firenze and I Puritani at Oper Frankfurt, as well as concerts with Orchestra e Coro del Teatro La Fenice under the baton of M° Chung, US debut as Violetta in La Traviata at Atlanta Opera, I Puritani at Opéra Royal de Wallonie in Liegi, La Traviata at La Fenice, Die Zauberflöte at Los Angeles Opera.

Some of her future plans include the Lucia di Lammermoor at Opera de Liège, Rigoletto at Oper Frankfurt.

Recent seasons’ engagements have included: Marianne in Sauget’s Les caprices de Marianne with Opéra de Reims, Opéra-Théâtre de Metz-Métropole, Opéra municipal de Marseille, Opéra de Tours, Opéra Grand Avignon, Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux and Opéra-Théâtre de Limoges; Ismene in Alceste with Teatro La Fenice in Venice (conductor Guillaume Tourniaire and stage director Pier Luigi Pizzi), Oscar in Un ballo in maschera with Teatro Massimo di Palermo conducted by Paolo Arrivabeni with staging of Massimo Gasparon, Violetta in La Traviata at Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, Donizetti’s Anna Bolena at Opéra municipal de Marseille, Lucia di Lammermoor with Opéra Grand Avignon and Teatro delle Muse in Ancona.

Further highlights were La cantatrice in Sciarrino’s Aspern conducted by Marco Angius, Inés in Meyerbeer’s L’Africaine conducted by Emmanuel Villaume and directed by Leo Muscato, and Elizabeth Zimmer in Henze’s Elegy for young lovers with Gran Teatro la Fenice in Venice conducted by Jonathan Webb and directed by Pier Luigi Pizzi; she debuted as Lucia di Lammermoor (conductor Alain Guingal and stage director Frédéric Bélier-Garcia) followed by the debut as Violetta in La Traviata at Opéra municipal de Marseille (conductor Eun Sun Kim and stage director Renée Auphan) and Miranda in La donna serpente with Festival della Valle d'Itria conducted by Fabio Luisi and directed by Arturo Cirillo.

In concert, she sang Omaggio a Verdi with the Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana in Palermo (arias and scenes from “La Traviata” and “Rigoletto”); the Opening Concert at Festival Avignon and Musiques en fête at Chorégie d'Orange; Classic in the City in Antwerp for the De Vlaamse Opera and concerts in Italy and China with the Orchestra Filarmonica Toscanini.

Other important debuts were: Thomas Adès’ Powder her face directed by Pier Luigi Pizzi and conducted by Philip Walsh with Teatro Comunale di Bologna and Gran Teatro La Fenice in Venice; Donna Anna in Don Giovanni (directed by Pier Luigi Pizzi ) and Clorinda in La Cenerentola conducted by Michele Mariotti and directed by Daniele Abbado with Teatro Comunale di Bologna; Queen in Krenek’s Das Geheime Königreich with Festival della Valle d’Itria and Opera Lübeck, and Principessa di Navarra in Donizetti’s Gianni di Parigi with the Opera Festival in Wexford.

Among her first debuts are: Grimaldi’s Salomé with Festival della Valle d’Itria; Tutino’s Senso (Hugo De Ana/Pinchas Steinberg) at Teatro Massimo di Palermo; Jitka in Smetana’s Dalibor, Minja in Zigante’s Il soffio delle fate, Susy in Tutino’s Vita, Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, Micaela in Carmen, Mozart’s Requiem, and Trojan’s Kolotoc with the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre.

Photo: J Henry Fair