Kristine Opolais

Kristine Opolais is one of the most sought-after sopranos on the international scene, with an established reputation amongst the world’s preeminent singing actresses.

Opolais has appeared on the world’s greatest stages, including The Metropolitan Opera House, Wiener Staatsoper, Staatsoper Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper, Teatro alla Scala, Opernhaus Zürich, and the Royal Opera House. She collaborates with renowned conductors, including Daniel Barenboim, Sir Antonio Pappano, Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Mark Elder, Andris Nelsons, Fabio Luisi, and Kirill Petrenko.

In the 2024/25 season, Opolais joins the Orchestra of the Finnish National Opera, conducted by Roderick Cox, for Shostakovich’s Symphony No.14, which she also performs as part of the Gewandhausorchester’s Shostakovich Festival under Nelsons’ baton. Opolais has formally recorded this piece with the Boston Symphony Orchestra for Deutsche Grammophon.

Following her critically-acclaimed portrayal of Katerina Ismailova in Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk with Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra in early 2024, Opolais reprised the role—for which she was praised by Operawire for her “powerful” performance and “incredible flexibility”—at Staatsoper Hamburg under the baton of Kent Nagano. Opalais will return to this signature role in 2025 at Oper Leipzig, again under Nelsons’ baton.

Further appearances this season include demonstration of her versatility with a selection of arias by Cilea, Dvořák, Verdi, Ponchielli, and Puccini for the opening season gala with the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kerem Hasan. A recital of note includes her return to China, with dates at Shanghai Oriental Art Center and Suzhou Bay Grand Theatre alongside pianist Agnese Eglina; the pair also collaborated last season for a recital series across Latvia, Hungary, and Brazil.

Opolais has been celebrated for her distinctive performances at The Metropolitan Opera House, including her appearances in La bohème and Madama Butterfly, when, in 2014, she made history at The Met with two role debuts in 18 hours. She has performed new productions of Manon Lescaut and Rusalka, which were broadcast as part of The Met: Live in HD series. In 2018, Opolais returned to The Met to sing Suor Angelica, a role she previously recorded on the Orfeo label.

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. She also has a significant relationship with the Bayerische Staatsoper, which began in 2010 when she made her debut as Rusalka in Martin Kušej’s new production. In Munich, she has assumed the roles of Manon Lescaut, Madama Butterfly, Tatjana in Eugene Onegin, Margherita in Mefistofele, and Vitellia in La clemenza di Tito.

Opolais has appeared at the Salzburger Festspiele, BBC Proms, Tanglewood Festival, the Musikverein Wien, Baden-Baden Festspielhaus, Royal Opera House Muscat, Royal Concertgebouw, and Carnegie Hall. She has performed with orchestras like the Berliner Philharmoniker, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Concertgebouworkest, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Filarmonica della Scala, and the NHK Symphony Orchestra. Her discography includes a DVD of Tosca in Baden-Baden with the Berliner Philharmoniker, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.