Operatic highlights during the 2026/27 season include returns to The Metropolitan Opera and Bayerische Staatsoper as Kundry in Wagner’s Parsifal and to the Wiener Staatsoper as Princess Bouillon in Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur. Garanča sings the role of Judith in concert performances of Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle at the Royal Ballet & Opera, as well as with the Münchner Philharmoniker in Munich and Baden-Baden, and with the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra in Monte-Carlo and at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées.
Garanča joins the Wiener Philharmoniker and Yannick Nézet-Séguin on tour in Vienna and the US for Mahler’s Symphony no. 2. She performs Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder and Berg's Sieben frühe Lieder at the the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and undertakes a Japanese gala concert tour conducted by Karel Mark Chichon.
Last season, opera performances included Santuzza Cavalleria Rusticana for the Bayerische Staatsoper, the title role Carmen & Marguerite La Damnation de Faust for the Opernhaus Zürich, as well as Princess Bouillon Adriana Lecouvreur for Teatro di San Carlo. Garanča recently undertook a European concert tour of Verdi’s Messa di Requiem with the Staatskapelle Dresden (Daniele Gatti), having also performed the work at the Menuhin Festival Gstaad (Gianandrea Noseda), Festival Europäische Wochen Passau (Kent Nagano) and with the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (Sir Antonio Pappano) and Philharmonia Orchestra (Ricardo Muti) to name a few.
Garanča recently made her Bayreuther Festspiele debut as Kundry Parsifal, a role which she debuted at the Wiener Staatsoper and reprised for the Staatsoper Unter den Linden. She made her role debut as Judith Bluebeard’s Castle with Teatro di San Carlo, later performing the role at Carnegie Hall and on tour to Japan and South Korea with the Metropolitan Opera.
Other operatic highlights include Dalila Samson et Dalila, Carmen, Santuzza Cavalleria Rusticana, Princess Eboli Don Carlo, Princess de Bouillon Adriana Lecouvreur & Amneris Aida with the Wiener Staatsoper; Amneris & Octavian in a new production of Der Rosenkavalier for The Metropolitan Opera; Amneris & Dalila for Royal Ballet and Opera, Covent Garden; Princess Eboli & Santuzza for Teatro alla Scala Milan; Princess Eboli with Opéra national de Paris; Amneris for the Bayerische Staatsoper & Staatsoper Berlin; Santuzza with Opernhaus Zürich and Princess de Bouillon for Teatro Real.
Garanča’s many concert performances include Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Ricardo Muti) and at the Lucerne Festival (Ricardo Chailly), the 2023 “Summer Nights” open-air gala at Schönbrunn Palace with the Wiener Philharmoniker (Yannick Nézet-Séguin), Mahler Symphony no. 3 with the Teatro alla Scala Orchestra (Daniele Gatti) and Münchner Philharmoniker (Robin Ticciati), as well as Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder (Daniel Baremboim) and "Europakonzert" with the Berliner Philharmoniker (Kirill Petrenko), which was performed in support of Ukraine and broadcast worldwide from the Great Amber Concert Hall in Liepāja. Further concert appearances include at Carnegie Hall, Wiener Konzerthaus, Wigmore Hall, Berlin Philharmonie, Philharmonie de Paris, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Palau de la Música Catalana, Opéra National de Paris, Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid, Gstaad New Year Music Festival, Teatr Wielki, Suntory Hall, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Teatro di San Carlo and Staatsoper Unter den Linden amongst others.
Garanča was born into a musical family in Riga, Latvia, and studied at the Latvian Academy of Music with her mother. She began her professional career as a resident artist with the Südthüringischer Staatstheater in Meiningen and later with Oper Frankfurt. She is particularly famed for her portrayal of Bizet’s Carmen and was described by the New York Times as “the finest Carmen in 25 years…” following her appearance at the Metropolitan Opera in a production that was one of the most viewed and successful “Live in HD”. She also performed Carmen at the Royal Ballet & Opera, Covent Garden, Wiener Staatsoper, Bayerische Staatsoper, Teatro alla Scala Milan and Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía Valencia, all to critical acclaim.
Garanča has released numerous acclaimed albums and received several prestigious awards, including multiple ECHO KLASSIK awards such as ‘Singer of the Year’ for her first non-core-classical album Sol y Vida. She is also the recipient of Musical America’s ‘Vocalist of the Year’, MIDEM's ‘Singer of the Year’, and a Grammy nomination. Her first solo recital album was recorded with pianist Malcolm Martineau in 2020. A recent release, Live From Salzburg, features Christian Thielemann conducting the Wiener Philharmoniker in a programme of Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder and Mahler's Rückert-Lieder. A critically acclaimed recording of Elgar’s Sea Pictures with Daniel Barenboim and the Staatskapelle Berlin was also recently released on Decca.
In 2013, Garanča was honoured with the title of ‘Kammersängerin’ by the Wiener Staatsoper, for her devotion to the House.
2026/27 season / 816 words. Not to be altered without permission.