Hungarian-Canadian, mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó is highly sought after in both North America and Europe as an artist of supreme musicianship and stagecraft, and is known for her promotion and performance of contemporary Canadian works.
In the 2022-23 season, Krisztina will perform with Calgary Opera (50th Anniversary Opera Gala), Honens International Piano Competition (Finals), Victoria Symphony (Ian Cusson’s Songs from the House of Death), Houston Symphony (Handel’s Messiah), Early Music Vancouver (Festive Cantatas), Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra (Bach’s St. John Passion), Music of the Baroque (Bach’s St. Matthew Passion) and a tour of George Benjamin’s Lessons in Love and Violence.
Krisztina’s career has seen her on all the major opera and concert stages across Canada. She regularly performs with the Canadian Opera Company, Vancouver Opera, Tapestry Opera, Early Music Vancouver, and Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.
Outside of Canada, she has performed with San Francisco Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Stadttheater Klagenfurt, Wexford Festival Opera. In 2018, Krisztina made her Royal Opera and Netherlands Opera débuts in George Benjamin’s new opera, Lessons in Love and Violence, the recording of which received a Grammy nomination for Best Opera Recording.
She has been nominated for Outstanding Performance by the Dora Awards twice, and was in Kopernikus (Claude Vivier) with Against the Grain Theatre (Toronto) which won a Dora Award for Best Ensemble.
Her discography includes Found Frozen: Songs of Jeffrey Ryan (Centrediscs), New Jewish Music, Vol. 3 (Analekta), Ana Sokolovic – Sirens (Naxos), and Talisker Players Where Words and Music Meet (Centrediscs).
Digital projects include Canadian Opera Company’s Bluebeard’s Castle, Canadian Art Song Project’s Four Short Songs (2014),Tafelmusik’s The Voice of Vivaldi, Festival of the Sound’s Arias and Antics, Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder (Vancouver Opera), An Italian Baroque Festive Celebration (Early Music Vancouver); performing in recital for the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts and Behind the Keys for Vancouver Bach Choir, and Tapestry Opera’s S.O.S. Sketch Opera Singers.
Ms. Szabó finished her postgraduate studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, England, after completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Western Ontario studying with Darryl Edwards. She has been the recipient of the Emerging Artist grant from Canada Council and has been honoured by her home town of Mississauga , Ontario with a star on the Music Walk of Fame in its inaugural year. Krisztina lives in Vancouver and Toronto with her husband, Kristian Clarke and their daughter, Phoibe. Ms. Szabó is Assistant Professor of Voice and Opera at the University of British Columbia School of Music.