Zuzana Marková

Biography

The soprano Zuzana Marková made her National Theatre Opera debut on 23 September 1996, as the Young Vixen (Janáček: The Cunning Little Vixen). After singing a number of other solo children's roles, including in Prague Children's Opera performances, she returned to the National Theatre in Prague on 8 June 2006, portraying St Cecilia in Lukáš Hurník's opera The Angels.

Foreign critics have described Zuzana Marková as the only Czech soprano "capable of lighting an Italian fire". Indeed, her repertoire mainly comprises Italian operas: amidst fierce global competition, she has made a name for herself as Verdi's Violetta (La traviata) and Gilda (Rigoletto), Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, Anna Bolena and Elvira (I puritani), and Rossini’s Clorinda (La cenerentola). She is a welcome guest at many Italian theatres (Venice, Florence, Genoa, Rome, Palermo, Naples, Turin) and has dazzled audiences at the Paris National Opera, the Vienna State Opera, the Berlin State Opera and the Los Angeles Opera, as well as at the Wexford and Avignon festivals. Zuzana Marková was born in Prague. She first appeared on stage at the age of 16 in the role of Františka (E. F. Burian: Country Fair Scenes) at the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre in Ostrava. In February 2014, she stood in at short notice for an indisposed soprano at the Marseille Opera, making her personal debut in the title role of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. The Forum Opera portal lauded the young Czech soprano's performance in a review titled "A Star is Born". Over the next few years, Marková received numerous other rave reviews. In the autumn of 2022, she participated in Andrea Bocelli's tour. Most recent highlights include Elvira (I puritani) in Liège, Norina (Don Pasquale) at Covent Garden in London, Gilda (Rigoletto) in Frankfurt, at the Arena di Verona and Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Violetta (La traviata) in Bologna, Toulouse and State Opera Prague, Lucia di Lammer-moor in Cologne, Gertraud (Zemlinsky: Der Traumgörge) in Opera Frankfurt, Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, and others.

Photo: J Henry Fair