Katrina Galka
The Oregonian praises soprano Katrina Galka for her recent performances of Adina in L’elisir d’amore, exclaiming that she “looked like a young Glenn Close, projecting power over Nemorino as she thrilled with fine coloratura filigree and pure high notes.” In the 2018-19 season, she makes her Wiener Staatsoper debut as Fritzi in the world premiere of Staud’s Die Weiden. She makes company debuts with both New Orleans Opera and Opera San Jose in returns to Blondchen in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy as a guest artist for Frasquita in Carmen, and Odyssey Opera as Aithra in Die ägyptische Helena. On the concert stage, she joins the Florida Orchestra for a concert celebrating Bernstein’s Broadway. Future engagements include a role and company debuts at the Opernhaus Zürich in a new production and Minnesota Opera as well as returns to the Wiener Staatsoper for multiple projects, Arizona Opera for a role debut, as well as to the Las Vegas Philharmonic. Last season, she returned to Portland Opera to debut the role of Gilda in Rigoletto. She also returned to Arizona Opera as Cunegonde in Candide, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Woglinde in Das Rheingold, and a quartet of roles in Morganelli’s Hercules vs Vampires as well as joined the Las Vegas Philharmonic for Handel’s Messiah. In the summer, she joined On Site Opera as Serpetta in La finta giardiniera at the Caramoor International Music Festival.
Ms. Galka recently made role and company debuts as Blondchen in Die Entführung aus dem Serail with Atlanta Opera and Atalanta in Xerxes at the Glimmerglass Festival. She is a former resident artist of Portland Opera, at which she sang a host of role debuts that include Adina in L’elisir d’amore, Johanna in Sweeney Todd, Elvira in L’italiana in Algeri, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, Frasquita in Carmen, Adult Kim in Show Boat, and Ida in Die Fledermaus – while covering Adele. In her first season as a resident artist with Arizona Opera, she sang the First Wood Nymph in Rusalka and Clorinda in La cenerentola. She sang prior performances of Papagena in Die Zauberflöte with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis at which she has been both a Festival Artist and a Gerdine Young Artist. She joined the CoOperative Program as Marie in La fille du régiment and sang the Cat in Schuller’s The Fisherman and his Wife with Odyssey Opera and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. She also joined Dallas Opera as Voice I in Cuomo’s Arjuna’s Dilemma, presented as the company hosted the annual Opera America conference.
On the concert stage, she has joined the Rhode Island Civic Chorale for the Angel in Respighi’s Laude to the Nativity and Handel’s Messiah. She sang Elvira in excerpts of L’italiana in Algeri with the Oregon Symphony and Violetta in excerpts of La traviata with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. With various Dallas-based chamber ensembles and orchestras, she has sung Fauré’s Requiem, Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate, and Bach’s St. John Passion. In 2011, Katrina performed in the east coast premiere of Jake Heggie’s Pieces of 9/11 as the Girl Soprano, with Mr. Heggie at the piano.
Ms. Galka is a three-time regional award winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She is the first-place winner of the Mario Lanza Scholarship and has received further awards from the National Opera Association Vocal Competition, Marcello Giordani International Vocal Competition, and the Heida Hermanns International Vocal Competition.
She holds a Master of Music from Boston University, at which she sang Servilia in La clemenza di Tito, Carolina in Il matrimonio segreto, and Rosalba in Catan’s Florencia en el Amazonas. She earned a Bachelor of Music from Southern Methodist University, from which she graduated summa cum laude.
