christina poulitsi
SOPRANO
"My wish for the world of Opera is to stop breaking the wings of young singers
before they even fly."
before they even fly."
Christina Poulitsi is a Greek coloratura soprano who became worldwide famous by singing the role of the Queen of the Night in Mozart's known opera "The magic flute". Since then, and having maestro Zubin Mehta who believed in her talent as a mentor, she has become an internationally acclaimed soprano who sings many important Bel Canto roles in the most known opera houses.
Athens, 15/06/2020
How did you start singing?
Singing was a natural way of expression for me since I can remember myself. I grew up in a family which loves music. My parents noticed my inclination to singing from a young age and encouraged me on attending the “Orff System” and afterwards having guitar lessons. I ended up having a very good musical basis as I got the diplomas of Harmony, Counterpoint and Fuge, did piano studies and got a degree on musicology from the University of Athens. Parallel to that I started having opera singing lessons and some years later I got my singing diploma. I then furthered my studies in Opera at the University of Arts of Berlin, where I got my Master Degree as a scholar of the "Maria Callas" and "Alexandra Trianti" scholarships.
You have made a remarkable international success with the role of the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s most known opera, “Die Zauberflöte”. The Queen needs a very demanding singing technique and a virtuosity, that the singer has to show immediately, without any “help” from the character, since Mozart gave her two long and difficult arias, some text and nothing more- which is kind of unique for main roles in operatic works. Did the fact that you cannot “develop” the character dramatically made it more difficult or more easy for you to start and establish your artistic personality?
One could say that the role of the Queen of the Night is a blessing and a curse. The fact that I can sing flawless this demanding role and do 40- 50 performances per year under any circumstances without lessening any standards gave me the opportunity to establish myself and begin a career easier than singers with another type of voice. For me, this role became the “passport” that opened the door to a lot of other theaters and helped me gain priceless professional experience. I used to compare this role to the role of... James Bond. You see, it's a character with which the audience and the casting directors identify you and sometimes, it seems almost impossible not to imagine you as the Queen of the Night, so most of the times you get a lot of offers only for this role. This is also happening of course, because there aren't a lot of singers worldwide, who can sing the role of the Queen of the Night. You were right mentioning that the character has a limited development on stage and yes, this makes it very difficult to perform it and also, it doesn't help you grow as an artist. It teaches you how to concentrate on stage and develop a discipline of an “athlete- singer”, but it doesn't let you poor out all the range of emotions you may contain in your soul as an artist. So, the Queen of the Night has definitely played an important role in the development of my artistic personality, but I think I feel more whole as an artist since I began adding to my repertoire characters like Violetta, Lucia, Gilda, Amina, Manon etc.
Which operatic composer or which opera works feel for you and for your voice more like “home”?
I could definitely say that I enjoy singing Bel Canto composers, so, Gilda, Lucia and Violetta are the three roles, where I felt the cosiness of "home" from the first time I started studying them.
Would you share with us an unforgettable artistic moment of your life?
I will share with you a recent moment: It was in February 2020 in Hamburg, where I had my debut as Violetta Valery in “La Traviata”. The atmosphere in the theatre was very positive from the first day of the rehearsals and we had an excellent communication with my colleagues and the conductor. At our premiere there were a lot of moments where I felt the joy of singing and interpreting such a role, but I will never forget how magically the applause of the audience broke the moment of silence after the second aria "Addio del passato", how proud I felt at the end for making a dream come true and how grateful I was at the curtain call for the generosity of the audience.
Is the opera world how you imagined it to be when you started your career? Would you like somethings to be different and if yes, which things?
As it happens most of the time, a young person imagines the field in which they wish to thrive one day in a much more innocent and fair way as it really is. My wish for the world of Opera is to stop breaking the wings of young singers before they even fly. Of course, as it happens in any work field, you end up getting stronger from all the difficulties you face, but it doesn't need to be so brutal. I would also love to see us, the soloists of Opera more united, so that we can achieve better conditions for our rehearsals and performances.
Does an opera career demands from women a certain kind of character and a certain way of life, or is it possible to be yourself entirely?
I strongly believe that each of us is unique and valuable and can offer something new and different to the arts. Having this mindset I never tried to develop something different other than myself. The important question you have to ask yourself is "who am I" and "what do I want to say as an artist when I 'm on stage". If you don't know the answer to these questions it is very easy to lose yourself and try to create a fake identity in order to be accepted as an artist, but also as a person.
What is your dream role and why?
I' m very lucky to have realized two of my dream roles, which are Lucia (“Lucia di Lamermoor” by Donizetti) and Violetta (“La Traviata” by Verdi). I love these roles because they are both strong characters. They both achieve to get beyond the borders of their ego. I think that is what makes them tragic heroines. The music of Donizetti and Verdi is of great excellence and make you feel the emotion of "katharsis" at the end, exactly like in the ancient Greek tragedies.
How does the COVID-19 affects your life and your work?
All the performances I had scheduled for the rest of the season are canceled and there is uncertainty weather the performances of next season will take place. Opera singers are like athletes. They have to train their voice throughout the year and never lose the contact with the stage for a long period of time. The performance on stage and the contact with the audience is of great value for the Opera singers.
If you could wish for something to happen in our society, that would help artists, what would this be?
I always say that in the same way we take care of ourselves by eating healthy and exercising, we should also take care of our souls by being careful of what we see (films, paintings etc) and what we hear (music). Art is the food of soul. Art elevates the human soul and makes people be more creative in their way of thinking and deciding. Art helps you get to know yourself better. What I wish for is our society to realise the above and give to Art the position it deserves, in order to play the beneficial factor it is supposed to play by creating more motivated and more loving people. People who vote worldwide for the politicians they really deserve and the politicians should make decisions based on what is beneficial, not only for themselves, but mostly for all the humanity.
Art is…
Art is freedom. Being able to bend things most people see as a straight line.
Singing was a natural way of expression for me since I can remember myself. I grew up in a family which loves music. My parents noticed my inclination to singing from a young age and encouraged me on attending the “Orff System” and afterwards having guitar lessons. I ended up having a very good musical basis as I got the diplomas of Harmony, Counterpoint and Fuge, did piano studies and got a degree on musicology from the University of Athens. Parallel to that I started having opera singing lessons and some years later I got my singing diploma. I then furthered my studies in Opera at the University of Arts of Berlin, where I got my Master Degree as a scholar of the "Maria Callas" and "Alexandra Trianti" scholarships.
You have made a remarkable international success with the role of the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s most known opera, “Die Zauberflöte”. The Queen needs a very demanding singing technique and a virtuosity, that the singer has to show immediately, without any “help” from the character, since Mozart gave her two long and difficult arias, some text and nothing more- which is kind of unique for main roles in operatic works. Did the fact that you cannot “develop” the character dramatically made it more difficult or more easy for you to start and establish your artistic personality?
One could say that the role of the Queen of the Night is a blessing and a curse. The fact that I can sing flawless this demanding role and do 40- 50 performances per year under any circumstances without lessening any standards gave me the opportunity to establish myself and begin a career easier than singers with another type of voice. For me, this role became the “passport” that opened the door to a lot of other theaters and helped me gain priceless professional experience. I used to compare this role to the role of... James Bond. You see, it's a character with which the audience and the casting directors identify you and sometimes, it seems almost impossible not to imagine you as the Queen of the Night, so most of the times you get a lot of offers only for this role. This is also happening of course, because there aren't a lot of singers worldwide, who can sing the role of the Queen of the Night. You were right mentioning that the character has a limited development on stage and yes, this makes it very difficult to perform it and also, it doesn't help you grow as an artist. It teaches you how to concentrate on stage and develop a discipline of an “athlete- singer”, but it doesn't let you poor out all the range of emotions you may contain in your soul as an artist. So, the Queen of the Night has definitely played an important role in the development of my artistic personality, but I think I feel more whole as an artist since I began adding to my repertoire characters like Violetta, Lucia, Gilda, Amina, Manon etc.
Which operatic composer or which opera works feel for you and for your voice more like “home”?
I could definitely say that I enjoy singing Bel Canto composers, so, Gilda, Lucia and Violetta are the three roles, where I felt the cosiness of "home" from the first time I started studying them.
Would you share with us an unforgettable artistic moment of your life?
I will share with you a recent moment: It was in February 2020 in Hamburg, where I had my debut as Violetta Valery in “La Traviata”. The atmosphere in the theatre was very positive from the first day of the rehearsals and we had an excellent communication with my colleagues and the conductor. At our premiere there were a lot of moments where I felt the joy of singing and interpreting such a role, but I will never forget how magically the applause of the audience broke the moment of silence after the second aria "Addio del passato", how proud I felt at the end for making a dream come true and how grateful I was at the curtain call for the generosity of the audience.
Is the opera world how you imagined it to be when you started your career? Would you like somethings to be different and if yes, which things?
As it happens most of the time, a young person imagines the field in which they wish to thrive one day in a much more innocent and fair way as it really is. My wish for the world of Opera is to stop breaking the wings of young singers before they even fly. Of course, as it happens in any work field, you end up getting stronger from all the difficulties you face, but it doesn't need to be so brutal. I would also love to see us, the soloists of Opera more united, so that we can achieve better conditions for our rehearsals and performances.
Does an opera career demands from women a certain kind of character and a certain way of life, or is it possible to be yourself entirely?
I strongly believe that each of us is unique and valuable and can offer something new and different to the arts. Having this mindset I never tried to develop something different other than myself. The important question you have to ask yourself is "who am I" and "what do I want to say as an artist when I 'm on stage". If you don't know the answer to these questions it is very easy to lose yourself and try to create a fake identity in order to be accepted as an artist, but also as a person.
What is your dream role and why?
I' m very lucky to have realized two of my dream roles, which are Lucia (“Lucia di Lamermoor” by Donizetti) and Violetta (“La Traviata” by Verdi). I love these roles because they are both strong characters. They both achieve to get beyond the borders of their ego. I think that is what makes them tragic heroines. The music of Donizetti and Verdi is of great excellence and make you feel the emotion of "katharsis" at the end, exactly like in the ancient Greek tragedies.
How does the COVID-19 affects your life and your work?
All the performances I had scheduled for the rest of the season are canceled and there is uncertainty weather the performances of next season will take place. Opera singers are like athletes. They have to train their voice throughout the year and never lose the contact with the stage for a long period of time. The performance on stage and the contact with the audience is of great value for the Opera singers.
If you could wish for something to happen in our society, that would help artists, what would this be?
I always say that in the same way we take care of ourselves by eating healthy and exercising, we should also take care of our souls by being careful of what we see (films, paintings etc) and what we hear (music). Art is the food of soul. Art elevates the human soul and makes people be more creative in their way of thinking and deciding. Art helps you get to know yourself better. What I wish for is our society to realise the above and give to Art the position it deserves, in order to play the beneficial factor it is supposed to play by creating more motivated and more loving people. People who vote worldwide for the politicians they really deserve and the politicians should make decisions based on what is beneficial, not only for themselves, but mostly for all the humanity.
Art is…
Art is freedom. Being able to bend things most people see as a straight line.
