Elena Gaja
Encyclopedia
Elena Gaja is a Romanian mezzo-soprano
opera singer.
She graduated from the Ciprian Porumbescu Music Academy
in Bucharest
where she studied under Magda Ianculescu
. A stage actress, Gaja had an affinity for the French opera repertoire and also for Verdi and verismo. She distinguished herself from the other mezzo sopranos by her rare type of mezzosoprano-contralto voice in the tradition of Marietta Alboni
and Clara Butt
with a cavernous low register and a powerful dark-coloured voice which earned her the name of a viola da gamba.
In December 1982 she won joint first prize in the Concorso Internazionale "Vincenzo Bellini
" per Cantanti Lirici in Italy, becoming the first Romanian singer to have won this prize.
She was a soloist of the Romanian National Opera in Timişoara
and toured throughout Europe as well as performing at the George Enescu Festival
. She appeared most frequently as Carmen
which became one of her hallmarks and which she performed more than 300 times.
She retired from the stage in 1996 but continued to give concerts and opera recitals with a repertoire that includes opera arias, sacred arias, oratorio, lied to tango, zarzuelas and film music. She also taught at the Faculty of Music at the Timişoara University of the West
.
Mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
opera singer.
She graduated from the Ciprian Porumbescu Music Academy
National University of Music Bucharest
The National University of Music Bucharest is a university-level school of music located in Bucharest, Romania. Established as a school of music in 1863 and reorganized as an academy in 1931, it has functioned as a public university since 2001...
in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
where she studied under Magda Ianculescu
Magda Ianculescu
Magda Ianculescu was a Romanian operatic soprano and voice teacher. A leading singer in the Romanian National Opera for many years, she was known for her musicality and vocal technique...
. A stage actress, Gaja had an affinity for the French opera repertoire and also for Verdi and verismo. She distinguished herself from the other mezzo sopranos by her rare type of mezzosoprano-contralto voice in the tradition of Marietta Alboni
Marietta Alboni
Marietta Alboni was a renowned Italian contralto opera singer. Together with the charismatic Maria Malibran, she was considered the greatest deeper-voiced female singer of the nineteenth century.-Biography:...
and Clara Butt
Clara Butt
Dame Clara Ellen Butt DBE , sometimes called Clara Butt-Rumford after her marriage, was an English contralto with a remarkably imposing voice and a surprisingly agile singing technique. Her main career was as a recitalist and concert singer.-Early life and career:Clara Butt was born in Southwick,...
with a cavernous low register and a powerful dark-coloured voice which earned her the name of a viola da gamba.
In December 1982 she won joint first prize in the Concorso Internazionale "Vincenzo Bellini
Vincenzo Bellini
Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini was an Italian opera composer. His greatest works are I Capuleti ed i Montecchi , La sonnambula , Norma , Beatrice di Tenda , and I puritani...
" per Cantanti Lirici in Italy, becoming the first Romanian singer to have won this prize.
She was a soloist of the Romanian National Opera in Timişoara
Timisoara
Timișoara is the capital city of Timiș County, in western Romania. One of the largest Romanian cities, with an estimated population of 311,586 inhabitants , and considered the informal capital city of the historical region of Banat, Timișoara is the main social, economic and cultural center in the...
and toured throughout Europe as well as performing at the George Enescu Festival
George Enescu Festival
The George Enescu Festival , held in honor of the celebrated Romanian composer George Enescu, is the biggest classical music festival and classical international competition held in Romania and one of the biggest in Eastern Europe...
. She appeared most frequently as Carmen
Carmen
Carmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
which became one of her hallmarks and which she performed more than 300 times.
She retired from the stage in 1996 but continued to give concerts and opera recitals with a repertoire that includes opera arias, sacred arias, oratorio, lied to tango, zarzuelas and film music. She also taught at the Faculty of Music at the Timişoara University of the West
West University of Timisoara
The West University of Timişoara is a university located in Timişoara, Romania. Established in 1962, it is organized in 11 Faculties.-Organization:...
.