Raimo Sirkiä
Encyclopedia
Raimo Sirkiä is a Finnish opera
tic tenor
whose repertoire ranges from spinto to dramatic. Mr. Sirkia's most famous roles are Otello
, Calaf
, Tannhäuser
, Siegmund, and Lohengrin
.
He has sung at the Bayreuth Festival
(Lohengrin) and the Pafos Festival, Cyprus (Otello).
He was the Finnish Master in Accordion four years running from 1960 to 1962 and 1964.
Mr. Sirkia won the prestigious Timo Mustakallio award for young opera singers in 1981.
He studied music education and voice at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland and in Rome, Italy with Maestri Gavarrini and Morelli.
He has a degree in economics from Liikemiesten Kauppaopisto, Helsinki.
Raimo Sirkia sang mainly in Germany during the years 1983 to 2001.
He was the principal tenor at the Finnish National Opera
from 1990 to 2006.
Mr. Sirkia has recorded several complete operas, symphonies,
as well as many solo cds of opera arias, Italian songs, film music, Christmas music, and tangos.
Raimo Sirkia was the Artistic Director of the Savonlinna Opera Festival
from 2002-2007.
His new productions, Turandot and Lucia di Lammermoor have remained audience favorites.
His commissioned opera, Olli Kortekangas’ Isän tyttö, has been taken into the repertoire of the Finnish National Opera.
Raimo Sirkia began the popular children's opera series at the festival and commissioned works from Finnish composers,
Jaakko Kuusisto - Koirien Kalevala and Jukka Linkola - Hui kauhustus.
Raimo was Artist of the Year of the Festival in 1996, a recognition of his contribution as a singer at the Festival since 1981.
Raimo was awarded the Pro Finlandia medal by the president of Finland in 2003.
Raimo Sirkia got the Savonlinna City award 2007 for his contribution for the city of Savonlinna.
Mr. Sirkia is now a vocal coach, specializing in training young tenors.
He retired from the Finnish National Opera in 2006 and now sings primarily concerts all over the world.
Mr. Sirkia has two children, Katja and Tommi, who both live in Helsinki.
Katja’s and her husband’s daughter, Neve, is Raimo’s first grandchild.
He is married to soprano, Cynthia Makris
. Mr. Sirkia now resides in Florida, U.S.A. and in Helsinki, Finland.
Discography:
Jää mun lähellein/Serenadeja (Fazer/Warner -84/-97)
Opera Arias (Ondine -92)
Amado Mio (Ondine -94)
Mahler 8th Symphony (Chandos -94)
Valkea joulu (Ondine -96)
Lemmen Virtaa (Tonus Art -97)
Juha
(Ondine -95)
Pohjalaisia (Finlandia -98)
Die Feen (Dynamic -98)
Oskar Merikanto-Elämälle (Taidekeskus Salmela -99)
Loreley (Bis -03)
Mare and Her Son (Ondine -05)
Video:
Der fliegende Holländer (Amaya -89/DVD -04)
Links:
Tommi Sirkiä
http://en-gb.facebook.com/tommi.sirkia
http://www.myspace.com/justinspacedj
Cynthia Makris
http://www.cynthiamakris.com
http://www.makrismastercoaching.com
http://www.lighttransformations.com
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
whose repertoire ranges from spinto to dramatic. Mr. Sirkia's most famous roles are Otello
Otello
Otello is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play Othello. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, and was first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on February 5, 1887....
, Calaf
Calaf
Calaf is the main town in the northern portion of the comarca of the Anoia inCatalonia, Spain, situated on the Calaf Plain. The town holds an important an important weekly livestock market....
, Tannhäuser
Tannhäuser
Tannhäuser was a German Minnesänger and poet. Historically, his biography is obscure beyond the poetry, which dates between 1245 and 1265...
, Siegmund, and Lohengrin
Lohengrin (opera)
Lohengrin is a romantic opera in three acts composed and written by Richard Wagner, first performed in 1850. The story of the eponymous character is taken from medieval German romance, notably the Parzival of Wolfram von Eschenbach and its sequel, Lohengrin, written by a different author, itself...
.
He has sung at the Bayreuth Festival
Bayreuth Festival
The Bayreuth Festival is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of operas by the 19th century German composer Richard Wagner are presented...
(Lohengrin) and the Pafos Festival, Cyprus (Otello).
Life and career
Raimo was born in Helsinki, Finland on February 7, 1951. His musical education began at the age of four.He was the Finnish Master in Accordion four years running from 1960 to 1962 and 1964.
Mr. Sirkia won the prestigious Timo Mustakallio award for young opera singers in 1981.
He studied music education and voice at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland and in Rome, Italy with Maestri Gavarrini and Morelli.
He has a degree in economics from Liikemiesten Kauppaopisto, Helsinki.
Raimo Sirkia sang mainly in Germany during the years 1983 to 2001.
He was the principal tenor at the Finnish National Opera
Finnish National Opera
The Finnish National Opera in Helsinki is the leading opera company in Finland. Its home base is the Opera House on Töölönlahti bay in Töölö which opened in 1993, and is state-owned through Senate Properties...
from 1990 to 2006.
Mr. Sirkia has recorded several complete operas, symphonies,
as well as many solo cds of opera arias, Italian songs, film music, Christmas music, and tangos.
Raimo Sirkia was the Artistic Director of the Savonlinna Opera Festival
Savonlinna Opera Festival
Savonlinna Opera Festival is held annually in the city of Savonlinna in Finland. The Festival takes place at the medieval Olavinlinna , built in 1475...
from 2002-2007.
His new productions, Turandot and Lucia di Lammermoor have remained audience favorites.
His commissioned opera, Olli Kortekangas’ Isän tyttö, has been taken into the repertoire of the Finnish National Opera.
Raimo Sirkia began the popular children's opera series at the festival and commissioned works from Finnish composers,
Jaakko Kuusisto - Koirien Kalevala and Jukka Linkola - Hui kauhustus.
Raimo was Artist of the Year of the Festival in 1996, a recognition of his contribution as a singer at the Festival since 1981.
Raimo was awarded the Pro Finlandia medal by the president of Finland in 2003.
Raimo Sirkia got the Savonlinna City award 2007 for his contribution for the city of Savonlinna.
Mr. Sirkia is now a vocal coach, specializing in training young tenors.
He retired from the Finnish National Opera in 2006 and now sings primarily concerts all over the world.
Mr. Sirkia has two children, Katja and Tommi, who both live in Helsinki.
Katja’s and her husband’s daughter, Neve, is Raimo’s first grandchild.
He is married to soprano, Cynthia Makris
Cynthia Makris
Cynthia Makris is a soprano opera singer whose professional career has spanned nearly thirty years.She was born 1956 in Sterling, Colorado, USA, and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Music Performance from Adams State College. Makris has sung major soprano roles at La Scala and the Royal...
. Mr. Sirkia now resides in Florida, U.S.A. and in Helsinki, Finland.
Discography:
Jää mun lähellein/Serenadeja (Fazer/Warner -84/-97)
Opera Arias (Ondine -92)
Amado Mio (Ondine -94)
Mahler 8th Symphony (Chandos -94)
Valkea joulu (Ondine -96)
Lemmen Virtaa (Tonus Art -97)
Juha
Juha (Merikanto)
Juha is a three-act opera by Aarre Merikanto, with a Finnish libretto by Aino Ackté based on the 1911 novel of the same name by Juhani Aho. Although completed by 1922, it was only finally staged at the music college in Lahti on 28 October 1963. The story is a drama of a love triangle : the older...
(Ondine -95)
Pohjalaisia (Finlandia -98)
Die Feen (Dynamic -98)
Oskar Merikanto-Elämälle (Taidekeskus Salmela -99)
Loreley (Bis -03)
Mare and Her Son (Ondine -05)
Video:
Der fliegende Holländer (Amaya -89/DVD -04)
Links:
Tommi Sirkiä
http://en-gb.facebook.com/tommi.sirkia
http://www.myspace.com/justinspacedj
Cynthia Makris
http://www.cynthiamakris.com
http://www.makrismastercoaching.com
http://www.lighttransformations.com