Role(s); and how many times have you previously performed your role(s)?
Carmen, 5 different productions
If you’ve been to Cincinnati before, what is your favorite thing about the city?
the nice people at the Cincinnati Opera
Hometown and current city of residence
Bucharest, city of residence: Vienna, Austria
What is your favorite opera and why?
La Traviata, because it is the perfect drama with all ingredients necessary: intelligent original novel, clever and touching libretto and the most wonderful music. If somebody is not familiar with this opera I would recommend to listen to the Deutsche Grammophon recording with Carlos Kleiber, Placido Domingo and Ileana Cotrubas - absolutely moving!
What is a favorite role you have sung and why?
This is a hard one...in the French repertoire, Charlotte in Wether, and Marguerite in Damnation de Faust, the German "Fach" the Composer in Ariadne auf Naxos and Octavian in Rosenkavalier, in the Italian "Fach" probably Cenerentola. Or Adalgisa. Or Giovanna Seymour. And then there is Mozart...oh - please don't make me answer this question, I love all of them!
What is your dream role?
Traviata. And Salome. Lucky sopranos (I am talking about the singers, not the Mafia family...)
Do you have professional recordings or DVDs?
Le Nozze di Figaro, La Finta Giardiniera, La Cenerentola, Stabat Mater (Dvorak), Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Mahler), Das Lied von der Erde (Mahler), Lieder (Schoenberg), La Damnation de Faust, Songs of Nicolae Bretan, Ariane et Barbe-Bleue (Dukas), Symphony nr.9 (Beethoven), Requiem (Mozart), Messe in b Moll (Bach), Oedipe (Enescu)
If you weren’t an opera singer, what would be your dream job?
Painter
What is the funniest thing that has happened to you during your career?
Singing the second Rosina aria in the Barber of Seville during a 5.6 amplitude earthquake! It was in Tokyo, Maestro Ozawa looked at me and continued to conduct, and I continued to sing. The most amazing though, was that the audience...continued to listen!
What other style(s) of music do you sing besides opera?
Lieder, religios music, children's songs along with my kids, Charles Aznavour
What’s on your iPod?
Believe it or not, I don't have an iPod
Favorite book or movie
This is almost impossible to answer, but two of my favorit authors are Philip Roth and Salman Rushdie. With movies the same: I can't single out one movie, but I love Woody Allen very much. And Quentin Tarantino. And the Coen brothers.
Do you have any pets?
My voice.
One TV show you never miss
24
What do you eat before a performance?
No dinner before performance just some cookies and coca cola. . After? Everything else!
Who is your top singing inspiration and/or role model?
There are some colleagues who I really like to listen to, for example Bryn Terfel. Or Ileana Cotrubas.
For which singer/band would you shell out $$ for front-row seats?
If he were still alive, Luther Vandross.
What are your hobbies?
I like to read. I like to cook. Are these hobbies?
