Ileana Cotrubas Romanian opera singer, soprano Date of Birth: 09.06.1939 Country: Romania

Biography of Ileana Cotrubas

Ileana Cotrubas is a Romanian opera singer and internationally acclaimed coloratura soprano. She was born on June 9, 1939, in Galati, a port city on the eastern border of Romania. Growing up in a musical family, her father was a tenor in a amateur choir, and her own musical career began at the age of nine when she became a member of a children's choir on the radio. By the age of eleven, she became one of the soloists in the choir.

When her family moved to Bucharest in 1952, Ileana was enrolled in the Special School of Music for gifted children. She continued her vocal studies until 1958, when she entered the Bucharest Conservatory, then known as Ciprian Porumbescu Conservatory. There, she studied under Constantin Stroescu, a renowned vocal teacher who had produced many opera stars.

In 1964, at the age of 25, Cotrubas made her debut at the Bucharest Opera in the role of the boy Yniold in Debussy's "Pelléas et Mélisande." She included roles such as Oscar in "Un ballo in maschera," Gilda in "Rigoletto," and Blonde in Mozart's "Die Entführung aus dem Serail" in her repertoire at the Bucharest Opera.

In 1965, Cotrubas gained international attention when she won the International Vocal Competition in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, receiving first prize for opera, art song, and oratorio. The following year, she won the radio-television competition in Munich, Germany, and subsequently made her debuts at major European opera houses, including Vienna State Opera, Hamburg State Opera, Berlin State Opera, and the Salzburg Festival. She also signed a contract with the Frankfurt Opera.

In 1969, Cotrubas made a brilliant debut at Glyndebourne Festival Opera, singing the role of Mélisande, and continued to perform there for the next two seasons in the lead role of "La Calisto" by Francesco Cavalli. In 1971, she made her debut at Covent Garden, singing the role of Tatiana in Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin." She had already signed a three-year contract with the Vienna State Opera in the previous year, where she expanded her repertoire to include roles such as Susanna in "Le nozze di Figaro," Zerlina in "Don Giovanni," Violetta in "La Traviata," Mimi in "La Bohème," and Sophie in "Der Rosenkavalier."

Cotrubas made her American debut at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1973, performing the role of Mimi. However, her breakthrough in her career came on January 7, 1975, when she replaced Italian soprano Mirella Freni as Mimi at La Scala. Despite having to travel from Kent, where she was living at the time, Cotrubas arrived at the theater just 15 minutes before the curtain rose. Her interpretation of the role not only impressed the discerning audience but also garnered praise from critics.

Her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York took place on March 23, 1977, once again as Mimi (alongside Jose Carreras and Renata Scotto). She returned to the Met in November 1977 as Gilda in a televised production of "Rigoletto" and as Violetta in a televised version of "La Traviata" in March 1981, this time performing alongside Placido Domingo. Cotrubas also sang three more roles at the Met: Ilia in Mozart's "Idomeneo" at the premiere of the opera, Tatiana Larina in "Eugene Onegin," and Micaela in "Carmen."

Cotrubas is known for her high artistic standards and has been known to leave productions when disagreements arise with directors or fellow cast members. She left a production of "Eugene Onegin" in Vienna in 1973 and a production of "Don Pasquale" at the Met in 1980.

In 1990, Ileana Cotrubas retired from performing, but she continued to share her knowledge and expertise by conducting masterclasses worldwide. She also mentored several promising young artists, including Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu. Since 1972, Cotrubas has been married to musician Manfred Ramin.