Latvian operatic lyric mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča began to study singing in her hometown of Riga at the age of 20. Now, at 38, she's in her prime as a vocalist. Garanča has just released an album of spiritual music by composers from Gregorio Allegri to fellow Latvians Pēteris Vasks and Uģis Prauliņš.
She studied at the Latvian Academy of Music with her mother. She won the Mirjam Helin Singing Competition in 1999 and was a finalist in the 2001 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition. She began her professional career as a resident artist with the Südthüringischer Staatstheater in Meiningen where she appeared in a number of leading roles and she appeared as a resident artist with the Frankfurt Opera.
Ms Garanča has since quickly established herself as one of the music world’s major stars through her performances with leading opera theaters and symphony orchestras around the world. She has captured critical and popular acclaim for her beautiful voice, intelligent musicianship, and compelling stage portrayals.
Garanča's new album, Meditation, is one of many new releases Classical 90.5 features throughout the week. Listen for this and other new recordings every day on WUOL.