Tania Kross

Mezzo-soprano Tania Kross was born in Curaçao. She graduated with distinction from the Utrecht Conservatory of Music with a bachelor and master's degree. Even during her training she won several contests, including the first prize of Stichting Jong Muziektalent Nederland, the Rosa Ponselle International Competition for Vocal Arts in New York and the Cristina Deutekom Concours.

After her course she was a member of Opera Studio in Amsterdam, and was chosen as "Rising Star" of the Concertgebouw. She gave a recital in the Kleine Zaal (Small Auditorium) of the Concertgebouw and went on tour, performing at the major concert halls of the world, e.g. in Paris, Salzburg, Vienna, Birmingham, Cologne and Carnegie Hall in New York. She represented the Netherlands at the prestigious BBC Singer of the World Contest 2003 in Cardiff.

Tania Kross's career moved swiftly, characterised by her passion and her engaging personality on stage. At Staatsoper in Stuttgart, Riga Opera House and the Glyndeborne Festival she was a popular Carmen. About her Carmen in Glyndeborne, conducted by Stephan Denève she said: “It's fun to find one Carmen with the hair of Shirley Bassey, the figure of Barbara Windsor, the strut of Tina Turner and the freneticism of a go-go dancer paid by the wiggle. Her voice - smoky but with a glinting edge – is distinctive but cultured too." (The Times, 2008).

Tania also frequently appeared on other stages. She made her debut at De Munt in Brussels as Tolomeo in Giuglio Cesare by G.F.Handel, conducted by Ren? Jacobs. She then returned as Baba the Turk from Igor Stravinksy's The Rake’s Progress, conducted by Lawrence Renes. She took on the role of Bersi in Andrea Chenier by U. Giordano, conducted by Ulf Schirmer, at the Bregenzer Festspiele. In the Staatsoper in Hanover and Hamburg she sang Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia by G.Rossini, Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel by E.Humperdinck, Sesto in Giuglio Cesare and Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro by W.A. Mozart.

Tania Kross appears regularly on Dutch opera stages. She made her debut with Nationale Reisopera as Flora in Verdi's La Traviata, and also sang the roles of Suzuki in Madama Butterfly and Baba the Turk in Stravinsky's The Rake’s Progress. She sang with De Nederlandse Opera as Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana, conducted by Carlo Rizzi, Messagiera, Melanto and Fortuna in the Monteverdi Cycle and Mahler, Queen and Sheherazade in Tan Dun's Marco Polo.

At the Saturday Matinee series in the Concertgebouw she made her debut in Daphne by Richard Strauss, conducted by Edo de Waart. She made her first appearance with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra with Anton Bruckner's Third Mass, conducted by Philippe Herreweghe. She also sang during the gala concert in honour of the 120th anniversary of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, conducted by Mariss Jansons.

Tania has collaborated with stage directors such as David McVicar, Pierre Audi, Ursel and Karl-Ernst Herrmann, Robert Lepage and Keith Warner. She has already released a number of CDs under her name with Universal Music.

Her first CD, "Corazon", was awarded the Edison Music Prize. She recently also made a CD for children, commissioned by the Concertgebouw, for the educational programme "Zing met ons mee" ("Sing Along With Us").

In addition to concentrating on her career, Tania also devotes time to different organisations focusing on young people, culture and education.

For example, she is an ambassador for Muziek Telt!, which promotes musical training for all school children, and she is a forum member of literacy foundation Stichting Lezen en Schrijven. Her aim is to bring classical music as closely as possible to (new) people. She is also produced Katibu di Shon / Slave and Master, an opera in Papiamento (libretto by Carel de Haseth, music by Randal Corsen) which was premiered in Amsterdam in May 2013. For her new project, Krossover – Opera Revisited, the goal was to bring classical music back to a larger audience. Therefore, she asked the composers of today’s popular music to write opera's.