Adrianne Pieczonka
Encyclopedia
Adrianne Pieczonka, OC
(born March 2, 1963) is a Canadian
soprano
opera
singer. Pronounced AY-dree-in pyeh-CHON-kuh .
She was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, and grew up near Toronto
in Burlington
and graduated from the Opera School of the University of Toronto
. She also graduated from the University of Western Ontario
in 1985. Her professional debut occurred with the Canadian Opera Company
in 1988 in Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtensk
. She soon after moved to Europe, joining the Vienna Volksoper
in 1989 and the Vienna Staatsoper in 1991. In 1995, she made her British debut at Glyndebourne
as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni
and debuted at the Metropolitan Opera
in 2004 as Lisa in Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades
. With the completion of the Four Seasons Centre
in Toronto making working back home more viable, she returned to live in Toronto.
Though her operatic repertoire ranges from Mozart
to Britten
, Pieczonka has more recently specialized in Wagnerian
roles, especially Sieglinde. The German magazine Die Zeit referred to her as "the Sieglinde of our time." Indeed, Pieczonka's rendition of Sieglinde in the Canadian Opera Company
's inaugural Ring Cycle
at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts was met with great acclaim.
Her album Adrianne Pieczonka Sings Wagner and Strauss was nominated for Classical Album of the Year - Vocal or Choral Performance
at the 2007 Juno Awards
.
In March 2007, Pieczonka was invested as a Kammersängerin in Austria. She, along with tenor Michael Schade
, are the first two Canadian singers to have had this honour. In 2007, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
.
Adrianne Pieczonka resides in Toronto with wife, mezzo-soprano Laura Tucker, and their daughter Grace.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(born March 2, 1963) is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
opera
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...
singer. Pronounced AY-dree-in pyeh-CHON-kuh .
She was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, and grew up near Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
in Burlington
Burlington, Ontario
Burlington , is a city located in Halton Region at the western end of Lake Ontario. Burlington is part of the Greater Toronto Area, and is also included in the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area. Physically, Burlington lies between the north shore of Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment...
and graduated from the Opera School of the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
. She also graduated from the University of Western Ontario
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
in 1985. Her professional debut occurred with the Canadian Opera Company
Canadian Opera Company
The Canadian Opera Company is an opera company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest opera company in Canada and the third largest producer of opera in North America. The COC performs in its own opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.-History:For 40 years until...
in 1988 in Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtensk
Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District (opera)
Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District is an opera in four acts by Dmitri Shostakovich, his Op.29. The libretto was written by Alexander Preis and the composer, and is based on the story Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District by Nikolai Leskov. The opera is sometimes referred to informally as Lady Macbeth...
. She soon after moved to Europe, joining the Vienna Volksoper
Vienna Volksoper
The Vienna Volksoper is a major opera house in Vienna, Austria. It gives about three hundred performances of twenty-five productions during an annual season running from September through June....
in 1989 and the Vienna Staatsoper in 1991. In 1995, she made her British debut at Glyndebourne
Glyndebourne
Glyndebourne is a country house, thought to be about six hundred years old, located near Lewes in East Sussex, England. It is also the site of an opera house which, with the exception of its closing during the Second World War, for a few immediate post-war years, and in 1993 during the...
as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
and debuted at the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in 2004 as Lisa in Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades
The Queen of Spades (opera)
The Queen of Spades, Op. 68 is an opera in 3 acts by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to a Russian libretto by the composer's brother Modest Tchaikovsky, based on a short story of the same name by Alexander Pushkin. The premiere took place in 1890 in St...
. With the completion of the Four Seasons Centre
Four Seasons Centre
The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts is a 2,071-seat theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada which had its grand opening Wednesday, June 14, 2006. The first actual performance however, commenced in September 2006 with the first Canadian production of Richard Wagner's Der Ring Des Nibelungen...
in Toronto making working back home more viable, she returned to live in Toronto.
Though her operatic repertoire ranges from Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
to Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
, Pieczonka has more recently specialized in Wagnerian
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
roles, especially Sieglinde. The German magazine Die Zeit referred to her as "the Sieglinde of our time." Indeed, Pieczonka's rendition of Sieglinde in the Canadian Opera Company
Canadian Opera Company
The Canadian Opera Company is an opera company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest opera company in Canada and the third largest producer of opera in North America. The COC performs in its own opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.-History:For 40 years until...
's inaugural Ring Cycle
Der Ring des Nibelungen
Der Ring des Nibelungen is a cycle of four epic operas by the German composer Richard Wagner . The works are based loosely on characters from the Norse sagas and the Nibelungenlied...
at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts was met with great acclaim.
Her album Adrianne Pieczonka Sings Wagner and Strauss was nominated for Classical Album of the Year - Vocal or Choral Performance
Juno Award for Classical Album of the Year - Vocal or Choral Performance
The Juno Award for "Classical Album of the Year" has been awarded since 1994, as recognition each year for the best vocal classical music album in Canada.-Best Classical Album :...
at the 2007 Juno Awards
Juno Awards of 2007
The Juno Awards of 2007 were hosted in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada on the weekend ending 1 April 2007. These ceremonies honoured music industry achievements in Canada during most of 2006...
.
In March 2007, Pieczonka was invested as a Kammersängerin in Austria. She, along with tenor Michael Schade
Michael Schade
Michael Schade is a Canadian operatic tenor, who was born in Geneva and raised in Germany and Canada. He and his four children live in Oakville, Ontario; a city just outside of Toronto, Canada. The family has a second home in Vienna, Austria.Schade is considered a leading Mozart tenor...
, are the first two Canadian singers to have had this honour. In 2007, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
.
Adrianne Pieczonka resides in Toronto with wife, mezzo-soprano Laura Tucker, and their daughter Grace.