Elena Gaja (born 26 October 1946 in Braşov,

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

) is a Romanian

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

opera singer. She graduated from the Ciprian Porumbescu Music Academy in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

where she studied under

Magda Ianculescu Magda Ianculescu (30 March 1929 – 16 March 1995) was a Romanian operatic soprano and voice teacher. A leading singer in the Romanian National Opera for many years, she was known for her musicality and vocal technique. Her voice had a wide range a ...

. In December 1982, she won joint first prize in the ''Concorso Internazionale "

Vincenzo Bellini Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini (; 3 November 1801 – 23 September 1835) was a Sicilian opera composer, who was known for his long-flowing melodic lines for which he was named "the Swan of Catania". Many years later, in 1898, Giu ...

" per Cantanti Lirici'' in Italy, becoming the first Romanian singer to have won this prize. She was a soloist of the Romanian National Opera in

Timișoara ), City of Roses ( ro, Orașul florilor), City of Parks ( ro, Orașul parcurilor) , image_map = Timisoara jud Timis.svg , map_caption = Location in Timiș County , pushpin_map = Romania#Europe , pushpin_ ...

and toured throughout Europe as well as performing at the

George Enescu Festival The George Enescu Festival (also known as George Enescu International Festival and Competition), held in honor of the celebrated Romanian composer George Enescu, is the biggest classical music festival and classical international competition hel ...

. She retired from the stage in 1996 but continued to give concerts and opera recitals with a repertoire that includes opera arias, sacred arias, oratorio, lied to tango, zarzuelas and film music. She also taught at the Faculty of Music at the Timișoara University of the West.Timișoara Agenda, Nr. 42/19 October 2002
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References

1946 births Living people People from Brașov Romanian operatic mezzo-sopranos 20th-century Romanian women singers 20th-century Romanian singers 21st-century Romanian women singers 21st-century Romanian singers National University of Music Bucharest alumni {{Romania-opera-singer-stub