Andrea Kalivodová
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Andrea Kalivodová (born 24 November 1977) is a Czech opera singer. A
mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...
, Kalivodová has been performing as a soloist with the Prague State Opera since 2003.


Life and career

Born in
Kroměříž Kroměříž (; ) is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 28,000 inhabitants. It is known for Kroměříž Castle with its castle gardens, which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The historic town centre with the castle ...
in 1977, Kalivodová spent her childhood in
Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...
, attending the Brno Conservatory. In 1998 she won the National Competition of Czech Conservatories in
Pardubice Pardubice (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 inhabitants. It is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the Elbe River. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Repub ...
, and went on to study at the Music and Dance Faculty of the
Academy of Performing Arts in Prague The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (, AMU) is a university in the centre of Prague, Czech Republic, specialising in the study of music, dance, drama, film, television and multi-media. It is the largest art school in the Czech Republic, wit ...
(HAMU). After graduating from HAMU she went on to study for one year at the
University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna The University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (, abbreviated MDW) is an Austrian university established in 1817 located in Vienna. With a student body of over three thousand, it is the largest institution of its kind in Austria, and one of t ...
(MDW). During this period she won a number of international singing competitions, including first prize from the
Emmy Destinn Emmy Destinn ( (); 26 February 1878 – 28 January 1930) was a Czech operatic dramatic soprano. She had a career both in Europe and at the New York Metropolitan Opera. She was one of the greatest opera singers of the 19th and 20th centuries. ...
Foundation in the Anglo-Czechoslovak Trust's International Singing Competition in 2001, as a result of which she was invited to perform with other young singers in
Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...
, London. She also reached the semi-finals of the
Belvedere International Singing Competition The International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition is an annual competition for young opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken b ...
in Vienna, and won in Category A of the International Singing Competition in
České Budějovice České Budějovice (; ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 97,000 inhabitants. The city is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše. České Budějovice is the largest ...
in 2000. Kalivodová first worked with the Prague State Opera in 2001, as part of the ''Pounding on the Iron Curtain'' project, a production of two operas by Vladimir Wimmer. In 2002 she made her first appearance at the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre in
Ostrava Ostrava (; ; ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 283,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four rivers: Oder, Opava (river), Opa ...
, playing Kontshakovna in the opera ''
Prince Igor ''Prince Igor'' (, ) is an opera in four acts with a prologue, written and composed by Alexander Borodin. The composer adapted the libretto from the early Russian epic '' The Lay of Igor's Host'', which recounts the campaign of the 12th-centur ...
''. Later the same year she performed the role of Amastrys in Opera Praha's production of '' Xerxes'', which toured Germany, Switzerland, France and Luxembourg. In December 2003 she performed with
Leo Nucci Leo Nucci (born 16 April 1942) is an Italian operatic baritone, particularly associated with Verdi and '' Verismo'' roles. Biography Born at Castiglione dei Pepoli, near Bologna, Nucci studied with Giuseppe Marchese. He made his stage debut ...
of the New York Metropolitan Opera at the
Žofín Palace Žofín Palace () is a Neo-Renaissance building in Prague, in the Czech Republic. It is a cultural centre, a venue for concerts, balls, conferences and exhibitions. It is situated on ' (Slavonic Island), an island in the Vltava river in New Town, ...
in Prague, followed by an appearance at the Konzerthaus in Vienna in June 2004 to mark the accession of the Czech Republic to the European Union. Kalivodová has since then performed around the world, including the
Centre for Fine Arts The Centre for Fine Arts (, ; , ) is a multi-purpose cultural venue in the Royal Quarter of Brussels, Belgium. It is often referred to as BOZAR (a homophone of ''Beaux-arts'') in French or by its initials PSK in Dutch. This multidisciplinary s ...
in
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
, and the
State Kremlin Palace The State Kremlin Palace (), previously and unofficially known as the Kremlin Palace of Congresses (Кремлёвский дворец съездов), is a large modern building inside the Moscow Kremlin. History The building was built at th ...
in
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, as well as concerts in
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
and the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, and joined the European Stars' Tour in 2005, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the end of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Kalivodová has been performing with the Prague State Opera since 2002, and as a soloist since 2003, with a home venue at the Prague National Theater. Among her performances with the Prague State Opera were her role, in April 2008, as Carmen in
Georges Bizet Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, ''Carmen'', w ...
's opera of the same name at the
O2 Arena O2 Arena may refer to: *The O2 Arena, London * O2 Arena, Prague *The 3Arena, Dublin, formerly known as The O2 *The Uber Arena, Berlin, formerly known as O2 World *The Barclays Arena Barclays Arena (originally known as the Color Line Arena an ...
in Prague, a production which was also staged in
Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
,
Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...
, and
Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of abou ...
, among other cities across Europe and in the Czech Republic. In July 2009 she performed the role of the Witch in ''
Rusalka In Slavic folklore, the rusalka (plural: rusalki; , plural: русалки; , plural: ''rusałki'') is a female entity, often malicious toward mankind and frequently associated with water. It has counterparts in other parts of Europe, such as th ...
'' on a revolving stage in
Český Krumlov Český Krumlov (; , ''Böhmisch Krumau'') is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 13,000 inhabitants. It is known as a tourist centre, which is among the most visited places in the country. The historic centre ...
, in a production directed by Josef Průdka and conducted by John Keenan of the New York Met. During her career she has worked with conductors including
Leoš Svárovský Leoš Svárovský (born 17 May 1961 in Jablonec nad Nisou, former Czechoslovakia) is a Czech flautist The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound ...
,
Vladimír Válek Vladimír Válek (2 September 1935 – 16 February 2025) was a Czech conductor and educator, best known for leading the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1985 to 2011. He transformed the radio orchestra with few public performances to one of ...
,
Petr Vronský Petr Vronský (born 4 March 1946) is a Czech people, Czech conducting, conductor, violinist and music teacher. He was born to a musical family, his grandfather Bóža Wronski (1889–1953) was an operatic tenor, his father, Karel Vronský (1918– ...
,
Fabio Luisi Fabio Luisi (born 17 January 1959) is an Italian conductor. He is currently principal conductor of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and chief conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra. Biog ...
, John Keenan, Heiko Mathias Förster, and
Kaspar Zehnder Kaspar Zehnder (born 27 August 1970 in Riggisberg, Canton of Bern) is a Swiss conductor and flutist. He studied classical languages at the Lyceum in Bern and music at the University of the Arts Bern. His music teachers included Heidi Indermühle ...
. Kalivodová also writes her own material, and is involved in a project entitled ''Alma Mahler, Her Life and Songs'', featuring the autobiography of
Alma Mahler Alma Mahler-Werfel (born Alma Margaretha Maria Schindler; 31 August 1879 – 11 December 1964) was an Austrian composer, author, editor, and socialite. Musically active from her early years, she was the composer of nearly fifty songs for voice ...
put to music. She has also performed in the operetta '' Polish Blood'', by
Oskar Nedbal Oskar Nedbal (26 March 1874 – 24 December 1930) was a Czech violist, composer, and conductor of classical music. Early life Nedbal was born in Tábor, in southern Bohemia. He studied the violin at the Prague Conservatory under Antonín Ben ...
, at Karlín Musical Theater in Prague. In late 2011, Kalivodová's first album, ''The Paths of Love'' was released, a live performance from the Music of Thousands Mahler
Jihlava Jihlava (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. Jihlava is the capital of the Vysočina Region, situated on the Jihlava (river), Jihlava River on the historical border between Moravia and Bohemia. Historically, Jihla ...
Festival, where she performed a collection of Czech songs, mostly connected to folklore, including
Antonín Dvořák Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8September 18411May 1904) was a Czech composer. He frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia, following the Romantic-era nationalist example of his predec ...
's " Songs My Mother Taught Me",
Otakar Ostrčil Otakar Ostrčil (25 February 1879 in Prague – 20 August 1935 in Prague) was a Czech composer and conductor. He is noted for symphonic works ''Impromptu'', ''Suite in C Minor'', and ''Symfonietta'', and in his opera compositions '' Poupě'' and ' ...
's "The Orphan", and compositions by
Petr Eben Petr Eben (22 January 1929 – 24 October 2007) was a Czech composer of modern and contemporary classical music, and an organist and choirmaster. Life and career Born in Žamberk in northeastern Bohemia, Eben spent most of his childhood an ...
, Jan Kunc, Bohuslav Martinu and Leos Janacek. Kalivodová also does charity work, principally for IKEMU, which focuses on people with
pulmonary hypertension Pulmonary hypertension (PH or PHTN) is a condition of increased blood pressure in the pulmonary artery, arteries of the lungs. Symptoms include dypsnea, shortness of breath, Syncope (medicine), fainting, tiredness, chest pain, pedal edema, swell ...
, and the Cerebrum Association, supporting patients with brain injuries.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalivodova, Andrea 1977 births Living people 21st-century Czech women opera singers People from Kroměříž Czech operatic mezzo-sopranos Brno Conservatory alumni Academy of Performing Arts in Prague alumni