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Christina Kowalski-Holien, lirico spinto soprano
Christina Kowalski-Holien is known for the unique dark timbre of her voice, her "glowing heights and warm depths" excite audiences in the U.S.A. as well as in Europe. Ms. Kowalski-Holien is a native of Germany, where she graduated with a Masters in Music and Drama from the Hochschule für Musik und Kunst in Frankfurt am Main. She appeared in productions by the Frankfurt Opera Studio as the Governess in "Turn of the screw" and Parascha in Stravinsky's "Mavra", performed the role of Vespetta in "Pimpinone" at the Sommer-Stadttheater Schiffenberg and was the Sand –and Taumann in "Haensel und Gretel" in a production of the Orchester Gesellschaft Frankfurt. Ms. Kowalski-Holien also toured with the "Febi Armonici" and the La Stagione Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Michael Schneider throughout Germany where she appeared as Amore in "Poppea" at the Stadttheater Eisenach and the Berliner Philharmonie. Ms. Kowalski-Holien held an all-Schubert Recital by invitation of the Viennese Society for Young and Promising Talent in Vienna, and was a member of the Lied-Klasse of Professor Charles Spencer in Frankfurt, Kammer Saengerin Gundula Janowitz in Vienna and Ms. Elena Lazarska in Salzburg. She became a student of famed American Soprano Ellen Faull and made her debut in the United States as Marzelline in Beethoven's "Fidelio" at the Mark Theater in Portland Oregon. She toured with the Portland Opera's "POW" program, where she performed Pamina in "The Magic Flute" and Clorinda in "La Cenerentola" throughout Washington and Oregon State. Ms. Kowalski-Holien also appeared as Anna Gomez in "The Consul", Inez in "Il Trovatore" and Barbarina in "The Marriage of Figaro" at Portland Opera. Her favorite roles are Mimi, the Contessa and Cio Cio San, which she has performed with the Seattle Opera Guild, the Portland Summer Fest, Kitsap Opera, Skagit Opera, Washington East Opera and Rogue Opera. Other engagements include Marguerite in "Faust" with Opera Pacifica and Micaela in "Carmen" and Lauretta in "Schicci" with Vashon Opera. She has a long standing relationship with Opera Coeur d'Alene and Skagit Opera where she has sung the lead roles in "Schicci", "E'lisir", "Figaro", "Pagliacci","La Boheme", "Madama Butterfly" and "Tosca".
Her concert engagements include performances with the Kammer-Orchester Bad Nauheim (Germany), the Bravo! Vancouver Orchestra, Cascade Symphony, Sinfonia Concertante, Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra, Bellevue Symphony, Coeur d'Alene Symphony, Olympia Symphony and the Vancouver Symphony in repertoire ranging from Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Wagner and Puccini to Mahler and Strauss. Ms. Kowalski-Holien performed in the World Premiere of Daron Hagen's Opera "Cradle Song" as the "Mother" in conjunction with the Finisterra Trio and was the featured artist at the Bad Salzhausen Sommer Festival in Germany 2013. Recent engagements include the performance of "Isolde's Liebestod" with the Olympia Symphony, Rosalinde in "Die Fledermaus" with Skagit Opera and the lead role of Semele in collaboration with Maestro Stephen Stubbs, Pacific Music Works and the University of Washington at Meany Hall in Seattle. She also made her Tacoma Symphony debut in the Messiah, as well as her debut with Thalia Symphony in Seattle and Tacoma Opera as the 1st Lady in 2014. Early in 2015 she was engaged to sing the role of Tosca with the Seattle Opera Guild, the 1st Lady with Skagit Opera and the rare performance of the "Wesendonck Lieder" by Wagner with the Vancouver Symphony for which she received the highest accolades. Ms. Kowalski-Holien is part of the Seraphin Trio which performs diverse repertoire for Piano, Clarinet and Soprano throughout the Pacific Northwest, is a highly sought after interpreter of German Lied and has been an affiliate artist faculty member at the University of Puget Sound since 2005. She is currently a 2nd year doctoral student at the University of Washington and her CD "The Seven" is available on CD Baby and Amazon.com.