Zanda Švēde

The Latvian mezzosoprano returns to the Lyric stage in November as Grimgerde/Die Walküre (new production conducted by Sir Andrew Davis, directed by David Pountney). Švēde also makes her company debut at Atlanta Opera as Carmen and returns to Lyric Opera of Kansas City to reprise her portrayal of Verdi’s Maddalena. Previous career highlights include company debuts with Lyric Opera of Kansas City (Carmen, role debut) and North Carolina Opera (Olga/Eugene Onegin, concert performance). At San Francisco Opera, in addition to creating roles in two world premieres (The Handmaiden and The Flower/Bright Sheng’s Dream of the Red Chamber, Lena/Marco Tutino’s Two Women), Švēde has portrayed Maddalena, Suzuki/Madama Butterfly, the Maid/ The Makropulos Case, Third Lady/Die Zauberflöte, and Flora/La traviata. The mezzo’s stage repertoire also encompasses Endimione/Cavalli’s La Calisto, the title role/Massenet’s Cléopâtre, and the title role/ Piazzolla’s María de Buenos Aires. Concert engagements have included Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (San Francisco Symphony), Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Vivaldi’s Gloria, and the Mozart Requiem. Švēde recently completed her final year in the prestigious Adler Fellowship program at San Francisco Opera.

Lyric debut: Maddalena/ Rigoletto (2017|18)

Last updated: October 7, 2017