| Biography | Fast-rising South African soprano, Golda Schultz (The Times) was a journalism major at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa when she took her first music elective, relevant to her exposure to the arts growing up from her classical music loving father and theater loving mother. In the schools music library, she happened upon a recording of Die Fledermaus featuring soprano Kiri Te Kanawa, followed by an album of the legendary Maria Callas. Inspired by these recordings, Schultz began singing Mozart works, and hasnt stopped singing since, moving on to pursue a graduate degree in music at the University of Cape Town, cementing her decision to pursue an operatic career. After two years with the Cape Town Opera, Schultz traveled to the US for the first time to successfully audition for the prestigious Juilliard School.
In early 2011, the head of The Juilliard Schools vocal program contacted Ms. Schultz to let her know that someone had dropped out of their audition slot for the Young Artist Program at the Bayerische Staatsoper. After a second round audition in Munich, they offered her a two-year position on the spot. After her time in Munichs Opernstudio, Ms. Schultz joined the ensemble of Stadttheater Klagenfurt for one season where she earned considerable attention in new productions of both Der Rosenkavalier (Sophie) and Giulio Cesare (Cleopatra).
Ms. Schultzs debuts include critically acclaimed performances at the 2012 Bayerische Staatsoper (principal role debut as Contessa Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro), the 2015 Salzburger Festspiele (Sophie, Der Rosenkavalier), the 2016 Glyndebourne Festival (Contessa Almaviva, Le nozze di Figaro), and at the Staatsoper Hamburg in the world premiere of Beat Furrers La bianca notte as the lead female role, Sibilla, led by Music Director Simone Young, solidifying her increasingly glowing reputation. Londons The Guardian claims, "Its hard to imagine finer soprano singing and The Financial Times writes, Golda Schultz sings with strength and assurance, her voice with its own distinctively thrilling radiance; she is a newcomer who simply has everything.
Schultz makes her Metropolitan Opera debut in the 2017-18 season as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, under the baton of Maestro James Levine. Her 2017-2018 season will include lead roles at the Bayerische Staatsoper in productions of Carmen (Micaëla), La bohème (Musetta), Das Rheingold (Freia), Cosi fan tutte (Fiordiligi), and Parisfal (Klingsors Zaubermädchen); performances at the German AIDS Foundations Opera Gala and Wiener Konzerthaus Gala concerts; debuts at the New National Theatre Tokyo as in Der Rosenkavalier (Sophie) and at the Dutch National Opera (Vitellia) in La Clemenza di Tito; performances of Haydn's iconic The Seasons with The Cleveland Orchestra in Cleveland and at Carnegie Hall in New York; and an engagement with Opernhaus Zürich as the lead role of The Widow in Mendelssohns Elias.
In the 2016-2017 season, Ms. Schultz, expected to have a stellar future (Opera Magazine), made her house and role debut at Teatro alla Scala as Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro) under Franz Welser-Möst, returned to the Salzburger Festspiele for her first Vitellia (La clemenza di Tito) under Teodor Currentzis in a new production by Peter Sellars, and continued as a member of the Bayerische Staatsoper ensemble with roles including Pamina (Die Zauberflöte) and Liù (Turandot), among others. Ms. Schultz also made a number of exciting concert debuts, including with the National Symphony Orchestra for Mahlers Symphony No. 2 under Christoph Eschenbach, with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig in Tippetts A Child of Our Time under Stefan Asbury, and with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in a program of Mozart concert arias under John Storgårds.
A natural concert performer, Schultz has also enjoyed recent debuts with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra in Strauss Brentano Lieder under Andrew Litton, at the Rheingau Musik Festival in Mendelssohns A Midsummer Nights Dream as well as with The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen on tour to Japan in Beethovens Fidelio, both under Paavo Järvi, and at Musikfestival Heidelberger Frühling with Mirga Grainyte-Tyla with Beethovens Ah! Perfido.
Born in Cape Town and raised in Bloemfontein, South Africa, Golda currently resides in Munich. |