ABOUT LAYLA
“The stand-out vocal presence was Layla Claire... a rich dramatic soprano oozing with class and possibility.” -The Guardian
Frequently praised for a colourful, flexible voice and graceful stage presence, Canadian soprano Layla Claire has recently expanded her repertoire with a highly successful role debut as Handel’s Alcina at Karlsruhe Händel-Festspiele, conducted by Andreas Spering. This marked Claire’s return to Karlsruhe after her first foray into Handel there in 2015, as Tusnelda (Arminio), which brought her universal acclaim as “a wonderful discovery” (Der Neue Merkur), and now released commercially by Decca Classics.
The current season continues Layla Claire’s Handel theme with the new production of Belshazzar at Opernhaus Zürich, conducted by Laurence Cummings, as well as her debut as Rodelinda with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra. For Mozart’s Pamina in Die Zauberflӧte, she travels to South America for her debut with Teatro Santiago de Chile.
Highlights of past opera seasons include a debut at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence as Sandrina in Mozart’s La finta giardiniera broadcast throughout Europe on ARTE, bringing the soprano immediate European attention, and leading to a re-engagement with the Festival for a production of Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and, most recently a role debut as Cathering Earnshaw in Opéra National de Lorraine’s production of Wuthering Heights by Herrmann.
Layla Claire was a member of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Program, making her debut there as Tebaldo (Don Carlo) under Yannick Nézet-Séguin. She has since returned to The Met’s stage for several guest appearances including the creation of the role of Helena in the Baroque pastiche The Enchanted Island under William Christie (available on Virgin Classics DVD) and as Anne Trulove in The Rake’s Progress. Layla released her solo album, ‘Songbird’, in 2017; Opera News, in review, described her soprano as “one of the most heartwarmingly beautiful around”.
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TWEETS
NEWS
“Claire fielding some glorious tones in her upper register that drew bravos from the opening night crowd” -Toronto Star
PHOTO GALLERIES
Performance Gallery
Portrait Gallery
CALENDAR
2019/20
November 3, 6, 9, 15, 17, 21, 23, 30;
December 6, 2019
Zürich Opera
Nitocris in Handel’s Belshazzar
TICKETS & INFORMATION
February 23, 28; March 3, 7 2020
Staatsoper Hamburg
Alcina in Handel’s Alcina
TICKETS & INFORMATION
April 16 to 20, 2020
Teatro Santiago de Chile
Pamina in Mozart’s Die Zäuberflöte
TICKETS & INFORMATION
July 22, 2020
Moscow State Philharmonic
Rodelinda in Handel’s Rodelinda
TICKETS & INFORMATION
2018/19
December 7, 8 2018
Boston Baroque
New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall
TICKETS & INFORMATION
March 5, 8, 10, 14 2019
Bayerische Staatsoper
Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni
TICKETS & INFORMATION
May 2, 5, 7, 9, 12, 2019
Opéra National de Lorraine
Catherine Earnshaw in Herrmann’s Wuthering Heights
TICKETS & INFORMATION
2017/18
October 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 2017
Bolshoi Opera
Alcina in Handel’s Alcina
TICKETS & INFORMATION
December 1, 2017
Bamberger Symphoniker
Bamberg, Germany
Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni
Jakub Hrůša, conductor
TICKETS & INFORMATION
December 4, 2017
Bamberger Symphoniker
Hamburg, Germany
Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni
Jakub Hrůša, conductor
TICKETS & INFORMATION
December 8, 2017
Colorado Symphony
Handel’s Messiah
Brett Mitchell, conductor
TICKETS & INFORMATION
December 14 & 15, 2017
TBA
Handel’s Messiah
February 16, 18, 21, 24, 27, 2018
Händel-Festspiele Karlsruhe
Alcina in Handel’s Alcina
Andreas Spering, conductor
TICKETS & INFORMATION
March 21, 23, 25, 27, 2018
Bolshoi Opera
Alcina in Handel’s Alcina
TICKETS & INFORMATION
CONTACT
photo credit for banner images: ABOUT LAYLA (Sian Richards), NEWS (Simon Pauly), PHOTO GALLERIES (Marty Sohl/Metropolitan Opera), CALENDAR (Falk von Traubenberg), CONTACT (Monika Rittershaus)