Jana Sýkorová

Czech contralto Jana Sýkorová, dubbed by a French critic "one of the most interesting Carmen throughout the world", reprises this role on two stages this season, with the Prague State Opera and with the National Moravian Silesian Theatre in Ostra-va (her seventh different production). As a leading soloist with the Prague State Opera since 1999, in addition to Carmen, her performances have included the title roles of Orlando (Vivaldi), Elephant Man (Petitgirard), Phaedra, Death (both Viklický), as well as Ulrica Un Ballo in Maschera, Maddalena Rigoletto, La Cieca La Gioconda, Olga Eugene Onegine, Ježibaba the Witch in Dvořák’s Rusalka, Suzuki Madama Butterfly, Fenena Nabucco, Sesto and Donna Elvira, among others. From 2002 to 2008 Jana Sýkorová was a permanent guest soloist with Prague National Theatre featuring in the roles of Carmen (see the review above), Kate in Dvořák’s Kate and the Devil and Panna Róza in Smetana’s The Secret, to name but a few.

Ms Jana Sýkorová’s world stage premiere in Prague and French stage premiere in Nice of Laurent Petitgirard’s opera Joseph Merrick dit Elephant Man won international acclaim in 2002 as did the subsequently released DVD (Marco Polo), called the “DVD of the Month February 2005” by the Gramophone Magazine. Jana Sýkorová’s guest performances have included Grimgerde at Wagner Festival in Wels, Austria, Death in Berlin, Elephant Man and Maddalena in Nice, France (with Marco Guidarini). In 2007 Ms Sýkorová made her debut with the London Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, as Maddalena in Verdi’s Rigoletto (a David McVicar production, with Renato Palumbo), where she returned to perform the role of Mercédès and to cover the title role of Bizet’s Carmen in 2008 (a Francesca Zambello production, with Daniel Oren). Jana Sýkorová’s 2010 opera schedule has included, in addition to Carmen in Prague and in Ostrava, Maddalena in Dijon, France (with Roberto Rizzi Brignoli) and shall include Charlotte in Massenet’s Werther in Ostrava (with Robert Jindra).

Ms Jana Sýkorová has appeared as a guest soloist on concert stages in Denmark, Norway, France, Great Britain, Italy, Germany, Spain, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and in Japan. She has performed as a soloist with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra since 2004 in Beethoven’s 9. Symphony, Ryba’s Christmas Mass, Scryabin’s Symphony No 1, in Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass in Prague as well as in Tokyo Suntory Hall. She has performed Dvořák’s Stabat Mater in Rome and  in Tokyo, Dvořák’s Requiem at Trondheim Festival, Martinů’s lieder cycle Nipponari in Glasgow, Massenet’s oratorio Marie-Magdeleine in Prague, in Slovakia and in Germany, Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass in Japan and in Denmark, Dvořák’s oratorio St. Ludmila in Holland, to name but a few. Particular mention should be made in regard to her 2009 performances of Brahms’ Alto Rhapsody with Bernhard Klee in Denmark, Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky with Gerd Albrecht in Germany, Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass with Charles Dutoit and the NHK Orchestra in Tokyo. In 2010, she had her debut in Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 with Jakub Hrůša and her 2010 concert plans include Mahler’s Symphony  No. 2 “Resurrection” with Simona Šaturová and Prague FOK Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Tomáš Netopil.

In addition to the DVD of Elephant Man mentioned above, Ms Sýkorová has recorded Dvořák's opera The Stubborn Lovers on CD (2004, with Jiří Bělohlávek), Janáček’s masses with the Prague Philharmonic Choir (2010, both Supraphon label) and several oratorios and song cycles for the Czech Broadcasting Authority, most recently Saint-Saëns’ Persian Night and Pallas Athène in his opera Hélène (with Guillaume Tourniaire). Ms Sýkorová has also recorded Dvořák's Biblical Songs, Gipsy Songs and Moravian Duets (with soprano Simona Šaturová) for Hungarian Radio, Brahms’ Alto Rhapsody for Danish Radio (with Bernhard Klee), and the Glagolitic Mass for NHK TV (with Charles Dutoit). The concert of Dvořák’s oratorio St. Ludmila for Dutch TV (with Gerd Albrecht) shall release on DVD soon.

Ms Jana Sýkorová has had her debut in Brahm’s Alto Rhapsody in 2006 in two concerts in Budweiß. In 2009, she was invited to perform the Alto Rhapsody in two concerts under the baton of honourable Bernhard Klee in Ostende, Denmark. The broadcast concert was awarded twelve minutes standing ovation and the said record of Alto Rhapsody has been one minute longer than the records of Kathleen Ferrier used to be, by the way.

Ms Jana Sýkorová studied singing at the Prague Conservatory of Music with Brigita Šulcová. She attended master courses with Eva Randová in Stuttgart and with Mikhail Tomashov in Sophia. She was a laureate of the Carlsbad (Karlovy Vary) Singing Contest in 1997 and she has been awarded many other prizes, most notably the prestigious Europäischer Förderpreis für Junge Künstler in 1998.

Jana Sýkorová’s website: http://www.czechopera.cz/sykorova