Soprano Itziar Martínez Galdós will be decorated at the Spanish Embassy

Itziars final concert at The Norwegian National Opera, Oslo, Foto: Henning Høholt, copyright Kulturkompasset

Itziar Martinez Galdos

OSLO: On Tuesday, June 11, the Spanish soprano Itziar Martínez Galdós, will be awarded the Encomienda de la Orden de Isabel la Católica, in recognition of her dedication to the promotion of friendship and cooperation between the kingdoms of Spain and Norway through her outstanding career at the Norwegian National Opera, Oslo

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 The Orden de Isabel la Católica is one of the decorations awarded by the Spanish Foreign Ministry and is signed by the King of Spain and the Foreign Minister
. The decoration ceremony will take place at the Residency of the Spanish Ambassador and will be officiated by Ambassador Antonio López Martínez.

 For over two decades Itziar Martínez Galdós has represented the dynamism of the Spanish artistic and cultural scene in Oslo and has been acclaimed as one of the leading romance singers of the Nordic countries. With this reward the Spanish Foreign Ministry pays tribute to the career of one of the most prominent members of the Spanish community in Norway.

ITZIAR MARTINEZ GALDOS – SOPRANO

Itziar Martinez Galdos is from San Sebastian in Spain, where she began her study of voice.

Blomsterhav til Itziar på hennes avskjedsgalla. Foto: Henning Høholt, copyright Kulturkompasset

She received her diploma in music in Stuttgart, and then in 1985 she came to Oslo to study at the National Opera Academy. Galdos made her début as a romance singer in 1988, during which year she was awarded the “Debutant Prize” and the “European Movement Prize.” In 1989 she became a permanent soloist with The Norwegian National Opera, where she has sung a wide range of roles from Mozart and Rossini to Janacek and contemporary opera, and, moreover, from Puccini and Wagner to the French repertoire. She received critical acclaim for her interpretation of Puccini’s famous heroine, Manon Lescaut, and for Tosca, as well as Desdemona in Verdi’s “Otello.”

She has given guest performances at the Stockholm Opera, as Desdemona in “Otello,” as Mimi in “La Bohème,” as Micaela in “Carmen,” and as Rosina in “The Barber of Seville.” Moreover, she has performed at the Gothenburg Opera as Nedda in the opera “Pagliacci,” and at the Malmö Opera and Bilbao’s Arriaga Theatre as Liù in “Turandot.”

As one of the most eminent romance singers in Scandinavia, Galdos performs throughout much of Europe, and her Spanish repertoire is generally the centerpiece of these performances. Together with Per Arne Franzen she was given the honor of performing a Spanish/Norwegian program when the Spanish royal couple paid an official state visit to Norway in 2006. Itziar Martinez Galdos has been awarded “Operaens Venners Ærespris” and the prestigious Kirsten Flagstad Prize

Kort oppsummering om Itziar M. Galdos:

 Itziar M. Galdos har sitt opphav fra San Sebastian i Spania.

Itziar Martinez Galdos, tankevekkende, beveget? på hennes siste opptreden etter 24 år på scenen på Den Norske Opera. Foto: Henning Høholt, copyright Kulturkompasset.

 Hun har bekledd ledende sopranroller innen for klassisk og romantisk operarepertoar så vel som i operetter
.

 Itziar M. Galdos har også hatt tid å gjeste i utlandet, deriblant ved operahusene i Stockholm, Göteborg, Malmø, Beograd og Bilbao. Hun har også konsertert med symfoniorkestre, bl.a. Aalborg Symfoniorkester, hvor hun sang Cinco canciones negras (1945) (Five black songs) av hennes landsmann Xavier Montsalvatge,  direktesendt i Danmarks Radio. Dette gnistret det av.

 Hannes baskiske bakgrunn har tilført publikumsyndlingen et kjærkomment streif av sydlig temperament.

 I 2008 spilte hun en CD med spanske og latin- amerikanske  sanger.

 Hun er blitt beæret med priser og utmerkelser gjennom en lang karriere:

 Debutantprisen 1988, Europabevegelsens Pris 1988, Operaens Venners Ærespris 2004 og Kirsten Flagstadspris 2008.

 Om sin egen målsetting for sitt arbeid som operasanger sier hun at det er å gå med ærlighet inn i rollene og bli bedre kjent med seg selv.

 Nettopp denne ambisjonen har gitt publikum anledning til å bli bedre kjent med artisten Itziar M
. Galdos.

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Vennligst les vår omtale av Itziars avskjedsgalla på Den Norske Opera: http://www.kulturkompasset.com/2012/06/itziar-martinez-galdos-operadiva-avskjed-etter-24-ar/