Elizabeth Sikora’s numerous roles for the Royal Opera, Covent Garden have included Annina (La Traviata), Third Lady (Die Zauberflöte), Filipyevna (Eugene Onegin), Yetta Zimmerman (Sophie’s Choice by Nicholas Maw), Spirit of Antonia’s Mother (Les contes d’Hoffmann), Innkeeper’s Wife (The Cunning Little Vixen), Maid (Jenùfa), Praskowia (The Merry Widow), Old Woman (The Greek Passion), Feklusha (Kátya Kabanová), Servant (Die Ägyptische Helena), Voice from Above (Die Frau ohne Schatten), Masha (The Queen of Spades), Giovanna (Rigoletto), Schwertleite and Rossweise (Die Walküre), Mother Superior (Cyrano de Bergerac), Maddalena (Linda di Chamounix), and Annina (La traviata), singing under conductors including Antonio Pappano, André Previn, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Sir Edward Downes, Mark Elder, Daniele Gatti, Valery Gergiev, Bernard Haitink, Richard Hickox, Sir Charles Mackerras, Sir Simon Rattle and Christian Thielemann.
Elizabeth Sikora made her débuts at the Grand Théâtre de Genève as the Forester’s Wife (Cunning Little Vixen), at English National Opera as Susanna (Khovanschina), at Scottish Opera as Swiss Grandmother (Death of Klinghoffer at the Edinburgh Festival), with the London Symphony Orchestra as Eunice Hubbel (A Streetcar Named Desire under André Previn), and with Chelsea Opera Group as Countess de Coigny (Andrea Chénier). She later performed Madame de la Haltière (Cendrillon) for Chelsea Opera Group.
Elizabeth Sikora also has a long association with the Royal Ballet and the Birmingham Royal Ballet, for whom she has sung in Mayerling, Masquerade, Les Noces, Still Life at the Penguin Café, There Where She Loves and Le Tricorne.
Elizabeth Sikora has a busy concert diary, and her extensive concert repertoire includes all the standard works, including Beethoven Mass in C, Dvorak Stabat Mater, Elgar Dream of Gerontius and Sea Pictures, Mahler Kindertotenlieder and Das Lied von der Erde, Janáçek Glagolitic Mass, Mendelssohn Elijah, Rossini Stabat Mater, Schubert Mass in A flat, Verdi Requiem, and Dvorak Requiem.
Elizabeth Sikora made her début at Teatro all Scala, Milan, as the Prole Woman in 1984 by Lorin Maazel under his baton. She has also performed the Spirit of Antonia’s Mother (Les Contes d’Hoffmann) for the Nationale Reisopera and Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro) for the Festival Rotas dos Monumentos in Portugal.
Elizabeth Sikora recently returned to the Grand Théâtre de Genève to sing Mrs Sedley (Peter Grimes). Other recent engagements include Giovanna (Rigoletto) at the Royal Opera House, The Nurse (Roméo et Juliette) for NPS Radio at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Mahler’s Ruckert Lieder for Resolution – a new work choreographed by Wayne Eagling for English National Ballet at London’s Royal Festival Hall and The Mother (Mavra by Stravinsky) with the CBSO in Symphony Hall, Birmingham, recorded by BBC Radio 3.
Elizabeth Sikora’s recordings include Jenufa for Warner Classics, and DVDs include Les Noces with the Royal Ballet and Giovanna (Rigoletto) with the Royal Opera.
Most recent engagements include Dubious Old Lady (The Gamble) and the Innkeeper’s Wife (The Cunning Little Vixen) for the Royal Opera House, where she will return next season to sing Giovanna (Rigoletto). Future engagements also include Katarina Schratt (Mayerling) for The Royal Ballet in Japan and The Wife (The Lion’s Face) with The Opera Group in London and on tour.
March 2010