Recipient of the City of Halle’s 2017 Händel-Preis, mezzo-soprano Vivica Genaux hails from Fairbanks, Alaska. In the course of her two-decade career, her unforgettable voice has been heard in many of the world’s most important venues, including the Metropolitan Opera, Prague’s Rudolfinum, Washington Concert Opera, Wiener Staatsoper, and Brisbane Baroque.

During 2017, Vivica achieved several milestones in her career. In addition to her rôle débuts as Lepido in Händel’s Lucio Cornelio Silla; Eternità and Diana in Cavalli’s La Calisto; and Arsamene in Händel’s Serse; and returning to the rôle of Malcolm in Rossini’s La donna del lago, Vivica founded V/vox Academy and led the Academy’s inaugural course. Further engagements in 2017 took her to such diverse locations as Bilbao, Bucharest, Budapest, Chicago, Geneva, Halle, Istanbul, Karlsruhe, Paris, Valencia, Valletta, and Vienna, and she conducted masterclasses in Weimar and Rome.

Concert dates in 2018 include performances in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK. A highlight of Vivica’s work in 2018 will be the début of her new multimedia programme that recreates the singular artistic milieux of Pauline Viardot.

Encompassing music from four centuries, Vivica’s operatic repertory extends to more than sixty rôles, more than forty of which are travesti parts. Particularly celebrated for her interpretations of Baroque and bel canto music, she has garnered praise from critics and audiences for her incredible bravura technique and the dramatic intensity of her portrayals. She has been honoured with numerous awards, and her career is documented in an array of critically-acclaimed CD and DVD/Blu-ray recordings. Her enthusiasm for sharing her experience and expertise with young singers is reflected in her masterclasses and teaching engagements throughout the world.

Already manifested in performances and recordings, Vivica’s advocacy for the music of Johann Adolf Hasse has contributed indelibly to the revival of interest in this unjustly-neglected composer. She is thrilled to share her passion for Hasse with Australian audiences in Pinchgut Opera’s pioneering production of the composer’s Artaserse.

Vivica performed the role of Mandane for our 2018 production of Hasse's Artaserse, and sang a recital of Handel, Hasse and Vivaldi arias with Erin Helyard at the Melbourne Recital Centre.