“Valentina Naforniţă sent the audience into ecstasies: she has a ravishing stage presence with a naturally vibrant voice, rich in the middle and silver at the top. Her ability to suggest character made her ‘Regnava nel silenzio’ from Lucia di Lammermoor totally credible… she suggested a stamina that augurs well for a starry future.”
Opera magazine
Winner of the 2011 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, soprano Valentina Naforniţă, at the age of 24, was one of the youngest competitors. In addition to winning the Main Prize, she also received the Dame Joan Sutherland Audience Prize and sang in the Song Prize final.
Valentina Naforniţă was born in Glodeni, Republic of Moldova. She graduated from the Stefan Neaga Music College in Kishinev in 2006 and continued her training at the National University of Music in Bucharest, Romania, first with Maria Slatinaru-Nistor and currently Eleonora Enăchescu. At the Opera Studio, she has sung Norina Don Pasquale, Adina L’elisir d’amore and Lauretta Gianni Schicchi. She has also appeared with the Romanian National Opera and George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra.
Previously, Naforniţă has also won the ‘Emerging Voice’ prize at the 62nd Annual Competition for Young Opera Singers of Europe 2011 (Associazione Lirica Concertistica Italiana), Orange Prize for Young Musicians, Romania in 2009 and the second prize in the Hariclea Darclée Voice Competition in 2010.
In the 2011/12 season, Naforniţă joins the young artist programme of the Wiener Staatsoper, where she sings the roles of Servilia La Clemenza di Tito, Papagena Die Zauberflöte, Lisa La Sonnambula, and covers Najade Ariadne auf Naxos, Giannetta L’elisir d’amore, Barbarina Le nozze di Figaro, Ida Die Fledermaus, and Frasquita Carmen. She will graduate into the Ensemble at the Staatsoper in 2012/13 season and sing roles including Adina, Marzelline Fidelio, Musetta La Boheme, Elvira L’Italiana in Algeri, Clorinda La Cenerentola, Oscar Un ballo in Maschera and Gilda Rigoletto. She will also make her La Scala debut singing Gilda. Other future engagements include appearances at Llangollen International Eisteddfod, Petworth Festival and with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam.
Valentina Naforniţă is represented worldwide by Intermusica.
March 2012 / 341 words. Not to be altered without permission. Please destroy all previous biographical material.
Lisa in Bellini La Sonnambula / Wiener Staastoper
Cond. Evelino Pidò / Dir. Marco Arturo Marelli
“Nafornita can boast the stature and grace of a ballerina which, coupled with her bell-like soprano and impressive stage presence, amply demonstrated that she is an ensemble member with undoubted promise for the future.”
Moore Parker, Opera Critic, February
BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition - Final
St. David’s Hall / cond. Jac van Steen
“Sublime...This is a voice in a million, with rich, warm colouring across the whole range, great agility in coloratura, with unfailing musical adaptability…”
Stephen Walsh, The arts desk, June 2011
“Valentina Naforniţă's voice and style were perfectly suited to her first song, which was Rakhmaninov's Ne poy, krasavitsa, pri mne.
I have heard Ian Burnside on Radio 3 say he would gladly listen to her singing the Phone Book. There is no doubting the beauty of her voice. She is also exceptionally pretty - shouldn't be relevant, but of course it is.”
Intermezzo, June 2011
“Naforniţă thrilled the jury and the audience in the main final with a programme consisting of arias from Lucia di Lammermoor, Rusalka and Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette.”
David Threasher, Gramophone, June 2011
“American mezzo Joyce DiDonato said of [Naforniţă's] victory: 'I think it's really exciting. She has a real element of star quality and the quality of the voice itself is something very special.'”
Classical Music, August 2011
“Valentina Naforniţă… sent the audience into ecstasies in her earlier round: she is a ravishing stage presence with a naturally vibrant voice, rich in the middle and silver at the top. Her ability to suggest character made her Regnava nel silenzio from Lucia di Lammermoor totally credible… suggested a stamina that augurs well for a starry future.”
Rian Evans, Opera, August 2011
“The evening’s delightful discovery was Moldovan soprano Valentina Nafornita. This elegant, intoxicating young soprano set the contest alight with a programme of Verdi, Korngold and Gounod, each sung with beauty and remarkable presence for such a young singer.”
Mike Smith, Wales Online, June 2011