In the 2011 – 2012 season, Ms. Karanas will made her European debut at the Maggio
Musicale Fiorentino as Judit in Duke Bluebeard’s Castle under Zsolt Hamar. Later that
summer, she covered the role of Judit in the same production at the Saito Kinen Festival
in Japan and on tour in China under Seiji Ozawa. She was seen at Opera Grand Rapids
for her role debut as Azucena in Il Trovatore. Ms. Karanas sang her first performances
of Amneris in Aida at Arizona Opera, followed by Vancouver Opera, Glimmerglass Festival
in a new production by Francesca Zambello, and covered the role at the Lyric Opera
of Chicago.
Next season, Ms. Karanas makes her German debut at Oper Frankfurt as Marfa in Khovanshchina
and will debut at the Canadian Opera Company as Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde in
a production by Peter Sellars and conducted by Jiří Bělohlávek. She will also join
the roster of the Metropolitan Opera in their production of Les Troyens. Future seasons
will see Ms. Karanas in leading roles of her repertoire at the San Francisco Opera,
Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opernhaus Zurich, Canadian Opera Company, Vancouver Opera,
and Seattle Opera.
The 2010 – 2011 season saw Ms. Karanas in her first complete Ring Cycle at San Francisco
Opera under Donald Runnicles. In Francesca Zambello’s staging, she sang both Waltraute
and the 2nd Norn in the new production of Götterdämmerung and Waltraute in Die Walküre.
Ms. Karanas also sang Suzuki in Madam Butterfly and covered Amneris in Aida, both
under Nicola Luisotti at the San Francisco Opera. In recent seasons, Ms. Karanas sang
performances of Waltraute and covered Fricka in San Francisco Opera’s Die Walküre
conducted by Donald Runnicles. She also covered Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde with
Seattle Opera. With the Arizona Opera, she performed in “A Concert of Signature Arias”
along with Christine Brewer, Richard Margison, and Gordon Hawkins featuring arias
and duets from Don Carlo, Macbeth, and Norma. She concluded her San Francisco Opera
Center Adler Fellowship in performances of the Mistress of Novices in Suor Angelica
with Patrick Summers conducting, as well as covering Azucena in Il trovatore with
new music director Nicola Luisotti.
As an Adler Fellow at the San Francisco Opera, Ms. Karanas has performed in scenes
as Amneris in Aida and Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde, as well as covering the role
of Fricka in Das Rheingold conducted by Donald Runnicles. She made her San Francisco
Opera debut as Mamka in Boris Godunov as a first year Adler Fellow.
Prior to her residency at San Francisco Opera, she made debuts with the Boston Symphony
Orchestra conducted by James Levine in Schönberg’s Moses und Aron as Vierte nackte
Jungfrau and the Chicago Opera Theater as Ericlea in Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria
conducted by Jane Glover. She also performed the role of Tisbe in La Cenerentola with
the Merola Opera Program, conducted by Martin Katz.
Ms. Karanas holds a Master of Music degree from Arizona State University. While earning
her degree, she performed such roles as Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle, Mère Marie in
Dialogues des Carmélites, and the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors. She was
also a member of the Boston University Opera Institute where she performed the role
of Zia Principessa in Suor Angelica and the Lady with a Hat Box in Postcard from Morocco.
Daveda Karanas is a winner of the 2008 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
She also received an encouragement award from the George London Foundation in 2009.
She was an international semi-finalist in the 2007 Neue Stimmen Competition, a recipient
of the 2006 Encouragement Award at the Marilyn Horne Foundation Competition, and grand
prizewinner of the 2005 Arizona Opera League Competition.
We were pleased to have her sing the alma mater at the Alumni Awards Evening where
she was presented to fellow alumni.
