Born on Decembre 4, 1978
Soprano

A graduate of Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, Elena Xanthoudakis has won many first prizes, including in 2003 the Australian Youth Aria and the Maria Callas Grand Prize in the category “Oratorio and Lied”, and in 2004 the Australian National Liederfest. She has performed numerous works with orchestra, ranging from Monteverdi to Orff. During the past season she has been heard in such operatic roles as Anne Truelove in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress at the Victorian College of the Arts and with OzOpera, Leila in Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs de perles and Pamina in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with Opera Melbourne. She is currently working on her Master’s degree at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.

SEMI-FINAL
GEORG FRIEDRICH HANDEL
"Happy they! This vital breath" ~ Jephta
GABRIEL FAURÉ
Poème d’un jour
JOAQUIN RODRIGO
Quatros Madrigales Amatorios
JOCELYN MORLOCK
"Amore"
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
"So quanto a te dispiace" ~ Midridate, re di Ponto

FINAL
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH
"Aus liebe will mein Heiland sterben" ~ Matthäus-Passion
CHARLES GOUNOD
« Ah, je veux vivre » ~ Roméo et Juliette
IGOR STRAVINSKY
"No word from Tom" ~ The Rake’s Progress
GIACOMO PUCCINI
"Chi il bel sogno" ~ La Rondine
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
"In faccia all’oggetto" ~ Midritate, re di Ponte

ADDITIONAL INFO
1- What do you like most about music? (Why did you decide to become a singer?)
For me, music is a passion, it lets me live. It is sacred, it is beautiful – communicating music to people is something I would never give up, and something I have to do. I didn't decide in a conventional way to become a singer, I am a singer, I have to be a singer.
Looking back, I remember my first performance on the concert stage at age 4, singing and dancing – even today the memory is quite vivid. This probably gave me my first taste for performing and maybe this is one reason that made me pursue singing in the first place!

2- Composers or works you particularly feel drawn to? (desert island type music)
I particularly love Mozart, Strauss and Bach: you can learn so much about singing from these masters. But having said that, left on a desert island, I couldn't live without Dean Martin and Nat King Cole's mellow tones!

3- Who are your favourite singers and why?
My favourite singers are Joan Sutherland and Luciano Pavarotti – for so many obvious reasons –, but also Anne Sophie von Otter – an amazing artist – along with Bryn Terfel.

4- Your most intense musical moment?
Improvising variations on stage in a performance of Il Viaggio a Reims in Italy – loads of fun!

5- Anything else you would like to reveal about yourself?
I am very passionate and determined as an artist. I love to perform and strive for excellent results.

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