Finnish soprano KARITA MATTILA is one of the most exciting artists to have emerged in recent years and is internationally heralded not only for the beauty and versatility of her voice but also for her extraordinary dramatic ability. Her performance schedule brings her to all the major international opera houses and festivals in varied repertoire encompassing Mozart, Strauss, Tchaikovsky, Janácek, Verdi, Puccini, and Wagner. Her affinity for the dramatic side of opera has produced marvelous results when working with fine stage directors such as Luc Bondy, who helped her to achieve remarkable performances in his highly acclaimed Don Carlos, seen in Paris, London, and at the Edinburgh Festival. Likewise, she has received critical praise for her work with Lev Dodin in his production of Elektra for the Salzburg Easter Festival, Robert Carsen in his production of Lohengrin at the Bastille, Jurgen Flimm in Fidelio at the Metropolitan Opera, Thomas Musbach in Arabella at the Chatelet, and Jonathan Miller in his production of Così fan tutte in Florence.

Karita Mattila has sung with the world's leading conductors including Abbado, Davis, Gergiev, Haitink, Levine, Maazel, Mehta, Pappano, Runnicles, Salonen, Sawallisch, Solti, and Thielemann. She has appeared on the great concert and recital platforms of the world - from Carnegie Hall to the Salzburg Festival - and has many recordings to her name on the Erato/Warner, EMI, Philips, Sony, DG, and Ondine/Koch Classics labels.

Operatic engagements during the 2002-03 season include Metropolitan Opera performances of Elektra and a new production of Jenufa, a new production of Kat'á Kabanová at San Francisco Opera, and a return to the Chatelet in the title role of Jenufa. Karita Mattila joins the Los Angeles Philharmonic for Strauss' Four Last Songs, both in Los Angeles and at Lincoln Center, and tours North America in recital with appearances at Carnegie Hall and in Toronto, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Vancouver, and Berkeley. During the summer of 2002 she traveled to many of North America's premiere festivals offering solo recitals and concerts with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra at the Festival International de Launaudiere, the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Ravinia, and the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra at Lincoln Center.

Highlights from the recent past have included performances of The Queen of Spades at the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, and the Opéra National de Paris, Don Giovanni, Jenufa, and Simon Boccanegra at the Salzburg Festival, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at the Metropolitan Opera (taped for future TV broadcast on PBS), Manon Lescaut and Fidelio at the Finnish National Opera, numerous concerts and recordings with the Berlin Philharmonic, and solo recitals in New York, London, Paris, Vienna, Amsterdam, Milan, Salzburg, Tel Aviv, and Munich.

Photo: Lauri Eriksson courtesy Warner Classics International