Valentina Čuden
The soprano Valentina studied singing with prof. Pia Brodnik in Ljubljana. She also studied voice with Yoriko Tanno-Kimmons, Stuart Hamilton and Jose Hernandez in Ottawa and Toronto, Canada and with prof. Pija Brodnik in Ljubljana, Slovenia. She also attended various master-classes with Croatian soprano Dunja Vejzović and Ulf Bästlein in Slovenia, Daniel Ferro in Italy and Australian pianist Stephen Delaney in Austria. At the Kiwanis music festival as well as the NATS competitions in Ottawa, she received the highest awards and was also a finalist at the Canadian Music Competition. Valentina has a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance from Carleton University where she graduated with Highest Honours in 2004. She studied with the renowned piano pedagogue Verna Jacobson. Since 2009, Valentina has been singing with the Maribor Opera. As a member of the Opera Choir, she sang various roles, including Nella in Gianni Schicchi, Suor Genoveffa in Suor Angelica, Giannetta (L'elisir d'amore), the Beast in the Slovene children's opera Kdor upa, ne odneha (Whoever Hopes Never Gives Up), Contessa Ceprano (Rigoletto), Leonora in Kogoj's opera Črne maske (The Black Masks), Olga in The Merry Widow and Curra (La forza del destino). She has also sang with the Ljubljana Opera house. In the 2009/2010 season, she sang the role of Madame Herz in Mozart’s The Impresario. Valentina has performed in concert with artists such as Saša Olenjuk, Sabina Cvilak, Milena Morača, Janez Lotrič, Jure Ivanušič, Lucienne Lončina, Janez Dovč, Tomaž Kozlevčar, Marko Zaletelj, vocal group Katice, and others. She performed in Križanke in Ljubljana for the U.S. Embassy's Independence Day celebration. In 2012, Valentina co-founded the group Movàzs with fellow singer Mojca Potrč. The group consists of cellist Zsofi Klascman, pianist Simon Robinson and ballet dancers Evgenija Koškina and Sytze Jan Luske. They have performed at the Lent festival in Maribor in 2013. As a singer and pianist, Valentina has performed across the Slovenian coast, most notably at the Lifeclass Hotels, Hotel Kempinski and Hotel Bernardin. She also teaches singing at the music school Studio Primo in Maribor where she works as a music arranger and accompanist.
Rolle und Stück
- Rigoletto (Gilda)
- Carmen (Frasquita)
- Aida
- Die Fledermaus (Rosalinde)
- Planinska roža
- Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Blonda, englische Zofe der Konstanze)
- Nabucco
- Titanic
- La sonnambula
- La forza del destino
- La Bohème
- Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District
- Don Pasquale
- Die Krönung der Poppea
- Der Barbier von Sevilla
- My Fair Lady
- Die Zauberflöte (Zweite Dame)
- Aida (Tempelsängerin)
- Carmen (Frasquita)
