German-born Christina Kowalski-Holien (soprano) is known for the unique dark timbre of her voice, the “glowing heights and warm depths” which have excited audiences in the United States and Europe, and has made her one of the most sought-after singers in the Pacific Northwest. She has sung lead roles with almost every regional opera company, possessing a wide-ranging repertoire from Handel to Wagner.
Christina lists her favorite roles as Mimi, the Contessa and Cio Cio San, which she has performed with the Seattle Opera Guild, the Portland Summer Fest, Kitsap Opera, Skagit Opera, Washington East Opera and Rogue Opera. Other major engagements include: Marguerite in Faust with Opera Pacifica; Micaela in Carmen and Lauretta in Gianni Schicci with Vashon Opera; and the title role of Semele with Stephen Stubbs’s Pacific MusicWorks. She has a long-standing relationship with Skagit Opera where she has sung Adina in E’lisir d’Amore, Rosalinda in Fledermaus, Nedda in Pagliacci, Mimi in La Boheme, the First Lady in The Magic Flute and the title roles in Madama Butterfly, Tosca and Norma.
Her many concert engagements include performances in repertoire ranging from Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Wagner and Puccini to Mahler and Strauss and a recent critically acclaimed performance of Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder with the Vancouver Symphony. Christina’s CD “The Seven” is available on CD Baby and Amazon.com.
