Eliane Coelho

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Eliane Coelho (born in 1951 in Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian soprano singer.

Coelho began studying Architecture at the college in Rio de Janeiro, but she soon decided she would develop her singing career in Europe. She was a pupil of Solange Petit-Renaux, a former star of the Paris Opéra. In 1971, she moved to Germany and kept her studies at the Musikhochscule, in Hanover. In 1974, she was already singing roles like Nannetta, Gretel, Zdenka, Violetta, Liù and Konstanze. In 1976, she concentrated her performances at the Stadttheater, in Bremen, where she stayed for 6 years and added roles like Fiorilla in Il Turco in Italia, Norina in Don Pasquale, Hanna Glawari in The Merry Widow and Berg's Lulu. After starting her career as a lyric coloratura soprano, her voice gradually gained heft and a darker color, tending to the lyric and lyric spinto repertoire.

In 1984, she became a regular soprano in the Frankfurt Opera. She also appeared as a guest artist in several Opera houses, as in the Teatro Reggio di Torino, where she sang Lulu, and also in Aachen and in the Vienna Volskoper. In 1988, she sang the roles of Giulietta, in The Tales of Hoffmann, at the Festival of Bregenz, and of Donna Elvira at the Theatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro. In the late 80's, she had already sung in many countries and established herself as a renowned singer. However, her definitive breakthrough would happen some years later. In 1990, she sang Tosca in Heidelberg and, in 1991, Donna Anna in Rio de Janeiro. In this year, she was hired by the Vienna Staatsoper, where she debuted with a major success as Salome, which would become her most acclaimed role. From 1991 to 2003, she sang that Straussian role about 140 times.

At that house, she became one of the most acclaimed and versatile singers and performed dozens of roles, including: Maria in Maria Stuarda, Giulietta in The Tales of Hoffmann, Elettra in Idomeneo, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Salomé in Hérodiade, Hélène in Verdi's Jérusalem, Elena in I Vespri Siciliani, Abigaille in Nabucco, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, Liù in Turandot, Lady Macbeth, Lina in Stiffelio, Maddalena in Andrea Chénier and many other roles. She also performed, as a guest artist: at the Vienna Volksoper as Tatiana in Eugen Onegin and Abigaille, in 1992; at the Bavarian State Opera and at the Berlin Staatsoper as Salome, in 1995; at the La Scala, in Milan, as Madama Butterfly, in 1996; at the Opéra Bastille, in Paris, as Salome, in 1996; and in other important Opera houses all around the world, from Manaus, in Brazil, to Tokyo. In 2003 she was Tosca in Luciano Pavarotti's Berlin farewell performance. Also in 2003, she sang her first Turandot in St. Gallen and Berlin and received much applause. In 1998, Eliane Coelho received the title of Kammersängerin in Vienna.

In 2005, Eliane Coelho came back from several months of rest and fight against the cancer. Fortunately, she started her career again with a new role: Bellini's Norma. Other recent engagements include a return to Brazil where she sang La Gioconda at the Teatro Amazonas, in Manaus and in Sao Paolo, where she also sang Lady Macbeth from Mzensk for the first time in 2007. Despite her remarkable versatility, Coelho has established herself as one of the most accomplished interpreters of operas by Giuseppe Verdi, Richard Strauss (besides Salome, she has sung Arabella and often presents in her concerts Strauss's Four Last Songs) and Verismo composers. In 2008 she will be singing her first Manon Lescaut in Bucharest, her first Elektra in Budapest, role debuts as Amelia in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera and Donizetti's Anna Bolena as well as Amelia in Simon Boccanegra and Verdi Requiem in Bucharest and a song recital in Moscow.