The 12 youngest opera singers in history - Oldest.org (2023)

More than a century has passed since women were allowed to sing on the opera stage. Young opera singers today face the same challenges as their predecessors did back then, but that hasn't stopped some of them from succeeding.

Singers who were too young to grow up as soloists in opera houses are now making their mark on the world's stages, and sometimes even becoming household names.

Young opera singers are known for their youthful enthusiasm and exuberance. You are idealistic, creative and ambitious.

Young opera singers have unlimited talent and even invent new techniques to show the world their unique vocal abilities. It's a rare gift when someone is born with this talent, so here's a list of the youngest opera singers to get you started.

12. Shirley Verrett (May 31, 1931 – November 5, 2010)

photo source:opera.co.uk

Shirley VerretShe was a black mezzo-soprano who effectively transitioned into soprano parts later in her affogato-soprano career. In 1957, Shirley Verrett made her opera debut in Benjamin Britten's The Rape of Lucretia. He was 27 when he debuted a year later in 1958, which really kick-started his career.

At 28, she sang Irina in Kurt Weill's Lost in the Stars at the New York Opera.

Verrett made her town hall debut as Shirley Verrett-Carter after starring in a New York City Opera production of The Last Work in 1958 and winning the Walter S. Naumburg Award.

Verrett also made his first promotional recording with Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, with Josef Krips conducting the London Symphony. He made his debut in a European opera, Rasputin's Todt, in Cologne.

did you know

Shirley Verrett received a position at the University of Michigan in 1996 and later earned the title of James Earl Jones Distinguished Professor of Voice.

11. Modest Menzinsky (April 29, 1875 - December 11, 1935)

photo source:opera.lviv.ua

TenorModesto MenzinskyHe made his operatic debut in 1901 at the Frankfurt Opera House in Germany as Lionel in Friedrich von Flotow's Martha. Modest Menzinsky made his stage debut at the age of 26. But Menzinsky did not sign his first long-term contract with the Stockholm Opera until 1904, when he was 29 years old.

A renowned and versatile performer, Menzinsky has played leading roles in operas of many styles, including those by Richard Wagner, Giuseppe Verdi and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He also had leading roles in the world premieres of Die Gezeichten, Der Schatzgräber and Irrelohe, three of Franz Schreker's contemporary operas.

did you know

Modest Menzinsky was the first to introduce this Ukrainian music to the West in concerts and various recordings for the Gramophone label.

10. Luciano Pavarotti (October 12, 1935 – September 6, 2007)

photo source:imdb.com

Italian tenorLuciano PavarottiHe made his opera debut in 1961 at the Reggio Emilia Teatro Municipale as Rodolfo in La Boheme. Luciano Pavarotti was 26 years old when he debuted on stage. However, when Pavarotti toured Australia with Joan Sutherland in 1963 at the age of 28, it marked his true operatic breakthrough.

He is best known for his operatic performances as Arturo in Tonio in La Fille du régiment by Gaetano Donizetti, I Puritani by Vincenzo Bellini, Duke in Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi and Radamès in Aida by Giuseppe Verdi. All of these performances are accessible on sound recordings.

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Her last public appearance was during the opening ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, when she sang her well-known aria "Nessun dorma" from Turandot by Giacomo Puccini.

9. Joan Sutherland (November 7, 1926 – October 10, 2010)

photo source:liricopera.org

Joan Sutherlandshe was a passionate soprano who sang coloratura. In 1951, he appeared on stage for the first time in Eugene Goossen's Judith. Joan Sutherland made her acting debut at the age of 25. He went on to the School of Opera at the Royal College of Music in London after winning first place in the Sun Aria competition in Australia.

She was employed there by the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as an assistant soprano and on 28 October 1952 she made her stage debut as First Lady in The Magic Flute. In 1959 she was given a revival of Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti at Covent Garden, and in 1961 she made her Metropolitan Opera debut in the same role in New York City.

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The three sopranos in Jacques Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann and Norma in Vincenzo Bellini's opera are among his later greatest successes. She also played Cleopatra in George Frideric Handel's Giulio Cesare.

8. Simone Piazzola (1985 – present)

photo source:crescendiartistas.com

Simon PiazzollaBorn in Verona, he won the public prize and second place in the Plácido Domingo Operalia competition in 2013. In 2008 he made his professional debut in the role of Marcello in La Bohème at La Fenice in Venice.

This Veronese baritone is getting closer and closer to greatness. With no prior preparation, he replaced unexpectedly ill Luca Salsi at the last minute at La Scala's reopening concert in July 2020. He has already performed on major stages across Europe.

Piazzola is highly acclaimed for his sweet, resonant and expertly modulated voice, which exemplifies the best qualities of a true Verdean baritone, exemplified by legends such as Ettore Bastianini.

did you know

In 2017, Piazzola received an award in recognition of his famous baritone.

7. Rosa Feola (May 21, 1986 – heute)

photo source:operasense.com

World Opera Competition Die Placido Domingo 2010 gabRosa Feolawith second place, the audience award and the zarzuela award, a huge boost on the road to fame. Additionally, Dircé's performance at the Salzburg Festival 2019 in Luigi Cherubini's Medea caught the attention of a wider audience.

Rosa Feola has performed at several of the world's leading opera houses since her critically acclaimed debut as Corinna in the Kent Nagano production of Il Viaggio a Reims. She also collaborated with Iain Burnside on his first solo album Musica e Poesia, released in 2015 on the Opus Arte label, and featured works by Respighi, Martucci, Ponchielli, Pinsuti and Liszt.

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Rosa Feola has performed in recent seasons with pianist Iain Burnside at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and at the Park Avenue Armory in New York.

6. Teresa Iervolino (May 14, 1989 – heute)

photo source:liceubarcelona.cat

Teresa IervolinoIn 2007 she was admitted to the D. Cimarosa Conservatory in Avellino. She was born in Bracciano, near Rome. After a year she started performing with concerts in Campania, Italy and in 2010 she won third place in the international competition Opera Città di Ravello.

In May 2012, he made his stage debut in Stravinsky's Pulcinella at the Teatro Filarmonico di Verona before moving on to other roles and venues. His breakthrough came in 2020 when he debuted as a lead on some of the biggest and heaviest stages including Munich, Barcelona and Verona Arena.

did you know

Teresa Iervolino participated in the 63rd edition of the European Community Competition for Young Singers in 2012 as a candidate for the Associazione Lirica E Concertistica Italiana and won.

5. Sarah Brightman (August 14, 1960 – present)

photo source:npr.org

Before joining Hot Gossip and releasing a string of disco-inspired hit singles as a solo artist,Sarah BrightmanShe started her career as a dancer with the group Pans People. In 1981 she appeared in her first West End musical, Cats, where she met Andrew Lloyd Webber.

The Phantom of the Opera, in which she created the role of "Christine Daaé", was one of the Broadway musicals in which she later starred.

After several successful years on the music scene, Brightman decided to restart his solo career with former Enigma co-producer Frank Peterson. The 1992 Barcelona Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Olympics attracted an estimated four billion spectators worldwide, making her the first artist to be invited to perform at two Olympic events.

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In 2010, Billboard named Sarah Brightman the fifth most influential and best-selling classical artist of the 2000s in the United States.

4. Ira Malaniuk (January 29, 1919 - February 29, 2009)

photo source:yusypovych. com

mezzo-sopranoIra MalaniukHe was of Austrian and Ukrainian descent. He made his operatic debut in 1939 at the Lemberg Opera in a student production of Giuseppe Verdi's Amneris in Aida. Ira Malaniuk had just turned 20. However, Ira Malaniuk did not make her stage debut until age 26 in 1945 as Azucena in Giuseppe Verdi's Il Trovatore at the Graz Opera House in Austria.

In the Ring cycle, directed by Wilhelm Furtwängler, Malaniuk performed at La Scala in Milan. In addition, she has had guest appearances in roles such as Madalena, Fricka, Brangäne, Waltraute, Adelaide and Marina at the Bayreuth Festival, the Salzburg Festival, the Monte Carlo Opera and the Royal Opera House in London.

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In 1971, Malaniuk stopped performing on stage and started teaching at the Graz Conservatory of Music.

3. Maria Callas (December 2, 1923 - September 16, 1977)

photo source:viajestaormina.com

Maria Callas, one of the greatest opera singers of all time, was born in New York City in 1923 to Greek parents. She made her operatic debut in 1941 in the operetta "Boccaccio" and appeared in other operas in Greece, but mainly in secondary school roles until she emigrated to the United States again in 1945.

In early 1947, she landed her first major role as Verona in the opera La Gioconda, which brought her to prominence. Her dramatic and captivating performances were the result of her mastery of the theatrical genre and the combination of her incredible vocal abilities.

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By the time he retired, he had recorded over 20 complete operas and played over 40 different roles.

2. Jackie Evancho (April 9, 2000 – present)

photo source:elpalacioteatro.org

Jackie Evancho, a singer who rose to worldwide fame at just ten years old, has gone from the buoyant promise of a young vocal prodigy to a mature young adult with a different direction for her singing career.

Since captivating American television viewers at the age of 10 and gaining global recognition with his stunning performance on NBC's America's Got Talent, Jackie Evancho has recorded multiple platinum and gold albums and sold over 3 million copies in the US.

Along the way, she also made history as the youngest platinum-selling solo artist, youngest top-five artist in UK history, and youngest artist to perform in a solo show at Lincoln Center.

did you know

All seven of Jackie's albums reached #1 on the Billboard Classical chart. Due to his success, Jackie was twice listed by Billboard as one of the "Music Movers Under 21".

1. Victory Brinker (February 6, 2012 – present)

photo source:imdb.com

According to Guinness World Records, a 10-year-old boybringer of victoryfrom Latrobe, Pennsylvania, holds the title of youngest opera singer in history. Victoria BrinkersThe first entry in the Guinness World Records was made when he was seven years and three hundred and fourteen days old.

He began acting professionally in 2019, appearing in eight performances of Lights and Legends at the Pittsburgh Public Theater.

On July 6, 2021, the Latrobe, Pennsylvania artist also made history by becoming the first America's Got Talent nominee to receive a golden buzzer from each of the four judges.

did you know

When Brinker was 9 years old, he made his television debut on the 16th season of America's Got Talent on NBC.