Aile Asszonyi

b. July 22, 1975, Väike-Maarja

Aile Asszonyi studied choral conducting with Hirvo Surva at the Tallinn Georg Ots Music School, graduating in 1994. She continued with singing studies at the Estonian Academy of Music with Ludmilla Dombrovska and Ivo Kuuse obtaining bachelor`s degree in 1999 and master`s degree with Matti Pelo and Helin Kapten in 2002. From 2002 to 2004, Asszonyi was a residing member of the young artist program at the Opera Studio Netherlands under guidance of Jana Diemer. She has also studied at the Carlo Bergonzi’s Accademia Verdiana and taken part in master classes of Henk Smith and Christiana Deutekom in Netherlands.

In 1995–98, Asszonyi was a singer at the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir. She made her debut as opera singer in 2000 in role of Despina in W. A. Mozart's Così fan tutte at theatre Vanemuine. Since 2010, Aile Asszonyi has been a soloist at the Estonian National Opera. Her repertoire comprises roles of Armida (Haydn’s Armida), Marguerite (Gounod’s Faust), Mozart’s Despina and Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), Donna Anna and Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Leonora (Beethoven’s Fidelio), Adina (Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore), G. Verdi’s Violetta (La traviata), Giovanna (Giovanna d’Arco) and Amelia (Un ballo in maschera), Puccini’s Mimì (La bohème), Manon (Manon Lescaut) and Angelica (Suor Angelica), Miss Jessel (Britten’s Turn of the Screw), Zora and Mina (Zhebeljan’s Zora D, world premiere), Woman (E.-S. Tüür’s Wallenberg) etc.

Besides the opera, she has been a requierd oratorio soloist, having sung soprano parts in J. S. Bach’s St Matthew Passion and St John Passion, G. F. Händel’s Messiah and La Resurrezione, J. Haydn’s Die Schöpfung, W. A. Mozart’s Requiem, Mass in C minor and Exsultate Jubilate, L. van Beethoven’s Mass in C Major and Symphony No. 9, J. Brahms’s Ein Deutsches Requiem, G. Verdi’s Requiem, F. Mendelssohn’s Paulus, B. Britten’s Les Illuminations, etc. She has been a guest soloist at the Vienna Chamber Opera and Nargen Opera.

As a chamber singer, Asszonyi has mainly collaborated with her long-time partner, pianist Helin Kapten. Asszonyi has also sung contemporary music and premiered works by Estonian composers Timo Steiner, Ülo Krigul, Kairi Kosk and others. She has recorded all vocal miniatures by Veljo Tormis for the Estonian Radio.

Aile Assonyi has given concerts in USA, Serbia, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Russia, Sweden and Finland, including many outstanding venues like Amsterdam Concertgebouw and festivals like Newport Music Festival (USA).

She was named the best Musician of the year 2007 by Estonian Music Council and received the annual Estonian Theatre Award 2009 and 2012 as well as the SEB Audience Award 2012.
In 2004, she was a laureate at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium.

Aile Asszonyi homepage

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