Opera, it’s a wonderful art form. But who are the Greatest Living Opera Singers?

Millions of people all over the world will attend captivating performances at Opera houses to really soak up and take in the talent that opera singers possess. Opera can be listened to and enjoyed anywhere, whether it be on a live stage or over the radio.

That said, so many talented opera singers provide the most fantastic renditions and performances that are appreciated by so many.

Top 5 greatest living opera singers still performing to this day. 

Our Top five choices include; Roberto Alagna, Plácido Domingo, Cecilia Bartoli, Angela Gheorghiu and Kathleen Battle. 

Roberto Alagna 

Roberto Alagna’s career kicked off after he won the Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition, which was a famous initiative supported by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities. He made his official professional debut as Alfredo Germon in La Traviata with the Glyndebourne touring company. This then led to several engagements, particularly in smaller cities within Italy and France, playing the main role of Alfredo which he would go on to perform over 150 times. His reputation began to grow and he was then invited to sing at major theatres like La Scala in Covent Garden and perform as Rodolfo at the Metropolitan Opera. He reached international stardom from his performance in 1994 as Romeo in Romeo et Juliette by Charles Gounod at Covent Garden. 

Plácido Domingo

Plácido Domingo is a Spanish born opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He is very well known for his versatility, regularly performing in an array of languages, including Italian, Spanish, German, French, Russian, and English in the most highly prestigious opera houses on the globe. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas over the span of his career and is famous for his dramatic operatic roles. He quickly became recognised and known as the most acclaimed Otello of his generation. As of the start of this decade, Domingo has performed 151 different roles and continues to be one of the greatest living opera singers of all time. 

Cecilia Bartoli 

Bartoli came to recognition in her early twenties and made her first professional opera debut in 1987 at the Arena di Verona. She then went on to perform the role of Rosina in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville at the Cologne Opera and the Zurich Opera where she earned rave reviews from critics and audiences. Her main focus, however, was on Mozart roles such as Zerlina in Don Giovanni and Dorabella in Così fan tutte during her work with conductors Daniel BarenBoim and Nikolaus Harnoncourt. From there, her career went on to develop on a wide international scale which continues to be recognised today, establishing her place as one of the greatest living opera singers of this generation. 

Angela Gheorghiu 

Angela Gheorghiu is referred to as one of the most glamorous opera singers of all time with her incredible style and stunning looks. Her rise to international stardom was in 1992 at the Royal Opera House where she sang Mimi in La boheme. She then went on to make her debut at the famous Metropolitan Opera in New York and at the Vienna State Opera later that same year. In 1994, she first sang her much acclaimed and famous Voilette in La Traviata at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. The BBC cleared out its schedules to broadcast the opera live, it was the first time in TV and operatic history for this to happen. The performance was also reviewed by several newspapers and magazines noting that “a star is born”. Ms Gheorghiu has since been in constant demand in opera houses and concert halls all over the globe from New York and London, to Paris and Tokyo, as well as many others.

Kathleen Battle 

Kathleen Deanna Battle was born in 1948 and is a famous American operatic soprano very well known for her impressive vocal range and tone that is extremely distinctive. Battle started her career and initially became known for her performances with major orchestras within the concert repertoire during the 1970s. Her opera debut happened in 1975, she went on to expand her repertoire into lyric soprano and coloratura soprano roles during the 1980s and 1990s. She was eventually dismissed from the Metropolitan Opera in 1994 and went on to focus on recording and the concert stage. After being absent from the Met for almost 22 years, Battle performed at the Metropolitan Opera House in November 2016.

Discover more about Blackpool Grand Theatre’s Opera season here.