ELBENITA KAJTAZI

SOPRANO • WORLD MANAGEMENT

ABOUT

"Each note seems to weave a variety of emotions, drawing the audience deeper into the world of Kajtazi's art.” - Koha.net 

Soprano Elbenita Kajtazi is one of the most exciting operatic sopranos of our generation. A native of Mitrovica, Republic of Kosovo, Kajtazi has captivated audiences with her remarkable performances on the major European stages. Already a regular at the Hamburgische Staatsoper, Opernhaus Zürich and Semperoper Dresden, Kajtazi has impressed at the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper Munich, Salzburg Festival, Opéra Comique, Opéra National de Bordeaux, and Wiener Staatsoper. Her repertoire includes Violetta in La traviata, Mimi in La boheme, Micaela in Carmen, Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro, Liu in Turandot, Alice Ford in Falstaff, Tatyana in Eugene Onegin, and title roles in Massenet’s Manon, Luisa Miller and Suor Angelica, among others.

In the 25-26 season Kajtazi makes her role debut as Alice Ford in Calixto Bieito's production of Falstaff and later this season sings her first Luisa Miller in Homoki’s production in Hamburg. Also this season she returns to the Deutsche Oper Berlin as Violetta and to Dresden Semperoper as Mimi and sings Fiordiligi in Cosi van tutte at the Opernhaus Zürich. Further ahead Kajtazi will make several house and role debuts, including at the Liceu Barcelona.

  • In the 2024-25 season Kajtazi made her hotly anticipated Wiener Staatsoper debut as Mimi in La boheme and returned in major roles to Hamburgische Staatsoper, Opernhaus Zürich and Dresden Semperoper. Recent highlights include her sensational role debut as Tatyana in Eugene Onegin in Hamburg in 2024 and her critically acclaimed Manon in Hamburg; Micaela in Carmen for a new production by Andreas Homoki at Opéra Comique and at the Edinburgh International Festival; the role of Tosca in English National Opera’s 7 Deaths of Maria Callas to critical acclaim; Violetta in Dresden; and at the Deutsche Oper Berlin; as well as Mimi in Dresden.

    Kajtazi studied at the University of Prishtina, Faculty of Arts in Kosovo before moving to Germany and in four years went from being one of the youngest members of the Young Artist Program at Deutsche Oper Berlin, to becoming a member of Aalto-Musiktheater in Essen, then joining the ensemble of Hamburgische Staatsoper in the 2018/19 season, where she has since debuted several leading roles. Kajtazi is grateful for ongoing collaboration with her singing teacher Caroline Isabel Merz.

    In Summer 2016, Kajtazi made her Salzburg Festival debut as a member of the Young Singers Project, performing alongside Plácido Domingo and the Münchner Rundfunkorchester as Crobyle in Massenet’s Thaïs. As a young artist she was part of masterclasses with great artists like Christa Ludwig, Thomas Hampson, Ermonela Jaho and Malcolm Martineau. Other opera engagements include Nannetta in Falstaff in Hamburg directed by Calixto Bieito streamed live at the ARTE Opera Season, Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro in Hamburg and for Opéra National de Lyon, Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro at the Opernhaus Zürich, Violetta for her debut at Opéra National de Bordeaux, Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel at the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin and Bayerische Staatsoper Munich, Musetta in La boheme in Hamburg, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, as well as in Essen and Hamburg: Adina in L’elisir d’amore, Violetta, Liu, Gretel, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Manon (Massenet), Micaela, Gretel, and Pamina.

    In 2022 the President of Kosovo awarded Kajtazi as honorary ambassador of the republic of Kosovo. She Audience Prize and Third Prize at the first Glyndebourne Opera Cup in 2018. Other awards include First Prize of the Riccardo Zandonai Competition, First Prize in the Spiros Argiris Sarzana Festival Competition in Italy 2014, and Dr. Wilhelm Oberdörffer Prize from Hamburgische Staatsoper in the 2019/2020 season. In April 2024 Kajtazi launched her worldwide "Bajar Berisha" scholarship supporting Albanian artists studying in Germany. This initiative was devised by Kajtazi with support of ODA Hamburg organisation for art and culture, and launched with a sensational benefit concert.

    In concert Kajtazi has performed Beethoven 9 with Kent Nagano and the Hamburg Phiharmonic at the Elbphilharmonie and Laeishalle Hamburg (2024); concerts of Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn with Riccardo Minasi and the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg; Bianca in La Rondine with the Münchner Rundfunkorchester at Prinzregententheater Munich; concerts of Pulcinella and Musetta in Scènes de la vie de bohème at the Grand Théâtre de Genève.

SCHEDULE 2025-26 SEASON

SCHEDULE 2024-2025 SEASON

RECORDINGS

PRESS

  • Financial Times

    “…and Elbenita Kajtazi’s Nannetta is both exquisitely clear and delicately erotic”

  • Deutschlandfunk Kultur

    “magically sung by Elbenita Kaktazi”

CONTACT

Sophie Dand - Director

+44 (0)7814 224 313
sophie@srcreativeconsultancy.com

Rachel Walters - Director

+44 (0)7747 487 993
rachel@srcreativeconsultancy.com

Previous
Previous

Justina Gringytė, Mezzo Soprano

Next
Next

Gary Matthewman, Conductor