„…her luxurious soprano, bright, classy and effortless…”
Slávka Zámečníková is regarded as one of the most promising singers of her generation, celebrated for the clarity and flexibility of her voice, expressive artistry, and commanding stage presence. She has attracted international attention through appearances at leading opera houses including the Vienna State Opera, Berlin State Opera, Opéra National de Paris, San Francisco Opera, and Teatro alla Scala. Following major successes at the International Stanisław Moniuszko Vocal Competition, Neue Stimmen, and the International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition in 2019, she has established herself as one of the leading lyric sopranos of her generation.
Since joining the ensemble of the Vienna State Opera in the 2020/21 season, she has performed a broad repertoire including Norina (Don Pasquale), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Micaëla and Frasquita (Carmen), Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier), Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Nannetta (Falstaff), Musetta (La Bohème), Sophie (Werther), Marzelline (Fidelio), and Servilia (La clemenza di Tito). She drew particular acclaim as Poppea (L’incoronazione di Poppea) and Euridice (L’Orfeo) in a new staging of Monteverdi’s trilogy under Pablo Heras-Casado with Concentus Musicus Wien, earning a nomination for the Austrian Music Theatre Prize 2022 for her portrayal of Poppea. She has also appeared as soprano soloist in ballet premieres of Symphony No. 4 and Die Jahreszeiten.
Highlights of the current season include her awaited debut at the Teatro alla Scala as Micaëla in Carmen and her first Mařenka in a new production of The Bartered Bride at the Vienna State Opera. In Germany, she appears in recital at the Oper Frankfurt and makes her debut at the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig in Die Jahreszeiten under Franz Welser-Möst.
Next season brings several major role and house debuts, including her debut at the Opernhaus Zürich as Adina in a new production of L’elisir d’amore, her return to the San Francisco Opera as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, and appearances at the Vienna State Opera as Servilia in La clemenza di Tito and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte. She will also appear as Donna Anna in a new production of Don Giovanni at the Opéra Bastille. A major milestone of the season will be her first collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra and her debut as Violetta in La traviata under the baton of Sir Antonio Pappano.
Highlights of recent seasons include her critically acclaimed debut as Gilda in Rigoletto at the Opéra National de Paris, her first appearance at the Semperoper Dresden as Musetta in La Bohème, her celebrated debut as Pamina in a new production of Die Zauberflöte at the Vienna State Opera, her Ilia in Idomeneo at the Berlin State Opera, and her debut at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein as Prima Donna in the premiere of Viva la mamma.
Earlier seasons brought her successful US debut as Adina in L’elisir d’amore at the San Francisco Opera, as well as her debut as Donna Anna in a new production of Don Giovanni under Daniel Barenboim at the Berlin State Opera, where she also sang Nannetta (Falstaff), the title role in L’incoronazione di Poppea, and Dircé in Médée. She further made an acclaimed debut at the Opéra National de Paris as Musetta in La Bohème. Additional engagements have included appearances at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden as Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro and Ilia in Idomeneo, at the Staatsoper Stuttgart as Nannetta, at the Slovak National Theatre as Pamina and Musetta, and at the National Theatre Prague as Sophie in Werther.
A scholarship holder of the Liz Mohn Kultur- und Musikstiftung during the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons, she was a member of the International Opera Studio of the Berlin State Opera, where she appeared as First Lady (Die Zauberflöte), Miss Jessel (The Turn of the Screw), Falke (Die Frau ohne Schatten), and Chasseresse (Hippolyte et Aricie) under the baton of Simon Rattle.
Concert appearances have taken her to the Elbphilharmonie, Philharmonie de Paris, the Prague Spring International Music Festival, the Rheingau Musik Festival, the Czech Philharmonic, Oviedo Filarmonía, and the Vaduz Classic, among others.
Among her numerous distinctions are Third Prize at the Neue Stimmen and the International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition in 2019, Second Prize at the International Stanisław Moniuszko Vocal Competition and the Bundeswettbewerb Gesang, as well as First Prizes at the Accademia Belcanto Competition, the Antonín Dvořák International Singing Competition, the Mikuláš Schneider-Trnavský Competition, and the Iuventus Canti Competition. At the Otto Edelmann International Singing Competition she received Third Prize, the Audience Award, and the Daegu Opera House Award, alongside a Special Prize at the Concorso Lirico Internazionale di Portofino.
Slávka Zámečníková graduated from the Bratislava Conservatory and completed both her Master’s degree and Konzertexamen at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin under the guidance of Anna Samuil. She has further participated in masterclasses and workshops with distinguished artists including Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Brigitte Fassbaender, Francisco Araiza, Neil Shicoff, Thomas Quasthoff, and Luciana D’Intino, and has also been mentored by Deborah Polaski, Julia Varády, Matthias Samuil, and Wolfram Rieger.
In addition, she is a scholarship recipient of the Junge Musiker Stiftung and the Deutschlandstipendium.