GUNTA
  SMIRNOVA

About​​

With a voice of luminous clarity, stylistic elegance, and technical brilliance, the Latvian soprano Gunta Smirnova has established herself as a sought-after interpreter of the Baroque and Classical repertoire. Her artistic journey began at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and the Zurich University of the Arts, paving the way for performances in renowned European concert halls. Her repertoire spans a broad spectrum — from early Baroque to contemporary music.

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Masterclasses and private studies among others with Isolde Siebert, Olena Tokar and Carlos Mena provided Smirnova’s further artistic refinement. As a prizewinner of several scholarship competitions and a semifinalist at the renowned Handel Singing Competition in London, Gunta Smirnova early attracted attention as a promising young singer.

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Gunta Smirnova has performed with esteemed orchestras such as the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, the La Cetra Baroque Orchestra Basel, the Basel Chamber Orchestra, and the Venice Baroque Orchestra. Collaborations with distinguished conductors — including Ton Koopman, Andrea Marcon, René Jacobs, Joshua Rifkin, Andreas Reize, and Jörg-Andreas Bötticher — have fostered fruitful partnerships with ensembles and artists specializing in historically informed performance.

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A milestone in her career was the 2021 European tour with René Jacobs and the Belgian B’Rock Orchestra. As Cephisa in Telemann’s opera Orpheus, she captivated audiences at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, the Cologne Philharmonie, and Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu. Gunta Smirnova is also a regular guest at prominent European festivals, including the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music, the Bachfest Leipzig, the Musikfest Bremen, and the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza.

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At the Theatre Basel, the soprano impressed in several Baroque roles: as Euridice in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo and as Vagaus in Vivaldi’s Juditha triumphans. In collaboration with Ballet Basel, she performed the soprano solo parts in Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and Vivaldi’s Gloria. At the Zurich Opera House, Smirnova took part in two significant contemporary productions: Heinz Holliger’s Lunea and Helmut Lachenmann’s Das Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern.

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Critics praise Gunta Smirnova for her exceptional technical mastery as well as for profound, nuanced, and highly expressive interpretations.

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Since September 2024, the soprano has been sharing her expertise as a lecturer in Historical Performance Practice for young singers at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music in Riga.