Praised for her voice of luminous clarity and stylistic elegance, the Latvian-Swiss soprano Gunta Smirnova has established herself as a sought-after interpreter of Baroque and Classical repertoire. Her artistic journey began at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and the Zurich University of the Arts, leading to performances in major concert halls across Europe. Masterclasses and private study with, among others, Isolde Siebert, Olena Tokar, and Carlos Mena further shaped her artistic development.

As a prizewinner of several scholarship competitions and a semifinalist at the Handel Singing Competition in London, Gunta Smirnova was early recognised as a promising young singer.

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Gunta Smirnova has performed with orchestras such as the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, La Cetra Barockorchester Basel, the Basel Chamber Orchestra, and the Venice Baroque Orchestra. She has collaborated with conductors including Ton Koopman, Andrea Marcon, René Jacobs, Andreas Reize, and Jörg-Andreas Bötticher.

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

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

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Since September 2024, Gunta Smirnova has been sharing her experience and knowledge as a lecturer in Historical Performance Practice (voice) at the Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music in Riga.

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