Violetta Lazin (sopraan)

De Servisch-Nederlandse sopraan Violetta Lazin was born to a family with its roots in opera and theater she studied piano from the age of six. At 16 she had already won a First Prize and a Special Prize for Interpretation in a National Singing Competition of Yugoslavia and Third Prize at the International Competition Petar Konjovic. Her early concert performances include venues such as Kolarac National University, Belgrade National Opera Serbian National Theater and Sombor National Theater where she made her debut performance with the National Army Orchestra under the baton of maestro Angel Shurev at the age of 17. She studied acting at the BK University in Belgrade in a class of prof. Rade Markovic.

Text: Violetta Lazin/RS
Photos: Ornella Tiberi (for the Camille Claudel world première), Etienne Werner

Born to a family with its roots in opera and theater she studied piano from the age of six. At 16 she had already won a First Prize and a Special Prize for Interpretation in a National Singing Competition of Yugoslavia and Third Prize at the International Competition Petar Konjovic. Her early concert performances include venues such as Kolarac National University, Belgrade National Opera Serbian National Theater and Sombor National Theater where she made her debut performance with the National Army Orchestra under the baton of maestro Angel Shurev at the age of 17. She studied acting at the BK University in Belgrade in a class of prof. Rade Markovic.

The Netherlands

In 1999 she came to the Netherlands to continue her studies with james McCray at The McCray International Studio of Vocal Arts. Miss Lazin made her opera debut in the Netherlands in 2001 as Lola in Mascagni´s Cavalleria Rusticana alongside Frank van Aken. She also holds a bachelor and master degree in Music and Theater at the Fontys Conservatory in Tilburg in the class of E. Hoepelman. Her teachers until this date remain prof. Prizrenka Petkovic McCray and James McCray.

As a student she took part in much acclaimed productions of Koen van Dijk in Sondheim´s: Into the Woods and Sweeney Todd. In 2005 she was to be seen in Amsterdam, Tilburg and Gent as Carmen in Bizet/Brook production of Tragedie de Carmen directed by M. Krone.

Opera, musical theater, conductors

Never feeling compelled to choose between opera and classic theater Lazin has been active in both. Her opera resume includes: Bizet: Carmen (Carmen), Rossini: L´Italiana in  Algeri (Isabella), Verdi: La Forza del Destino (Preziosilla), Rigoletto (Maddalena), Aida (Amneris), Don Carlos (Eboli).

(Musical)Theater: The Forth Sister (Tanja), Backspace (Mother), Swinging Miss Christmas Disaster (Blush), Blik (Diva), The Man of La Mancha (Aldonza), Into the Woods (Witch) and Sweeney Todd (Beggar Woman)

She performed, as a soloist under conductors such as:  I. Toplak, A. Shurev, P. Slamilish,, H. Cnossen in venues such as Belgrade National Theater, Serbian National Theater Novi Sad,Qatar Theater-Doha, De Dulen Rotterdam and Elisabeth Zaal Antwerp, Toneelgroep de Appel, ALBA Theaterhuis, Oerol Festival, Serbian and Spanish National Television.

Song

Miss Lazin inherited love for the classical lied form her mother, well renowned lied interpreter in Yugoslavia, and as such continued the tradition performing (mostly) Serbian, Spanish, Russian  repertoire. From 2010 she forms a duo with the Mexican pianist Juan Zurutuza.

Soprano

In 2010 miss Lazin slowly introduced roles of the young dramatic soprano Verdi Aida (Aida), Un Ballo in Maschera (Amelia), Puccini Tosca (Tosca), Suor Angelica (Angelica) to her repertoire -according to the critique with great success

World premiere of Camille Claudel

In 2013 Miss Lazin was to be seen in the title role of the world premiere of Camille Claudel by Gianmaria Griglio in Italy.

Further roles

2014 brought amongst others a role premiere of Elettra in Mozart’s Idomeneo. In 2015 Miss Lazin was to be seen as Amelia in Verdi’s: Un Ballo in Maschera troughout Spain (Malaga, Murcia, Zaragosa, Cartagena etc). In 2016 together with her partner Italian conductor and composer Gianmaria Griglio she founded ARTax Music based in The Hague Netherlands. The company already had several projects amongst which a cabaret performance My Name is: WOMAN which premiered in September during The Amsterdam Fringe Festival

Future engagements include performances of Cavalleria Rusticana (Santuzza) in National Theater in Novi Sad and Belgrade, world premiere of Sonetos de Amor.