Sondra Radvanovsky

Sondra Radvanovsky (born April 11, 1969) is an American-Canadian soprano. Specializing in 19th-century Italian opera, Radvanovsky has been called one of the leading Verdi sopranos of her generation. Her signature roles include Elvira in Ernani, Leonora in Il trovatore, Elena in I vespri siciliani, Élisabeth in Don Carlos, and the title role in Norma.

Radvanovsky was born in Berwyn, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. At age 11, she moved to Richmond, Indiana. She sang her first full-length opera in Richmond at the age of 21. Radvanovsky studied theater and voice at the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles. She later undertook advanced studies at the Tanglewood Music Center and the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music.

She won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 1995 and enrolled in the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. After performances in smaller roles there, Radvanovsky came to attention as Antonia in Les contes d'Hoffmann and was singled out as a soprano to watch. Her teachers have included Martial Singher,Ruth Falcon, and Diana Soviero.

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