Katalin Károlyi
mezzo-soprano
The mezzo-soprano, who now lives in France, started her musical studies by beginning to learn the violin at the age of five, and then by joining the Children’s Choir of the Hungarian Radio. She later studied at the Studio Versailles Opera under the tutelage of René Jacobs. Her current repertoire comprises mostly French and Italian baroque operas, chamber music from the 19th and 20th centuries, and contemporary music.
She regularly performs under the baton of William Christie. Other leading conductors she has worked with include Yehudi Menuhin, Philippe Herreweghe, Peter Srottner, David Robertson, and George Benjamin. She is regularly featured at major festivals and concert halls (Ravinia Festival Chicago, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Budapest Spring Festival, Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Concertgebouw, Milan’s La Scala, the Paris Opera, the Royal Albert Hall, etc.) It was for Katalin Károlyi and the Amadinda Percussion Group that György Ligeti composed his Síppal, dobbal, nádihegedűvel (With Pipes, Drums, Fiddles), which has been performed with great success in the United Kingdom, France, Germany and at the Salzburg Festival.
