Ariana Chris
mezzo-soprano
Biography
Greek-Canadian mezzo soprano, born Ariadne Christodoulopoulos, was heard and seen by billions of viewers worldwide when she performed the Greek National Anthem at the Closing Ceremonies of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
Photo: Maria-Lise Young
Other prestigious appearances include representing Greece in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition 2005, performing under the acropolis in for Canada House at the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece and singing the role of Componist in the Polish National Premiere production of Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos televised for Mezzo Television, France in 39 countries worldwide.
Her international career includes collaborations with Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Le Poisson Rouge NYC, Opera Hong Kong, Montreal Opera, Nantes and Angers Opera (France), Opera Baltycka (Poland), Canadian Opera Company, Santa Fe Opera, Kentucky Opera, Indianapolis Opera, Opera de Quebec, Opera Francais de New York and New York City Opera where she debuted in 2006 as Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana and where she stayed on the roster for five seasons. Among her most-performed roles are Massenet’s Cendrillon, Dorabella, Carmen, Dido, Cherubino and Componist.
Ariana trained at the University of Toronto and went on to apprentice with Montreal Opera and Santa Fe Opera. Combining her classical training and Greek heritage, her recording Greek Tangos is available on iTunes.
Returning from Lyric Opera of Chicago, where she understudied the title role of Cendrillon, Ariana joins the European Tour of Alon Nashman’s “Charlotte: A Tri-Coloured Play with Music”, a biographical play about artist Charlotte Salomon, which premiered at Toronto’s Luminato Festival, Taipei World Stage Design Scenofest.
Ariana sings Carmen this May 2024 with Orchestre Symphonique de Trois-Rivières in their Grands Concerts Series called INCANDESCENCE under the baton of Alain Trudel.
Her CD Greek Tangos is available on Spotify and iTunes.
Ariana at the Vancouver Olympics
Ariana Chris was heard by millions world-wide singing the Greek National anthem at the Closing Ceremonies of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
She was featured along side Ben Heppner who performed the Olympic Anthem.Accompanying them was the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra. The performance is available for download on iTunes or watch by clicking the link.
BBC Cardiff Singer of the World - Greece
Ariana Chris brought Greece to the top 20 at the prestigious BBC Singer of the World 2005. It was only the fourth time Greece had been invited. She took part in both the Opera and the Song competition. Her repertoire for the song competition included music written for her by Greek-Canadian composer Constantine Caravassilis. Also included was Debussy's Chanson de Bilitis which she was invited to sing for a televised masterclass with Elly Ameling.