Negruță Elena

About

Elena Negruță is an internationally renowned soprano, born in the Republic of Moldova, who has established herself in the American opera world through her remarkable talent and devotion to vocal art. In 2023, she won the prestigious American Prize in Vocal Performance for women in opera (professional division), also known as the Friedrich and Virginia Schorr Memorial Awards. Elena's artistic training began in Moldova, where at the age of 14 she won first place at the Golden Stork International Talent Festival in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, and then studied at the Academy of Music, Theater, and Fine Arts in Chișinău, where she was the sole recipient of the traditional music scholarship in the country. After emigrating to the United States, Elena dedicated herself entirely to opera, pursuing a Master's degree in Vocal Performance at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign on a full scholarship. At this institution, she discovered not only her exceptional vocal abilities but also her dramatic talent, being cast as Lucy Brown in Kurt Weill's opera The Threepenny Opera, a performance for which she was praised by The News Gazette. Throughout her career, Elena has performed diverse repertoires, from the Baroque pieces of Henry Purcell to contemporary works, including masses by composers Mozart, Haydn, and Schubert, as well as Handel's Messiah with various ensembles in the Illinois region. In 2021, she premiered the role of the Evil Witch in the musical Kingdom of Dreams, and in 2022, she also distinguished herself in spoken theater, performing in the play Stoplight. In addition to her solo career, Elena Negruță also served as president of the Tuesday Morning Musical Club at the University of Illinois from 2022-2023, strengthening her involvement in the American musical community. She is known as a versatile concert artist, capable of singing in multiple languages, including Romanian, Ukrainian, Russian, Italian, and French, offering recitals of folk songs and arias from classical operas. Her dedication to perfection and passion for music have made her an important presence on the opera scene in the United States, and the American award she won confirms the official recognition of her talent and tireless work in the field.