Natalya Romaniw

Before Natalya Romaniw (born in 1987 in Swansea) went to study at the Guildhall School in London, she had never seen an opera. By graduation time, however, the bug had bitten. Joining the Houston Grand Opera Studio for further training, she developed a rich and powerful soprano voice that earned her international bookings. Citing Maria Callas, Mirella Freni and Anna Netrebko as influences, Romaniw gravitated toward the sumptuously lyrical operas of Puccini, scoring major successes in Scottish Opera’s 2019 production of Tosca and English National Opera’s 2020 Madama Butterfly. While much of Romaniw’s activity has been in opera, she turned to song for Arion: Voyage of a Slavic Soul, her acclaimed 2020 debut solo album including works by Dvořák, Janáček, Novák and Rachmaninoff. Her Ukrainian heritage was also spotlighted in 2018 when she sang the world premiere of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Testament, which sets texts on war and displacement by three Ukrainian poets.