Live stream at IVC s’Hertogenbosch!
Watch Iida and Anni perform in the semifinals of IVC s’Hertogenbosch on November 20th at 19.00 CET. The semifinals will be streamed live on the competition’s Facebook page and also on Youtube. …
Watch Iida and Anni perform in the semifinals of IVC s’Hertogenbosch on November 20th at 19.00 CET. The semifinals will be streamed live on the competition’s Facebook page and also on Youtube. …
Iida and pianist Anni Laukkanen have been chosen to compete in the semifinals of the LiedDuo category of International Vocal Competition s’Hertogenbosch. The competition takes place in November 20-24 in …
Soprano Iida Antola (born 25.1.1990) graduated as a choir conductor and pianist from the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki in 2015 before continuing her studies in solo voice at the University of the Arts in Berlin.
Antola made her professional debut as Pamina (Mozart: Die Zauberflöte) at the Finnish National Opera in 2017. In the season 2018-2019 she appeared as Christine in the FNO production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, and also sang the role of Crobyle in Massenet’s opera Thaïs. Her other stage roles include Dido (Purcell: Dido and Aeneas), Poppea (Monteverdi: L’incoronazione di Poppea), Clorinda (Rossini: La Cenerentola), La suora infermiera (Puccini: Suor Angelica) and Annina (Verdi: La Traviata). Upcoming roles include Micaëla (Bizet: Carmen) and Susanna (Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro).
Antola has been successful in both national and international competitions. In 2017, she won 1st prize at the Kangasniemi Singing Competition in Finland and 2nd prize at the International Paula Salomon Lindberg Competition “Das Lied”. In 2018 she was a finalist in both the International Hugo Wolf Lied Competition in Stuttgart and the International Schubert Lied Duo Competition in Dortmund with pianist Anni Laukkanen. Before voice studies she also had success as choir conductor: she was awarded the prize for the most promising young choir conductor at the International Tampere Vocal Music Festival 2015.
Antola has sung as soloist in many oratorios, such as The Messiah (Handel), Requiem (Mozart), Requiem (Fauré), The Seasons (Haydn), Nelson-messe (Haydn) and Paukenmesse (Haydn). She has given appeared in recitals at the Crescendo festival in Berlin, the Mozart festival in Würzburg as well as in Romania at the Ateneum in Bucharest and the Philharmonie in Ploiesti. Antola is an experienced performer of contemporary music, and recently conducted and sang “Pierrot Lunaire” by Schoenberg at the “Kaivos festival” in Finland. She has also premiered music in the Klang! Festival in Helsinki, and can be heard as soloist on several recordings, including Veli-Matti Puumala’s opera Anna-Liisa (Ondine 2015), the Bergmaniana male choir recording (Alba 2016), as well as the Helsinki Chamber Choir’s Bergman recording (BIS 2017). Publisher Sulasol publishes Antola’s own compositions.
In Finland, Antola began her voice studies with her aunt, Aulikki Eerola, followed by masterclasses and private lessons with Marjut Hannula. Since 2015 she has studied in Universtität der Künste Berlin (UdK), first with Prof. Elisabeth Werres and since 2019 with Prof. Enrico Facini. Her first specialisation was in lied, working with teachers such as pianist Hendrik Heilmann, Prof. Eric Schneider and Prof. Axel Bauni. Antola has graduated as Master of Music from the Lied/Oratorium/Konzert program of Universität der Künste Berlin in 2017.
Antola studied choir conducting in Finland with Timo Nuoranne and Prof. Matti Hyökki as well as at Lyon Conservatory in France (CNSMD Lyon) under Prof. Nicole Corti. Antola’s strength as a choir conductor comes not only from her piano skills and wide musical perceptiveness, but also through her use of singing technique as a path to better choral singing. Antola has worked as chorus master for many Sibelius Academy productions (Ravel: L’enfant et les sortileges, Rossini: Il viaggio a Reims, Aho: Frida y Diego, Puccini: La Boheme) and from 2013-2015 she was artistic director of Hämäläis-Osakunnan Laulajat (HOL), a high-level student choir. In 2015, HOL was awarded two golden stars at the international Tampere Vocal Music Festival choir review. Antola still conducts the female choir Valkeat Yöt Ensemble (White Nights Ensemble), founded by singers from the former Daughter of the Baltic youth choir. She is also an experienced singer of renaissance music, being a founding member of the English Vocal Consort of Helsinki.
Antola’s studies are supported by grants from the Olga & Vilho Linnamo foundation, the Selim Eskelin foundation, and the Finnish Cultural Foundation.
Final recital
Zerfliesse, mein Herze, soprano aria sung by Iida Antola sparkled in competition with the afternoon sun.
- Katja Huida, Satakunnan kansa 23.4.2019
Second prize went to Iida Antola (b. 1990) whose floating voice carries well and was very well suited, for example, to Kaija Saariaho. This season she is the female lead role in Phantom of the Opera [at the Finnish National Opera].
- Jan Granberg, Hufvudstadsbladet 29.10.2018
Iida Antola, from the Universität der Künste Berlin, glides through her program as a soprano with unflappable verve.
- Frank Weiffen, Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, 22.06.18
On the first day of the second round, I found four clear finalist candidates, only taking into account the Nordic singers ... Supreme diction from the Finnish Iida Antola concluded the first day of the second round.
- Lars Henriksson, Kultursidan, 11.6.2018
... like the thrilling Finnish Duo Antola & Söderström.
- Kleine Zeitung, 2/2018
Brilliant cast completed the experience, Jussi Myllys was a handsome Tamino and Iida Antola a beautiful-voiced Pamina.
- paljonmeluateatterista.blogspot.com
"Soprano Iida Antola proved, despite singing a small role, that there would be material in her voice to perform on bigger stages."
- Joonas Turunen, Helsingin Sanomat, 29.8.2017
“The final winner of the competition, who left 6000e richer, was Iida Antola, a vocally very pure sounding soprano who uses her spectacular vocal resources patiently and sparingly. Her intense way of performing was especially well suited to the ethereal songs, and her hypnotic stage presence held the audience in its thrall even during the piano interludes. The long notes were dramatic without ever needing to shout. A truly convincing performance.”
- Petri Kalkosuo, Keskisuomalainen 17.7.2017
“Iida Antola was brilliant as Dido, right down to her acting performance. Her interpretation of the well-known aria When I am laid in earth was transcendentally beautiful and sensitive.”
- oopperaa.blogspot.com,
2.4.2017
“Iida Antola in the role of Dido was spectacular. Fantastic voice and stunning presence. You don’t often hear the aria “When I am laid” sung so perfectly! You could really feel the pain of the dying Dido.”
- oopperadonna.blogspot.com, 4.4.2017
“Iida Antola, originally a choir conductor, now a voice student in Berlin, has an edge in her voice which makes her especially well suited for the role of the distressed bride.”
- Wilhelm Kvist, HBL, 4.4.2017
“Robert Heppener’s N.Y. from the Four Songs on Poems by Ezra Pound, as performed by the outstanding soprano Iida Antola, becomes an unrelenting struggle of the soul: she chirps and hurtles through love and hate - an exciting excess!”
- Christopher Warmuth, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 20.6.2016
“Antola (soprano) performed her own composition in the second round, which requires quite a lot of personality. I would hazard a guess that this piece will not disappear from the repertoire after this competition. Antola built her programme well to suit her strengths.”
- Jukka Lind, Etelä-Saimaa, 4.1.2016
“Soprano Iida Antola’s high notes rang freshly in Pamina’s aria, the long tragic lines curving beautifully. She sings with flawless intonation.”
- Riitta-Leena Lampinen-Vesa, Itä-Savo 21.7.2015
“Soprano Iida Antola is a secure musician, a technically well-trained singer, whose voice carries really well and has good line.”
- Hannu-Ilari Lampila, Helsingin Sanomat 19.7.2015
“Seven choirs received two golden stamps [including] Hämäläis-Osakunnan Laulajat conducted by Iida Antola. Antola was awarded the prize for the most accomplished young conductor. She is one of the most promising young choir conductors in Finland, and has achieved remarkable results in a short time.”
- Tampere Vocal Music Festival Newsletter, 7.6.2015
“The biggest exclamation mark was the young Iida Antola - not only a singer but also a pianist and choir conductor - who with her beautiful fairytale sounding soprano placed a very special gold crown on both the Salve Regina and the Nelson Mass.”
- Mats Liljeroos, Hufvudstadsbladet 25.3.2015
AGENTUR HOLLAENDER-CALIX
Prof. Ariane Hollaender-Calix
Wehrgasse 28/Top 7, 1050 Wien
Telefon: +43 1 320 53 17
Telefax: +43 1 320 53 17-20
agentur@hollaender-calix.at
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