Carla Dirlikov is represented by Rayfield Allied worldwide.

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Carla Dirlikov

Mezzo-soprano

  • Carla Dirlikov’s Maddalena was a hussy who would tempt the devil himself.
    Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk, The Grand Rapids Press
  • Dirlikov displayed an especially good understanding of nuanced art song style.
    Tom Purdom, Broad Street Review
  • Un héroïne inoubliable... La merveilleuse et sauvage Carmen, interprétée par la soprano Carla Dirlikov a stupéfié l’assistance remplissant les lieux.
    Jim Wensi for CCTV Francais
  • Carla Dirlikov as Fenena contributed an admirable vocal performance.
    Lawrence B Johnson, Detroit News
  • The afternoon’s most colorful performances were Cuba dentro and Canto Negro, smokily chanted by Dirlikov, a dramatic mezzo.
    Tom Purdom, Broad Street Review
  • Carla Dirlikov played and sang Bizet’s title role with panache.
    Michael Saffle, The Roanoke Times
  • Mezzo-soprano Carla Dirlikov was a luscious Flora.
    Theodore P. Mahne, The Times-Picayune

  • Carla Dirlikov begins the 2012-13 Season with her return to the Opera Royal de Wallonie as Preziosilla La Forza del Destino.  Adding another new role to her repertoire, she sings the temptress Giulietta Les Contes d’Hoffmann later in the season in Francesca Zambello’s production presented at the National Center for the Arts, Beijing, conducted by Stephen Barlow.  The artist rounds out the season with various concert and recital performances in the US and Mexico.

    Recent successes include her debut as Dalila Samson et Dalila with Sinfonica de Yucatan in six staged performances at the Teatro Peon Contreras in Merida, the role of Maddalena Rigoletto with Michigan Opera Theater and with Grand Rapids Opera, as well as her Michigan Opera Theater debut as Fenena Nabucco. 

    A former alumnus of the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, she studied with Bill Schuman and appeared there as Giovanna Seymour Anna Bolena, and Agnese di Cervia La Fiamma.  She received her Bachelors in Music from the University of Michigan, where she studied with Shirley Verrett. She continued her studies at the Conservatoire National de Paris, and completed her Master’s degree in Opera Performance at McGill University in Montreal.

    Enjoying a long relationship at Opera Royal de Wallonie, Miss Dirlikov made her European opera debut in Liege as Eboli Don Carlo in 2008, as well as her debut in the title role Carmen, a role she has since sung all over the world in both staged and concert performances. 

    Other roles in the artist’s repertoire include Maddalena Linda di Chamounix at the Caramoor Festival, Cherubino Le Nozze di Figaro, Dorabella Cosi Fan Tutte, Octavian Der Rosenkavalier, Penelope Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria, Mère Marie Dialogue des Carmelites, and Ms. Todd The Old Maid and the Thief.

    Among her concert performances are Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at Avery Fisher Hall with the National Chorale, Handel’s Messiah at Carnegie Hall and at the Kennedy Centre, and Mozart’s Coronation Mass with MidAmerica Productions, Mahler’s Second Symphony with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Verdi’s Requiem with New Jersey Master Chorale, Ravel’s Shéhérazade with Delaware Chamber Music Festival, Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Fairfax Choral Society, and her European concert debut in Beethoven’s Kantate auf den Tod Kaiser Josephs II at the Spoleto Festival in Italy under the direction of Steven Mercurio.

    Born the daughter of a Bulgarian father and a Mexican mother, Miss Dirlikov was recently awarded the title of Cultural Envoy to Mexico, where she continues to work and teach music to orphaned and poverty-stricken youth. She sings extensively as a soloist throughout Mexico and South America.

    Carla Dirlikov is represented worldwide by Deborah Sanders at Rayfield Allied.
    This biography is for information only and should not be reproduced.

    • Lawrence B Johnson, Detroit News
      June 2012

      Saint-Saens would have been pleased with him [Samson], and the same can be said for Carla Dirlikov as Dalila. Carla is a beautiful woman (as it should be the case for Dalila) and possessing a vast curriculum that includes interpretations of Wagner, Mahler, Verdi, Rossini and Mozart. She portrayed the role of Carmen in Merida some time ago with her usual brilliance. Her beautiful voice is well suited to the different demands of this role: it can be deceptively gentle in her quest to ensnare Samson in her trap, or cruelly dramatic when scolding him. The opera has two important moments that have been vastly recorded by all brands of discs of XX and XXI centuries: the beautiful aria from Act II and intense bacchanal scene of Act III. The responsibility for the first of these moments fell to Dirlikov, and she sang it with such emotional sentiment that by the end she held the audience in the palm of her hand.
      Roldán Peniche Barrera, Por Esto
      The fact is that in order for an opera be a success, many people must bring together their abilities and unique talents in order to create an unforgettable experience for the public. We observed this on June 15 at the teatro José Peón Contreras in Mérida, where there was a high level of professionalism and artistic delivery of every person in the production. First and foremost, we must highlight the performance of mezzo-soprano Carla Dirlikov, whose professional career in classical singing is on an outstanding path. She delighted us with her powerful voice and her dramatic acting as well as her passion and cynicism in the role of Dalila.
      Abigail Brambila, ProÓpera Magazine

    • Carmen, Opera Roanoke
      April 2012

      Carla Dirlikov played and sang Bizet’s title role with panache.
      Michael Saffle, The Roanoke Times

    • Michael Saffle, The Roanoke Times
      November 2011

      The skillfully acting and well suited voice of the lead mezzo-soprano made the part of the gypsy Carmen most capturing. Carla Dirlikov gave the role a distinctive persona with her unique timbre.
      Jürgen M. Jordans, GRENZECHO.net

    • Rigoletto, Michigan Opera Theatre
      May 2011

      Likewise, mezzo-soprano Carla Dirlikov, as Sparafucile's sister and co-conspirator Maddalena, offered a lusty lady of the night with a fine, sultry voice.
      Lawrence B. Joshnson, Detroit News

    • Nabucco, Michigan Opera Theatre
      Oct 2009

      Carla Dirlikov as Fenena contributed an admirable vocal performance.
      Lawrence B Johnson, Detroit News
      Fenena, Princess of Babylon, as sung by Carla Dirlikov, allows for delicate emotions.
      Ruth Crystal-Zaromp, The New Monitor

    • La Traviata, New Orleans Opera
      April 2009

      Several of the smaller roles were well handled, particularly the vivacious Flora of Carla Dirlikov.
      George Dansker, Opera News

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