Aline Kutan is a coloratura soprano who easily negotiates high notes and elaborate runs in her roles as Lakme in Leo Delibes' opera and Olympia in Jacques Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffman. She's probably best known for her portrayal of the Queen of the Night in Mozart's The Magic Flute. Kevin Bazzana, writing in the Victoria Times Colonist, described her as "a volcano, commanding the stage physically and vocally." In one year Kutan sang the role in four different cities in three continents.
Aline Kutan was born in Turkey to Armenian parents. When she was 10 years old her family moved to British Columbia where she joined a choir to improve her English. Kutan's choir director noticed her talent, and at 18 she debuted in the role of Flora in Britten's opera The Turn of the Screw.
After she completed her music studies, Aline Kutan toured for two years with the musical The Phantom of the Opera before returning to opera. She was the third Canadian to win the Metropolitan Opera National Council Audition, along with Teresa Stratas and Ben Heppner.
Aline Kutan hosts This Is My Music for this encore broadcast on Saturday, August 25 on CBC Radio 2, 10:05 a.m. to noon ET, 11:05 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. AT.
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