Aile Asszonyi

Who is Aile Asszonyi?

Aile Asszonyi is an Estonian soprano lirico-spinto who has an active career as an opera and concert singer. She was a finalist of the 2004 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium receiving "Prix des Donateurs du Concours Reine Elisabeth" and has been honored by the Estonian Music Council with the "Interpretation Prize" in 2007; an annual award given in recognition of an artist who has made a significant contribution to Estonian music. In 2010 and 2012 Asszonyi was awarded with annual Estonian Theatre Award for outstanding operatic performances and the Estonian National Opera and SEB annual Audience award 2012.

Asszonyi was born in Väike-Maarja, Lääne-Viru County. She studied singing at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre with Ivo Kuusk, Matti Pelo and Helin Kapten, earning her M.A. in 2002. She was a member of the young artist program at Opera Studio Nederland until 2004, where she studied with Henny Jana Diemer. She also studied in the prestigious private academy of Carlo Bergonzi in Italy.

Asszonyi started her career in the famous Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir. She made her operatic debut in 2000 as Despina in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Così fan tutte at Theatre Vanemuine. She has since been highly active as an opera singer in her native country, singing such roles as Adina in Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore, Maria in Gaetano Donizetti's Maria Stuarda, Donna Anna and Donna Elvira in W. A. Mozart's Don Giovanni, Leonora in Beethoven's Fidelio, Miss Jessel in Britten's The Turn of the Screw and the title roles in Haydn's Armida, Verdi's Giovanna d'Arco, and Puccini's Suor Angelica among others. She also notably sang in the world premieres of Isidora Žebeljan's Zora D in 2003 and the role of Goddess Kali in "Dve glave i devoijka" in 2012.