Opera
Schwanda the Bagpiper
The Queen
The National Theatre
Biography
The Czech mezzo-soprano Ester Pavlů is a regular guest of the National Theatre Opera in Prague. She made her debut at the State Opera Prague in 2011 as Laura in Carl Maria von Weber's Die drei Pintos. In 2022, she first appeared at the National Theatre historical building, performing the title role of Bizet's Carmen.
Ester Pavlů studied at the Music Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague under the guidance of Helena Kaupová. Moreover, she attended masterclasses led by Aprile Millo, Peter Dvorský, Eva Randová, Bojidar Nikolov, Gabriela Beňačková and José Cura. In 2015, she appeared as the Old Woman in a concert performance of Bohuslav Martinů's opera What Men Live By, conducted by Jiří Bělohlávek. From 2013 to 2017, she was a permanent soloist within the festival project Le mystére de Noël at the Grand Théâtre du Puy du Fou, France, and sang Antonín Dvořák's Biblical Songs at the Teatro Lirico in Cagliari, Italy. In 2019, she made her debut in Sofia, Bulgaria, as Angelina in Rossini's La Cenerentola. She toured the UK with the Prague Symphony Orchestra with Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 3. In 2021, she performed in the USA with the programme From Dvořák to Martinů. She portrayed the Queen in Jaromír Weinberger's opera Schwanda the Bagpiper in Graz, Austria. In addition to Carmen, she has performed the roles of the Second Lady in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte and Fenena in Verdi's Nabucco at the National Theatre and the State Opera in Prague.
She has garnered accolades at a number of competitions, including the Antonín Dvořák International Vocal Competition in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, where she won the Beno Blachut Award, and the Concours International de Belcanto Vincenzo Bellini in France. The recording of the aforementioned concert performance of What Men Live By was nominated for the International Opera Award and won the coveted Czech Anděl Award in the classical music category.
