Born in Larissa, Greece, Myrtò Papatanasiu studied piano and
music theory at the local Conservatory as well as musicology at the
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, before receiving her vocal
performance diploma with distinction and first prize award from the State
Conservatory of Thessaloniki. Being a recipient of the Megaron Athens
Concert Hall grant, she completed her studies in Milan under the guidance
of Roberto Coviello. Since her triumphant debut in 2007 as Violetta at the
Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Myrtò Papatanasiu ranks among the most
acclaimed sopranos worldwide.
As one of the most sought-after lyric artists today, she performs in the
world’s leading opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, Wiener
Staatsoper, Staatsoper Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper, Opernhaus Zürich,
Theater an der Wien, Opéra Nationale de Paris, Théâtre des Champs Élysées,
Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Opéra de Monte-Carlo, San Diego Opera, Sydney
Opera House, New National Theatre Tokyo, Dutch National Opera Amsterdam,
Copenhagen Opera House, Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona, Teatro Regio di
Torino, Teatro Carlo Felice inGenoa, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
in Rome, Teatro di San Carlo in Naples and Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg, as
well as at festivals in Athens, Edinburgh, New York, Sferisterio Macerata
and La Coruña.
She has worked with such conductors as Iván Fischer, Christophe Rousset,
Alberto Zedda, Ádám Fischer, Emmanuelle Haïm, Evelino Pidò, Teodor
Currentzis, Riccardo Frizza, Jérémie Rhorer, Roberto Abbado, Gianluigi
Gelmetti, Daniele Callegari, Alessandro De Marchi, Marc Minkowski, Stefano
Ranzani, Stefan Soltesz, Gustavo Gimeno, Alexander Joel and with
orchestras such as Le Concert d’Astrée, Les Talens Lyriques, Athens
Camerata.
She has collaborated with major stage directors such as Robert Carsen,
David Mac Vicar, Franco Zeffirelli, Pier Luigi Pizzi, Davide Livermore,
Daniele Abbado, Graham Vick, Kasper Holten, to name a few.
Myrtò Papatanasiu’s wide repertoire spans from Early Music to 20th
century music, displaying her great versatility.
Established as a great Mozart interpreter, Myrtò Papatanasiu’s most
celebrated portrayals include those of Sifare (Mitridate, Re di Ponto)
at Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris and
Opéra de Dijon; Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) at Wiener Staatsoper,
Theater an der Wien, Teatro Carlo Felice Genova, De Nationale Opera
Amsterdam; Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) at San Diego Opera, Mostly
Mozart Festival New York, Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona and Grand
Théâtre de Genève; Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte) at Palais Garnier in
Paris, Copenhagen Opera House, Staatstheater Wiesbaden, De Vlaamse Opera
Antwerpen, Greek National Opera, and Teatro Filarmonico di Verona;
Konstanze (Die Entführung aus dem Serail) at Thessaloniki Concert
Hall, Vitellia (La Clemenza di Tito) at Volksoper Wien; and
Contessa Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro) at the New National Theatre
Tokyo and the Staatsoper Berlin.
For her particularly remarkable and memorable company debut as Violetta
(La Traviata) at the Dallas Opera, Myrtò Papatanasiu was honoured
with the prestigious «Maria Callas Debut Artist of the Year» award in
2012.
In 2016 Sony Classical published Mozart’s Don Giovanni recording,
in which she interpreted Donna Anna under the baton of Teodor Currentzis.
Recent appearences include: Idomeneo (Elettra) in Athens; Luisa
Miller in Bologna; La Traviata in Lugano; Tosca in
Brussels, Leipzig, Rome, Angers, Nantes and Rennes; Pagliacci
(Nedda) at the Opernhaus Zürich and the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma; La
Bohème (Musetta) at the Metropolitan Opera New York; Bastarda in
Bruxelles; Madama Butterfly in Ancona and Catania; and a series
of concerts in Europe for Callas 100 celebrations.
Future engagements include: Tosca in Prato.
August 2025