Eilana Lappalainen,
Soprano
(1984 - 1992)

Other recent engagements featured Ms. Lappalainen in  debut performances with New York City Opera and Seattle Opera in the title role of Salome, as well as Minnie in Fanciulla del West in Dessau, Germany. In spring 2004, she appeared in the SJSU Artist Showcase Concert in honor of retiring professor Dr. Charlene Archibeque. She also appeared as Senta in the Minnesota Opera production of Der fliegende Holländer in early 2003.  Other 2002 - 2003 engagements included a recital in Ottawa, and performances of Cavalleria rusticana as Lola and Pagliacci  as Nedda with Dessau Opera.

Highlights of the 2000 - 2001 season for Ms. Lappalainen included her debut at La Scala in the world premiere of Corghi's Tat'jana, and performances of Madama Butterfly, Jenûfa, Der fliegende Holländer, Giovanna d' Arco and Eugene Oñegin.  In concert, she appeared with the Berliner Rundfunk in an all Berg and Mahler program, and in Wagner's Götterdämmerung at the Bruckner Festival in Linz.  Other appearances included Salome with Opera Lyra, a tour of Japan in the same role, and The Merry Widow as Hanna with Opera Hamilton in Canada.

1999 - 2000 engagements included Salome in Trieste, Italy, Ellen Orford (Peter Grimes) in Essen, Marschallin (Der Rosenkavalier )with Dessau (June - July 1999), and Salome in Montreal, Canada (September 1999). Ms. Lappalainen also appeared as Tatiana in a new production of Eugene Oñegin, and appeared in productions of Boito's Méphistophélè, The Merry Widow, and Der Freischutz.

After her departure from OSJ's resident company in 1992, Ms. Lappalainen performed leading roles or made concert appearances in six countries. For Mexico City she sang Cio-Cio-San (Madama Butterfly) and Nedda (Pagliacci); in Canada for Opera Hamilton she sang the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor, Cio-Cio-San, and Mimì, and for Lyra Opera in Ottawa she sang the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor; in the U.S. for Virginia Opera she sang Micaëla (Carmen), Violetta (La traviata) and Liu (Turandot); for Arizona Opera she sang Liù (Turandot), and for Cincinnati she sang Nedda (Pagliacci).

In Europe, she made her debut in Finland as Mimì (La bohème) where she also made a televised guest appearance with Elisabeth Söderström in concert. That was followed by another concert appearance in Poland, and a contract in Dessau (Germany) for appearances in the title role in Strauss' Arabella, as Violetta (La traviata), Marguérite (Faust), and Amalia (I masnadieri). In 1996, Ms. Lappalainen returned to Dessau in several leading roles including Elsa (Lohengrin,) the title role in Salome, and Desdemona (Otello,) and she appeared in the title roles of Lucia di Lammermoor for Opera Columbus, Jenûfa for Portland Opera, a debut with San Francisco Opera as Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus, and her Deutscheoper Berlin debut in the role of Senta in Der fliegende Holländer. In 1997, roles with Dessau included Maddalena (Andre Chénier), Musetta (La bohème), and Martha (Tiefland), and in Linz, Austria, she performed Elsa (Lohengrin). In 1998, she performed the title role in Arabella in Essen and the title role in Alban Berg’s Lulu with San Francisco Opera.

For more information, visit Ms. Lappalainen's website at http://www.eilanalappalainen.com/.