Kristina Vähi
b. March 25, 1973, TartuKristina Vähi has graduated from the Tallinn Georg Ots Music School in classical singing with Mare Jõgeva (1996) and received her diploma in solo singing from the Estonian Academy of Music under the supervision of Riina Airenne (2000). In 2003, she earned her Master’s degree in opera singing with Prof Tamara Novitshenko from the Estonian Academy of Music. She improved her skills as an exchange student at the Royal Conservatoire in Hague with Thea van der Putten (2001).
Kristina Vähi has participated in master courses of Eva Märtson, Judith Beckman, Matti Pelo, Maria Acda, Gerhard Kahry, Christina Deutekom, Rudolf Piernay, and Ingrid Kremling. She was awarded the 1st prize at the Klaudia Taev International Competition for Young Opera Singers (1996).
Since 2006, Kristina Vähi has been engaged with the Estonian National Opera: in 2006–2013 as the opera soloist and since 2013, as a freelance singer. As a guest soloist, she has also appeared in different opera productions at the Theatre Vanemuine in Tartu. She has performed at the Saaremaa Opera Festival and several gala concerts, participated in opera productions of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, and appeared as a soloist and choral artist in different musicals. Her repertoire includes more than 30 opera, operetta, and musical roles. The most demanding roles have been Ännchen (Weber’s Der Freischütz – Estonian National Opera), Zerlina (Mozart’s Don Giovanni – Estonian National Opera), Nedda (Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci – Estonian National Opera), and Adina (Donizetti’s L'elisir d'amore – Theatre Vanemuine).
Ten years (1997–2007), Kristina Vähi belonged to the creative union Operetta Scretta with mezzo-soprano Triin Ella, tenor Jaak Jõekallas and baritone René Soom. Operetta Scretta gave concert-performances all over Estonia, offering different musical numbers from operettas, musicals, and films.
As a chamber singer, Kristina Vähi has given several solo recitals and performed at gala concerts. Since 2006, she regularly performs in concerts organised by the Pille Lill Music Fund in different concert venues in Estonia. She has cooperated with organists Maris Oidekivi-Kaufmann and Tiia Tenno, pianists Riina Pikani, Tiina Kärblane, Piia Paemurru, the Police and Border Guard Orchestra, and others. Her repertoire also includes soprano solo parts of Franz Schubert’s Mass in G major, Ola Gjeilo’s Dark Night of the Soul, and Andreas Romberg’s The Song of the Bell.
Since 2005, Kristina Vähi works as a vocalist in the accompaniment class of the Tallinn Music High School and since 2018, also as a singing teacher and vocal coach.
Roles of Kristina Vähi:
Ernestine – Jacques Offenbach’s Salon Pitzelberg (Opera Studio of the Estonian Academy of Music, 1996)
Danubia – Franz von Suppé Ten Maidens and No Man (Opera Studio of the Estonian Academy of Music, 1998)
Nicole and Etienne – Jerry Herman’s La Cage aux Folles (Smithbridge Productions, 1999)
Lucy – Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Telefon (Opera Studio of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, 2000)
Adina – Gaetano Donizetti’s L'elisir d'amore (Theatre Vanemuine, 2002)
Baroness – Gustav Albert Lortzing’s Der Wildschütz (Theatre Vanemuine, 2002)
Ms Pinkerton – Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief (Estonian National Opera, 2002)
Mrs. Bedwin – Lionel Bart’s Oliver (Smithbridge Productions, 2003)
Ännchen – Carl Maria von Weber’s Der Freischütz (Estonian National Opera, 2003)
Sister Margarethe – Richard Rodgers’s The Sound of Music (Estonian Puppet Theatre, 2003)
Soul Sister – Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Jesus Christ Superstar (Theatre Vanemuine, 2004)
Zerlina – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Don Giovanni (Estonian National Opera, 2004)
Lisa – Imre Kálmán’s Gräfin Mariza (Theatre Vanemuine, 2004)
Monica – Gian Carlo Menotti’s Medium (Estonian National Opera, 2005)
1st Dame – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (Theatre Vanemuine, 2005)
Anna – Giuseppe Verdi’s Nabucco (Estonian National Opera, 2006)
Nedda – Ruggero Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci (Estonian National Opera, 2006)
Fanny and Clarina – Gioachino Rossini’s The Bill of Marriage (Theatre Vanemuine, 2006)
Clorinda – Giacomo Rossini’s La Cenerentola (Estonian National Opera, 2006)
Damon – Georg Friedrich Händel’s Acis and Galatea (Theatre Vanemuine, 2006)
Franziska Cagliari – Johann Strauss’s Wiener Blut (Estonian National Opera, 2009)
Despina – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Così fan tutte (Estonian National Opera, 2009) Ninetta – Sergei Prokofiev’s The Love for Three Oranges (Estonian National Opera, 2010)
Oscar – Guiseppe Verdi’s Un Ballo in maschera (Estonian National Opera, 2010)
Adele – Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus (Estonian National Opera, 2010)
Stasi – Imre Kálmán’s Silva (Estonian National Opera, 2011)
2nd Flowe Maiden – Richard Wagner’s Parsifal (Estonian National Opera, 2011)
One of the three nobel orphans – Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier (Estonian National Opera, concert performance, 2012)
Maria – Mitch Leigh’s Man of La Mancha (Estonian National Opera, 2014)
Virve – Veljo Tormis’s Swan Flight (Hiiumaa Chamber Music Festival, concert performance, 2014)
Carlotta – Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera (Theatre Vanemuine, 2014)
Mabel – Imre Kálmán’s Die Zirkusprinzessin (Estonian National Opera, 2015)
Daisy – Imre Kálmán’s Ball im Savoy (Estonian National Opera, 2015)
Wardrobe – Alan Menken’s Beauty and the Beast (Theatre Vanemuine, 2018)
Malvina – Olav Ehala’s Buratino (Estonian National Opera, 2018)
Soubrette – Concert performance of Imre Kálmán’s life and music Imre Kálmán – The King of the Operetta (Estonian National Opera, 2019)
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