Alenka Gotar
Encyclopedia
Alenka Gotar is a Slovene soprano
singer, born in Rodica pri Domžalah in 1977. With the song “Cvet z juga
” (“Flower of the South”), she represented Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007
in Helsinki
, Finland
. Achieving 7th place in the semi final, she became the first Slovene to qualify to the grand final, where she ended fifteenth with 66 points.
and guitar
. Afterwards she attended music and ballet school in Ljubljana, where Markos Bajuk taught her solo singing. After graduating in 1996, she applied to study singing at the Musical Academy in Basel
, Switzerland
, and in 1999, she attended the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg
, where she was taught by Professor Lilijan Sukis. Alenka gained her diploma in 2000. In Salzburg
, she continued studies in singing and opera with Prof. Sukis, along with perfecting her craft in Rome
with Maya Sunari-Biankini, and with Marjana Lipovšek
and Alfred Burgstaller. She gained her Master’s degree in 2006.
Alenka Gotar is a guest in the Maribor Opera and as a soloist, she sings in the state theatres in Salzburg
and Ljubljana. She toured with an orchestra and chamber choir in Slovenia
, Austria
, Switzerland
, Germany
, Croatia
, and Scandinavia
. Her repertoire ranges from baroque to modern musical pieces. She also works as music teacher.
On 4 February 2007, Alenka Gotar won EMA 2007
, the Slovenian national selection for Eurovision 2007. In Helsinki, during the semi-final on 10 May 2007, Alenka sang “Cvet z juga
” and progressed to the finals, where she placed 15th with the same song. The song, described as a fast rhythmic ballad combined with operatic vocals, was written and composed by Andrej Babić and arranged by Aleksandra Valenčić. EMA 2007 was the edition of the competition to decide the winner completely by televoting. After two semi-finals and a final, the Slovenian public had a choice between Alenka and Eva Černe. With 44,636 votes, Alenka was crowned the winner and given the right to represent Slovenia at Eurovision.
From the summer of 2000, Alenka Gotar has been a frequent guest in the SNG opera and ballet in Ljubljana
, where she has sung in the following roles:
In the 2004/2005 season, she performed the following roles:
In Salzburg she performed the following roles:
In the festival Europäische Musikmonat 2001 in Basel, she sang the soprano role in the opera “Skamander”, by the Swiss composer Beato Gysin. In 2000, Alenka worked with the well known composer György Kurtag for the Swiss radio DRC3.
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
singer, born in Rodica pri Domžalah in 1977. With the song “Cvet z juga
Cvet z juga
"Cvet z juga" is a "popera" song by Alenka Gotar, and represented Slovenia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007. The song is about a girl who bids farewell to her boyfriend and gives him a white flower as a reminder.On the night of the semi-final, the song performed twenty-fifth, following...
” (“Flower of the South”), she represented Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007
Eurovision Song Contest 2007
The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It was won by first-time appearance as an independent country Serbia and was held at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland from 10 May to 12 May. The host broadcaster was YLE.Finland earned the right to host...
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. Achieving 7th place in the semi final, she became the first Slovene to qualify to the grand final, where she ended fifteenth with 66 points.
Biography
Alenka Gotar began her musical interest by attending a small music school where she learned pianoPiano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
. Afterwards she attended music and ballet school in Ljubljana, where Markos Bajuk taught her solo singing. After graduating in 1996, she applied to study singing at the Musical Academy in Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, and in 1999, she attended the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg
Universität Mozarteum Salzburg
In Salzburg, the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg, the University of Music and Dramatic Arts Mozarteum Salzburg, honours the Austrian city's most famous son, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.-History:...
, where she was taught by Professor Lilijan Sukis. Alenka gained her diploma in 2000. In Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
, she continued studies in singing and opera with Prof. Sukis, along with perfecting her craft in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
with Maya Sunari-Biankini, and with Marjana Lipovšek
Marjana Lipovšek
Marjana Lipovšek is an opera and concert singer. The daughter of composer Marijan Lipovšek, she was born on December 3, 1946 in Ljubljana, Slovenia....
and Alfred Burgstaller. She gained her Master’s degree in 2006.
Alenka Gotar is a guest in the Maribor Opera and as a soloist, she sings in the state theatres in Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
and Ljubljana. She toured with an orchestra and chamber choir in Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, and Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. Her repertoire ranges from baroque to modern musical pieces. She also works as music teacher.
On 4 February 2007, Alenka Gotar won EMA 2007
EMA 2007
EMA 2007 was the television show in which Slovenia selected its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2007. The final took place in Ljubljana on February 3, 2007...
, the Slovenian national selection for Eurovision 2007. In Helsinki, during the semi-final on 10 May 2007, Alenka sang “Cvet z juga
Cvet z juga
"Cvet z juga" is a "popera" song by Alenka Gotar, and represented Slovenia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007. The song is about a girl who bids farewell to her boyfriend and gives him a white flower as a reminder.On the night of the semi-final, the song performed twenty-fifth, following...
” and progressed to the finals, where she placed 15th with the same song. The song, described as a fast rhythmic ballad combined with operatic vocals, was written and composed by Andrej Babić and arranged by Aleksandra Valenčić. EMA 2007 was the edition of the competition to decide the winner completely by televoting. After two semi-finals and a final, the Slovenian public had a choice between Alenka and Eva Černe. With 44,636 votes, Alenka was crowned the winner and given the right to represent Slovenia at Eurovision.
Opera Roles
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, where she has sung in the following roles:
- Barbarina (The Marriage of FigaroThe Marriage of FigaroLe nozze di Figaro, ossia la folle giornata , K. 492, is an opera buffa composed in 1786 in four acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro .Although the play by...
- Mozart); - Donna Elvira (Don GiovanniDon GiovanniDon Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
- Mozart); - Rusalka (RusalkaRusalkaIn Slavic mythology, a rusalka was a female ghost, water nymph, succubus, or mermaid-like demon that dwelled in a waterway....
- DvořákAntonín DvorákAntonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
); - Hanna Glawary (The Merry WidowThe Merry Widow (ballet)The Merry Widow ballet is an adaptation of Franz Lehár's romantic operetta The Merry Widow .John Lanchbery and Alan Abbott adapted the score of the operetta for ballet and retained the style of Lehár's orchestration. The arrangement includes the well-known tunes of the operetta - Vilja's Song Ich...
- LehárFranz LehárFranz Lehár was an Austrian-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas of which the most successful and best known is The Merry Widow .-Biography:...
); - Pamina (The Magic FluteThe Magic FluteThe Magic Flute is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue....
- Mozart/SchikanederEmanuel SchikanederEmanuel Schikaneder , born Johann Joseph Schickeneder, was a German impresario, dramatist, actor, singer and composer. He was the librettist of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera The Magic Flute and the builder of the Theater an der Wien...
) - Gran Sacerdotessa (AidaAidaAida sometimes spelled Aïda, is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette...
- Verdi).
In the 2004/2005 season, she performed the following roles:
- Brigitte (IolantaIolantaIolanta, Op. 69, is a lyric opera in one act by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. The libretto was written by the composer's brother Modest Tchaikovsky, and is based on the Danish play Kong Renés Datter by Henrik Hertz. The play was translated by Fyodor Miller and adapted by Vladimir Zotov...
- Tchaikovsky); - Bubikopf (The Emperor of Atlantis – UllmannViktor UllmannViktor Ullmann was a Silesia-born Austrian, later Czech composer, conductor and pianist of Jewish origin.- Biography :...
) - Kristine (Brata - Alojz Ajdič)
In Salzburg she performed the following roles:
- Susanna (The Marriage of Figaro - Mozart);
- Pamina (The Magic Flute - Mozart);
- Arminda (La finta giardinieraLa finta giardinieraLa finta giardiniera , K. 196, is an Italian opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart wrote it in Munich in January 1775 when he was 18 years old and it received its first performance on January 13 at the Salvatortheater in Munich...
- Mozart); - Hyazintus (Apollo et HyacinthusApollo et HyacinthusApollo et Hyacinthus is an opera, K. 38, written in 1767 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who was 11 years old at the time. It is Mozart's first true opera . It is in three acts...
- Mozart) - Mimi (La bohèmeLa bohèmeLa bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
- Puccini).
In the festival Europäische Musikmonat 2001 in Basel, she sang the soprano role in the opera “Skamander”, by the Swiss composer Beato Gysin. In 2000, Alenka worked with the well known composer György Kurtag for the Swiss radio DRC3.
Songs
- Cvet z jugaCvet z juga"Cvet z juga" is a "popera" song by Alenka Gotar, and represented Slovenia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007. The song is about a girl who bids farewell to her boyfriend and gives him a white flower as a reminder.On the night of the semi-final, the song performed twenty-fifth, following...
(Flower Of The South) (2007) - "Ženska iz soli" (Woman Made Of Salt) (2007)
- "Odidi" (Leave) (2008)
- "Nek Te Voli Kao Ja" (No One Loves You Like I Do) (2008)
- "Mostovi" (Bridges) Ft. Sons (2008)
- "Samo Ti" (Only You) Ft. Oliver DragojevićOliver DragojevicOliver Dragojević is one of the most popular Croatian pop singers. A native of Vela Luka from the island of Korčula, he emerged onto the music scene in the 1970s thanks to the popular Split Festival, one of several musical annual events which began in the former Yugoslavia and still is being held...
(2009)
External links
- Alenka Gotar – Official Website
- Winning song from EMA 2007 - RTV SLO
- Listen to "Ženska Iz Soli"
- Video of song "Cvet Z Juga" at the final of Eurovision 2007
- Video of song "Cvet Z Juga" at the semifinal of Eurovision 2007
- Half finale, she did it Eurovision Song Contest 2007