Cynthia Makris (born 1956) is an American soprano opera singer as well as a voice and empowerment coach.
Early life and education Makris was born in Sterling, Colorado, USA, and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Music Performance from Adams State College. Cynthia also has a degree in Interior Design from Palm Beach State College.
Opera Singer and Voice Coach Cynthia Makris brings 30 years of experience singing major operatic roles in the leading opera houses of the world to her voice coaching. Her vast repertoire ranges from bel canto to dramatic, from Bellini, Donizetti, and Mozart to Verdi, Richard Strauss, and Wagner. Her career brought her to the stages of the world, including La Scala, Covent Garden, and the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires. She has lived and worked in nearly every country in Europe, as well as Japan, Singapore, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Argentina. Makris has been praised not only for the beauty of her voice but also for the integrity, honesty, and depth of her portrayals of figures as diverse as Puccini’s fragile title heroine, Madama Butterfly, to Verdi’s Lady Macbeth or Strauss’ Salome, which she has performed over three hundred times on five continents.
Cynthia is multilingual and has sung in many languages. This, along with her knowledge of musical styles, makes her an ideal coach for the serious classical student. She also specializes in preparing young people for auditions and building the foundation for their vocal technique. Her students have been accepted into the prestigious Bak Middle School for the Arts and the Dreyfoos High School for the Arts, as well as receiving college scholarships to pursue degrees in vocal music.
Cynthia has been coaching singers since 2007. She has a B.A. in Music Performance and is a certified life coach and master practitioner of NLP. She is a very demanding teacher and expects her students to have a high demand of themselves. Understanding that the voice is a very intimate part of a person’s makeup, she is also very compassionate and positive and always on the side of the student, empowering at all times. Ms. Makris teaches a natural and healthy approach to developing the voice, using the body’s own resonance chambers. It is especially important for children, whose voices are still developing, to learn a natural style of singing which will support the still maturing voice and not put unnecessary strain on the vocal chords. Classical Italian techniques uncover the natural beauty of each voice. The goal is an instrument which is integrated in all registers, which is capable of a wide variety of expression and has both power and beauty throughout.
Career Makris has sung major soprano roles at La Scala and the Royal Opera House, the Finnish National Opera and many other opera houses. She has performed in Europe, South America, and Asia. Her repertoire ranges from coloratura to dramatic roles including the title role in Salome by Richard Strauss. For Opera Queensland she sang Abigaille in Verdi's Nabucco in 2007 and Turandot in 2008.
Her first professional role was as Tosca with the Denver Lyric Opera Company.
Awards Makris won the Metropolitan Opera Regional award for young singers as well the San Francisco Opera Regional award two consecutive years during her graduate studies in vocal performance at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
She received an award in 1982 from the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia for her performance of the three heroines in The Tales of Hoffmann."Förderpreis des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen für junge Künstlerinnen und Künstler"
She was Artist of the Year of the Savonlinna Opera Festival in 2006, an award for her contribution to the festival since 1993, when she sang Lady Macbeth in 's televised production of Verdi's opera.
Personal life Cynthia is married to Finnish tenor, Raimo Sirkiä and has a son, Pete Makris, who lives in Colorado. She lives in Florida, USA, and in Helsinki, Finland.
Repertoire Composer Opera Role Opera Company / Partial ListBeethovenFidelioLeonoreFinnish National OperaBelliniNormaNormaFinnish National Opera
Opera of Philadelphia
Badisches StaatstheaterBergLuluLuluStaatsoper HannoverBergWozzeckMarieTeatro Municipal de Santiago
Badisches StaatstheaterBrandMaschinist
HopkinsNellTheater Bielefeld
ORF Concert & Recording, WienDonizettiAnna BolenaAnnaFinnish National Opera
Badisches StaatstheaterDonizettiLucia di LammermoorLuciaTheater Bielefeld
Opernhaus DortmundGiordanoAndrea ChénierMaddalenaAalto Theater EssenKorngoldDie tote StadtMarie/MariettaDeutsche Oper am Rhein
Teatro Colón Buenos Aires
Royal Swedish Opera
Teatro Bellini Catania
Opera AntwerpenKrenekJonny spielt aufAnitaTeatro Colón Buenos AiresLeoncavalloLa BohèmeMimiTheater BielefeldMooreThe Ballad of Baby DoeBaby DoeTheater BielefeldMozartDon GiovanniDonna AnnaTheater Bielefeld
Opernhaus DortmundDonna ElviraUniversity of ColoradoMozartDie Entführung aus dem SerailConstanzeTheater Freiburg
Saarländisches StaatstheaterMozartLe Nozze di FigaroLa ContessaNiederlandse ReisoperaMozartDie ZauberflötePaminaTheater FreiburgOffenbachLes contes d’HoffmanOlympia
Antonia
GiuliettaTheater Bielefeld
Niederlandse Reisopera
Opernhaus DortmundPucciniLa fanciulla del WestMinnieFinnish National Opera
Teatro Regio Torino
Grange Park OperaPucciniMadama ButterflyCio-Cio SanOpéra de Rouen
Utah OperaPucciniManon LescautManonTheater Bielefeld
Staatsoper BerlinPucciniToscaToscaDenver Lyric Opera
Badisches Staatstheater
Finnish National Opera
Opéra-Comique Paris
Deutsche Oper BerlinPucciniTurandotTurandotSavonlinna Opera Festival
Teatro Argentino de la Plata
Teatro Colón Buenos Aires
Auditorio National Mexico City
Esplanade Singapore
Queensland Opera
Welsh National OperaSchrekerIrreloheEvaTheater BielefeldSmetanaThe Bartered BrideMarieTheater BielefeldSpohrFaustKunigundeTheater BielefeldJohann StraussDie FledermausRosalindeOpernhaus Dortmund
Staatsoper BerlinJohann StraussDer ZigeunerbaronSaffiTheater FreiburgRichard StraussArabellaArabellaOpernhaus Dortmund
New National Theatre TokyoRichard StraussAriadne auf
NaxosNajadeTheater FreiburgRichard StraussDie Frau ohne SchattenDie KaiserinTheater Bielefeld
Finnish National OperaRichard StraussDer FriedenstagMariaConcert Version GermanyRichard StraussElektraElektraTiroler Festspiele Erl
Theater FreiburgRichard StraussSalomeSalomeOpernhaus Dormund
Australian Opera
New National Theatre Tokyo
Opera of Philadelphia
Finnish National Opera
Opéra national du Rhin
Teatro municipal Rio de Janeiro
Staatsoper Berlin
Bayerische Staatsoper
Teatro Nacional de São Carlos
Royal Swedish Opera
Scottish OperaVerdiAidaAidaEstonian National OperaVerdiUn ballo in mascheraAmeliaOpernhaus Dortmund
Opéra de Rouen
Semperoper DresdenVerdiFalstaffAlice FordUniversity of ColoradoVerdiLa forza del destinoLeonoraBadisches Staatstheater
Savonlinna Opera FestivalVerdiLuisa MillerLuisaTheater BielefeldVerdiMacbethLady MacbethSavonlinna Opera Festival
Teatro Colón Buenos Aires
Theater Bonn
Teatro alla Scala MilanoVerdiNabuccoAbigailleEstonian National Opera
Royal Opera Covent Garden
Queensland OperaVerdiOtelloDesdemonaOpernhaus DortmundVerdiLa traviataViolettaOper Graz
Theater Freiburg
Deutsche Oper am Rhein
Badisches Staatstheater
Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz
Theater Bielefeld
Opera Corpus Christi
Staatsoper BerlinVerdiIl trovatoreLeonoraOpernhaus Dortmund
Finnish National Opera
Teatro Municipal de São Paulo
Teatro Colón Buenos Aires
Opera Leipzig
Royal Danish OperaWagnerDer fliegende HolländerSentaTheater Bonn
Tampere Opera
Musikfestival WelsWagnerDie Meistersinger von NürnbergEvaOpernhaus DortmundWagnerDas RheingoldFreiaTheater FreiburgWagnerTannhäuserVenus, Elisabeth VenusSavonlinna Opera Festival Teatro Real MadridWeberDer FreischützAgatheTheater BielefeldWeillAufstieg und Fall der Stadt MahagonnyJennyTheater Bielefeld
Operahaus DortmundZandonaiFrancesca da RiminiFrancescaTeatro Colón Buenos Aires
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