Stella Zambalis


Stella Zambalis is an American spinto soprano born in Cleveland, Ohio. She has been called one of the best sopranos in the world today.

Education and early career

Zambalis began her studies with Greek mezzo-soprano Elena Nikolaidi at Florida State University. Zambalis moved to Houston along with Nikolaidi where she became a member of the Houston Grand Opera young artist program. She was the 1983 winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She began her career as a mezzo-soprano and switched to soprano in the mid 1990s.

Recordings

She can be heard on the 1984 Leonard Bernstein recording of West Side Story, 1992 Metropolitan Opera recording of Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet: Overture Fantasy for Bridge Records and on Dvorak's three complete solo song cycles for the Opus record label.

On video

She created the role of the stepmother in Robert Moran's and Philip Glass' The Juniper Tree and reprised the role in its New York City debut April 2007 at Lincoln Center. In January 2007 she debuted as Bellini's Norma for Mercury Opera In Rochester NY. She frequently performs the role of Nedda in I Pagliacci as well as all of the Puccini heroines.