Born in Romania, mezzo-soprano Mihaela Binder-Ungureanu gathered her first music and singing experience with the Children’s Chorus “Camerata Infantis” of Brasov under the baton of N. Bica.
In 1983 she graduated in piano at the Music High school G. Enescu in Bucharest. Between 1989 and 1994 she attended the Music Academy Gh.Dima in Cluj-Napoca, Romania where her teachers included G. Rosu (singing) and A. Farcas (opera class), graduating from there, in 1994, with a Diploma of Honor.
Even while still a student, Mihaela Binder-Ungureanu was already singing at the Cluj-Napoca and Constanta Operas where she was offered the role of Fenena in Verdi’s Nabucco.
In 1993, she made her professional debut at the Cluj-Napoca Opera as Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, soon followed by Maddalena in Rigoletto and Mercedes in Carmen.
Her international career started in 1995 at the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe – Germany, where she was offered with Suzuki in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.
During the 1995 / 1996 season, she began a long term engagement at the Vienna Staatsoper and at the Vienna Volksoper. At the latter she made her debut as Fenena at the Volksoper under the baton of A. Eschwe.
During her Viennese engagement from 1995 to 2004, she sang all the Premieres at the Staatsoper: in 1997, she appeared in Oedipe by G. Enescu as Merope, along with M. Pederson (Oedipe) and M. Lipovsek under the baton of M. Gielen. In 1998, she took part in a new production of Guillaume Tell by G. Rossini as Hedwige alongside Thomas Hampson, Giuseppe Sabbatini and Nancy Gustafson under the baton of F. Luisi.
During the 1998 season, she also appeared in concerts as soloist in Elektra in Cologne, under the baton of Semyon Bychkov.
In 1999, she made her debuts in the role of Amneris in Aida at the Constanta Opera House (Romania) and further appeared in concert performances at the Vienna Musikverein as soloist in Verdi’s Requiem under the direction of Xaver Meyer. At the Vienna Staatsoper, she took part at the Premiere of Palestrina by H. Pfitzner under P. Schneider.
Mihaela Binder-Ungureanu opened the 2000 / 2001 season of the Vienna Staatsoper with the premiere of Roméo et Juliette as Gertrude, with Neil Shicoff and Stefania Bonfadelli.
In 2001 she toured Japan with the Vienna Staatsoper as Maddalena in Linda di Chamounix with Edita Gruberova and A. Rinaldi under B. Campanella. She also participated that year in performances at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Munich, appearing there as Suzuki. She made her debut in France that year appearing as soloist in Verdi’s Requiem at the Dijon Concert Hall, Le Duo, under Didier Luchesi.
In 2002 the mezzo-soprano made her debut as Eboli in Don Carlo at the Cluj-Napoca Opera and participated at the Bruckner Festival Linz singing in Wagner’s Parsifal under D.R. Davies.
During the 2003 / 2004 seasons, Mihaela Binder-Ungureanu appeared among others at the Vienna Staatsoper’s Premiere of Der Fliegende Hollender under S. Ozawa. She returned at the Bayerische Staatsoper Munich as Ulrica in Un Ballo in Maschera, under J. Fiore, and as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly under J. Delacote. She also was heard as soloist in Verdi’s Requiem at the Musikverein Vienna and at Schloss Esterhazy Eisenstadt under G. Kugi. At the Deutsche Oper Berlin, she was seen as La Cieca in Gioconda, Madelon in Andrea Chenier as well as Ulrica in Un Ballo in Maschera under the baton of M. Viotti and R. Brignoli.
Mihaela Binder-Ungureanu resumed her collaboration with the Vienna Volksoper during 2005 and 2006: there, she undertook the parts of Suzuki in Madama Butterfly and sang Czipra at the Premiere of a new production of Der Zigeunerbaron under G. Neuhold. She also sang for a concert performance of F. Schmidt’s Notre Dame.
In 2007, she performed the role of the Mexican Woman at the Premiere of A. Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire at the Vienna Theater an der Wien, under S. Edwards.
In July 2008, she sang with great success the part of Gorgo in Pizetti’s Fedra in concert form at the Festival de Radio France - Montpellier (the performance was broadcasted and should soon be issued on CD), a role she had previously sung on stage at the Theater Erfurt, Germany.
In October 2008, she performed with Vienna Staatsoper on tour, at the Tokyo Opera Nomori Japan, the part of Larina in Tchaïkovsky’s Evgheni Oneghin under the baton of Seiji Ozawa.
During the spring of 2009, the mezzo has performed: Suzuki in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly at the Vienna Volksoper and has been performing Ulrica, Zita,… in Manheim.
In January 2010, Mihaela will make her debut in the role of Klytaemnestra of Elektra under Maestro Gustav Kuhn in a new production signed by Manfred Schweikopfler which will performed in Bolzano, Ferrara, Modena and Piacenza.
Mihaela Binder-Ungureanu as participated in numerous TV and radio broadcasts, and her recordings on CD include: Oedipe under M. Gielen with M. Pederson and M. Lipovsek (for the Naxos Label) and Guillaume Tell under F. Luisi with Hampson and Sabattini (for Orfeo).
NOVEMBRE 2009
