Czech soprano Lucie Kaňková will sing the role of the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s The Magic Flute on August 8, 10, and 12 at the Gallo-Roman theatre in Sanxay, western France, a venue that hosts annual open-air opera performances.

This will not be the first time Lucie Kaňková has sung the role of the Queen of the Night; she has previously performed it in Prague, Budapest, Sofia, and at the Royal Opera of Wallonie-Liège, as well as on tour in Japan with the Hungarian State Opera. In the Sanxay production of The Magic Flute, she will appear alongside young Russian-Ukrainian tenor Yegor Zhuravsky as Tamino, Armenian soprano Lilit Davtyan as Pamina, Ukrainian baritone Danylo Matviienko as Papageno, and Adrien Mathonat in the bass role of Sarastro. German conductor Moritz Gnann will lead the musical direction.

She originally trained as a violinist—her father is a well-known cellist with the Wihan Quartet—but later devoted herself exclusively to singing, studying in Bern, Lucerne, and Prague. She currently works with Barbara Locher and Gabriela Beňačková. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including first prize at the 2016 Antonín Dvořák International Vocal Competition, third prize at the 2019 International Vocal Competition in Bologna, second prize and the Audience Award at the 2021 IFAC HANDA Australian Singing Competition, first prize (with the “Best Opera Singer” distinction) at the Nomea Competition, second prize at the 2022 Naples Master Competition, and first prize at the Mimas Music Festival in Italy.

Since the 2019/20 season, Kaňková has performed the roles of Ännchen in C. M. von Weber’s *Der Freischütz*, Violetta Valéry in Verdi’s *La Traviata*, and Susanna in W. A. ​​Mozart’s *The Marriage of Figaro* at the Silesian Theatre in Opava. During the 2020/21 season, she appeared in the title role of Poppea in Monteverdi’s *The Coronation of Poppea* at the Tyl Theatre in Plzeň, as Barče in Smetana’s *The Kiss* at the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre, as Gilda in Verdi’s *Rigoletto* at the Silesian Theatre in Opava, and as Fiordiligi at the South Bohemian Theatre in České Budějovice. In the spring of 2022, her artistic engagements took her to Liège, Belgium, where she made her debut as Gilda. She also debuted in this role at the State Opera in Prague in June 2022, where she additionally performed the role of Violetta in *La Traviata*. Last year, she performed at the Prague Spring Festival with the Wihan Quartet, presenting songs by her grandfather, the composer Jindřich Feld. At the start of the season, Lucie Kaňková is set to return to Václav Hudeček’s “Svátky hudby” (Holidays of Music) festival. She will appear at the opening concert on October 20 in the Rudolfinum’s Dvořák Hall, performing with the Prague Philharmonia under the baton of Ondřej Vrabec. Kaňková also opened the “Svátky hudby” festival the year before last, accompanied by the Plzeň Philharmonic under the direction of Tomáš Brauner.

https://www.klasikaplus.cz/lucie-kankova-zpiva-roli-kralovny-noci-ve-francouzskem-sanxay/
KlasikaPlus, 4.8.2026