Lucie Kaňková comes from the Kaňka and Feld families, both of which have a rich musical tradition. She began playing the violin and piano at the age of four. In 2002, she enrolled at the Jan Neruda Grammar School (specializing in music) and subsequently at the Prague Conservatory, graduating in 2012 under the guidance of violin pedagogue Darina Zárubová with a DiS. degree. In 2010, she performed the lead role of Miesmies in the modern opera Spiegel das Kätzchen by Swiss composer Mathias Spohr; the production premiered in Prague and was subsequently performed in Winterthur, Langenthal, and Zurich. It was through this production that she was discovered by the world-renowned tenor Francisco Araiza.
In 2013, she joined the Opera Studio in Biel, and in 2016, she completed her Master’s studies—specializing in Specialized Music Performance (Opera)—with distinction at the Bern University of the Arts (HKB) under Prof. Barbara Locher. As part of her graduation performances, she sang the role of Teofane in Handel’s opera Ottone in Biel and Solothurn. She subsequently continued her studies with Prof. Locher at the University of Lucerne, completing a Master of Arts program in Solo Performance, which culminated in a concert at the KKL Luzern with the Lucerne Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2022, she completed her doctoral studies (Ph.D.) at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (HAMU), specializing in Interpretation and the Theory of Interpretation. Since 2014, she has also served as an official soloist with the Swiss ensemble de Lancy-Genève.
International competitions play a significant role in her artistic career. In 2015, she won second place at the Nico Dostal International Operetta Competition in Korneuburg (near Vienna) and second place in the Junior category at the Antonín Dvořák International Vocal Competition in Karlovy Vary, where she also received five additional awards. A year later, at the same competition, she won first prize in the Opera category and eight other awards, including contracts with theaters, orchestras, and festivals. In 2017, she took second place at the American International Czech & Slovak Voice Competition in the USA—winning a special Canadian prize for interpretation—and simultaneously won second prize at the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation Competition in Prague, where she also received the award for the best interpretation of a work by B. Martinů along with other special distinctions. In 2019, she won third prize at the Bologna International Vocal Competition in Italy and triumphed at the Opernspiele Munot competition in Switzerland. This was followed by second prize and the Audience Prize at the IFAC HANDA Australian Singing Competition (2020), a victory at the Nomea Competition (where she was named “Best Opera Singer,” 2021), and a win at the Mimas Music Festival international competition in Italy (2022).
She has appeared in a wide range of significant operatic roles. At Theater Biel-Solothurn, she performed the roles of the Kitchen Boy in Dvořák’s Rusalka and Luigia in Donizetti’s Viva la mamma, appearing in nearly 50 performances of these productions across various Swiss venues. She also performed the role of the Kitchen Boy at the National Theatre Brno. In 2016, she produced her own staging of Martinů’s Ariadne in Biel, singing the title role; she also performed as Ariadne at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in 2018. As a soloist, she has performed with Ensemble Damian at baroque music festivals in Olomouc and Kroměříž, as well as at the Janáček May and Hortus Magicus festivals; she portrayed Time and Fortune in Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf’s opera Il tribunale di Giove.
Since the 2019/20 season, she has performed at the Silesian Theatre in Opava, taking on roles such as Ännchen in Weber’s Der Freischütz, Violetta Valéry in Verdi’s La Traviata, and Susanna in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. Subsequent roles included Poppea in Monteverdi’s The Coronation of Poppea in Plzeň and at the Baroque festival at the Margravial Opera House in Bayreuth, Barče in Smetana’s The Kiss at the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre, Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto in Opava, and Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Così fan tutte in České Budějovice. She also performed as Violetta in Chișinău, Moldova, alongside tenor Celso Albelo, and appeared at a gala concert in Odesa marking the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence.
The Queen of the Night in Mozart’s The Magic Flute has become her signature role; she performs it regularly at the Estates Theatre in Prague and has appeared in the role as a guest artist in Switzerland, Belgium, Hungary, Japan, Bulgaria, and other countries. She made her debut at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège as Gilda and the First Nymph, and also appeared as Gilda at the Prague State Opera. In subsequent years, she made her debut there as Violetta in La Traviata and performed the title role in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor in a concert version. At the Znojmo Festival, she performed the role of Raffaelle in Haydn’s oratorio Il ritorno di Tobia. In Košice, she sang the Queen of the Night in a new production of The Magic Flute, Violetta Valéry in Verdi’s La Traviata and the title role in Donizetti’s Anna Bolena. At the National Theatre Brno, she portrayed Terinka in Dvořák’s The Jacobin, a production that was also streamed globally on the OperaVision platform.
In the 2024/25 season, she appeared as Violetta in a new production of Verdi’s La Traviata in Fribourg, Switzerland, and at the Hungarian State Opera in Budapest. She also became an exclusive artist with the international opera agency PrimaFila. The following season, alongside opera performances, she focused more intensively on concert work and returned to the Sofia Opera and Ballet, as the Queen of the Night. She also made her debut at the Prague Estates Theatre as Zerbinetta in a revival of Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos. She concluded the season by performing in a new production of The Magic Flute in France at Les Soirées Lyriques de Sanxay festival; in the 2,000-year-old ancient amphitheater—which holds an audience of 6,000—she achieved great success in the role of the Queen of the Night.
The 2026/27 season will see her make debuts as Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni at the South Bohemian Theatre and as Barče in Smetana’s The Kiss at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège, Belgium. Future plans at the Hungarian State Opera and the Sofia Opera and Ballet include further performances as the Queen of the Night, as well as debuts as Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto, Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata, and the title role in an upcoming new production of Donizetti’s Anna Bolena.
Lucie Kaňková performs on major opera and concert stages in the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and other countries across Europe and beyond. She continues to collaborate with Prof. Barbara Locher and Kammersängerin Gabriela Beňačková.
Photo: Cyril Cosson
