mezzo-soprano
(former last name Maltseva)
Mezzo-soprano Irina Ignata captivates on stage with the radiant, dark timbre of her voice and her intense stage presence.
She has recently attracted significant critical acclaim for her debut as Amneris in Verdi’s Aida at Staatstheater Darmstadt (production by Noa Naamat). Her performance was widely praised by the press, with Die Deutsche Bühne naming her “the singer of the evening”, highlighting her “...apparent ease, finely controlled voice, and nuanced portrayal of the transformation from a commanding ruler to a figure of deeper awareness”, while the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung praised her “...compelling and convincing interpretation… elevating the role with striking dramatic presence”.
In the same period, Irina Ignata appeared as mezzo-soprano soloist in Verdi’s Requiem with the Oratorienchor Würzburg and the Vogtland Philharmonie, further consolidating her presence in the dramatic concert repertoire.
In March 2026, she is featured at the Meistersingerhalle Nürnberg with the Nürnberger Symphoniker, singing Rossini’s Stabat Mater and Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de Confessore.
Irina sings all over Europe and recently performed roles such as Polina (The Queen of Spades) at the Latvian National Opera in Riga, Olga (Eugene Onegin) at the Opéra de Lausanne, Lucretia (The Rape of Lucretia) in Innsbruck and Suzuki (Madama Butterfly) at the Immling Festival.
The press acclaims her as a «...vocally and dramatically absolutely ideal Olga» (Onlinemerker.com) and praises her Lucretia «...a flexible, colorful mezzo-soprano with bright piercing top notes and is secure under pressure, all of which made her well-suited to the role» (Operawire.com).
On the concert stage Irina enthused the audience with her deeply moving alto solo in Mahler's Symphony No. 2 at the Immling Festival. Most recently, she made her successful Danish debut with the Sønderjyllands Symfoniorkester, performing the mezzo-soprano part in Rossini’s Stabat Mater, where she showcased the flexibility and warmth of her voice in the belcanto repertoire.
In May 2025, she also received acclaim for her performances in Strasbourg (France) and Leipzig (Germany), where she joined the Orchestre Universitaire de Strasbourg in Stravinsky’s Faun and Shepherdess, captivating audiences with her expressive interpretation. As noted by Dernière Nouvelle d'Alsace, «...in the resonant acoustics of the Palais de Fêtes, her richly colored voice impressed in moments of brilliance».
In the season 2022/2023 Irina was ensemble member at the Tiroler Landestheater where she appeared as Margaretha (Schumann, Genoveva) and Feodor (Boris Godunov), among others.
Press reviews were thoroughly enthusiastic about Irina's interpretations and write, for example, about her as Margaretha «... a brilliant performer with a fulminant voice» (Onlinemerker.com)
From 2016 – 2020 Irina was member of the Staatstheater Nürnberg. At the International Opera Studio she sang roles like Mercédès in Carmen, Anna in Calixto Bieito’s new production of Les Troyens, Emilia (Otello), the alto part in a staged version of Bach's St. Matthew’s Passion, Rossweise (Die Walküre) and Flora (La Traviata). Staying at the Staatstheater Nürnberg as member of the ensemble, her most important roles were Dorabella (Cosí fan tutte), Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly) and Hélène Bezukhova (War and Peace).
Irina Ignata worked with conductors such as Marcus Bosch, Keri-Lyn Wilson, Oliver Dohnányi, Yi-Chen Lin, Wolfgang Katschner, Joana Mallwitz, Guido Johannes Rumstadt, Kerem Hasan, Lutz de Veer and Johannes Zahn as well as with directors like Calixto Bieito, Mariame Clément, Peter Konwitschny, Laura Scozzi, Taddeus Strassberger, Noa Naamat, Jens-Daniel Herzog, Tilman Knabe, David Mouchtar-Samorai and Georg Schmiedleitner, to name but a few.
She attended masterclasses with Kirsten Schötteldreier, Daphne Evangelatos, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Grace Bumbry and Daniel Ottevaere.