Valentina Naforniță

Valentina Nafornița (also spelled Naforniță; born 10 June 1987) is a Moldovan operatic soprano. She is best known for her interpretation of Mozart and bel canto repertoire.

Childhood and studies Nafornița was born in Cuhnești, Moldova. Interested in music from a young age, she began studying singing, violin and dancing as a child. She went on to graduate from the Ștefan Neaga Music College (high school) in Chișinău, Moldova, in 2006, followed by a degree in Opera from the National University of Music in Bucharest, Romania. There, she studied under Eleonora Enăchescu and Maria Slătinaru-Nistor.

During and following her studies, she began entering vocal competitions, winning the Romanian Orange Prize for Young Musicians, the Hariclea Darclée Competition, and the Young Opera Singers of Europe Competition. In 2011, she won both the Singer of the World and the Dame Joan Sutherland Audience Award at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition. This marked a turning point in her career.

Career In September 2011, Nafornița became a member of the Vienna State Opera ensemble, where she made her professional stage debut as Papagena in Die Zauberflöte. As a member of the ensemble, she debuted numerous roles including: Musetta (La bohème), Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro)

In 2014, she made her debut at the Salzburger Festspiele as Zerlina in Don Giovanni, and in 2016, she made her debut in Paris in the role of Sophie (Werther) at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées opposite Juan Diego Flórez and Joyce DiDonato. The following season, in September 2017, she made her Opéra national de Paris debut as Valencienne in Die lustige Witwe, and returned to the French capital as Servilia (La clemenza di Tito) in November 2017, broadcast on ORF III and Arte. In 2017, she made her house debut at the Staatsoper Hamburg as Adina.

Highlights of her 2019/20 season include a role debut as Helena in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream , Norina in Don Pasquale , Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro and a role debut as Irina in Tri Sestri, all at the Vienna State Opera, and Adina in L'elisir d'amore at the Opéra de Lausanne and the Nationaltheater Mannheim.

Her debut album will be released on 10 January 2020.

Nafornița has sung a version of the popular Romanian folk song "Cântă cucu-n Bucovina" ("Sings the Cuckoo in Bukovina").

Personal life In 2021 Valentina divorced her husband, baritone Mihai Dogotari. She is the patron of CCF Moldova, an organization which helps children in need in her native Moldova.

Recordings Romance, Münchner Runfunkorchster conducted by Keri-Lynn Wilson, Outhere Music, 2020 Don Giovanni by Mozart, 2014 (DVD) singing the role of Zerlina. Salzburger Festspiele with the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Christoph Eschenbach. Hans Zimmer: Filmmusik: The World Of Hans Zimmer, 2019 (CD), Sony Classical