Sofia Ameli Gojić (born 5 February 1968) is a Croatian mezzo-soprano. She is principal opera singer and vocal coach at Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb.
Early life and education Sofia Ameli Gojić was born in Sisak, Croatia, where she started her education in music and performing arts. When she was thirteen years old, Croatian composer V. Rakijas, inspired by her singing, composed a song for her, which she premiered and recorded for Croatian radio and television.
She studied opera singing at the Academy of Music, University of Zagreb, in the class of Prof. Nada Puttar-Gold. and completed a degree in singing. She continued her postgraduate studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, in the class of Prof. Leopold Spitzer. She also worked with distinguished pedagogue Stojan Stojanov Gancev.
Career After finishing her studies, she was engaged as a soloist opera singer at the Opera of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb. At the same time, she performed as a guest singer in other opera houses and concert halls in Croatia, as well as in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia. She started her career as a soprano and in the first twelve years she sang a large number of title and leading roles such as Rosina, Mimì, Musetta, Violetta Valery, Hanna Glawary, Marzenka, Abigaille, Suor Angelica, Santuzza and others. In 2002, after performing the role of Santuzza, she received offers to sing mezzo-soprano roles. From 2002 she has sung a large number of mezzo-soprano and alto roles, among which are the roles of Amneris, Azucena, Carmen, Eboli, Fenena, Ulrica, Princess Clarice and Zia Principessa. She has performed leading roles in contemporary operas, such as Greta (The Metamorphosis), Marianne (Stories from the Vienna Forest), Girl (Talk to me about Augusta) and Mrs. Steel (Penguins).
She recorded various pieces of contemporary music and different projects for Croatian Radio and Television, RTV Macedonia, RTV Montenegro, Radio Television of Serbia and Swiss Television. Her artistic activities include concerts with Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, Croatian Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra, Croatian Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of the Ljubljana Opera, Cantus Ensemble, String Orchestra Dusan Skovran, Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra etc. She has participated in Opera Festivals and Festivals of Contemporary music: Music Biennale Zagreb, Gostic Days, Days of Croatian Music, Grosseto Festival, May Opera Evenings in Skopje, Kampnagel in Hamburg, International Miskolc Opera Festival and others
In the year 2005 she was awarded for life achievements with the Gold Medal of „Mare Nostrum Croaticum“ as the youngest opera singer who won this award ever. In the 2018/19 season as a vocal coach, she prepared the artists of the Ballet of the Croatian National Theatre for singing in the ballet production Apoksiomen. In the seasons of 2020/21 and 2021/22 she will sing the roles of Azucena, Carmen and Ulrica.
Roles +RolesOpera, Operetta, Contemporary OperaProductions BarbarinaLe Nozze di Figaro1991Musetta La Boheme 1992, 1992Rosina Il Barbiere di Siviglia 1993, 1999JelaThe Return1993Violetta Valéry La Traviata1994, 1995MarēnkaThe Bartered Bride1994Hanna GlawaryThe Merry Widow1994Greta Metamorphosis1995MimìLa Bohème1995MarussaNozze Istriane1995JelenaNikola Šubić Zrinjski1995MarianneTales from the Vienna Forest 1997Girl Tell mi about Augusta1999AbigailleNabucco2001, 2002Suor Angelica Suor Angelica2001SantuzzaCavalleria Rusticana2002Suzuki Madama Butterfly2003, 2019Princess EboliDon Carlo2004Fenena Nabucco2002, 2003, 2004, 2011 Ulrica In Ballo in Maschera2007, 2009Mrs.Steel Penguins2007Zia Principessa Suor Angelica2008MaddalenaRigoletto2009DomaEro the Joker2011, 2017CarmenCarmen2005, 2008, 2011Amneris Aida2013, 2014Jele Equinox2015Princess ClariceLove for three Oranges2017Vornic's WifeAdel and Mara2017MaryThe Flying Dutchman2018AzucenaIl Trovatore2005, 2005, 2019
Personal life Sofia Ameli Gojić lives with her husband, Croatian actor Dušan Gojić and their daughter in Zagreb, Croatia
References