Vasso Fragoulaki-Dimopoulou
Soloist, Mezzo-Soprano
She was born in Kavala in 1938 and grew up in Thessaloniki. She began studying music in 1954 at the Macedonian Conservatory of Thessaloniki; she continued her studies at the Thessaloniki State Conservatory under Dimitra Angelopoulos-Sossou. She then studied at the Vienna Academy of Music under Elisabeth Radó and Erik Werba. She made her debut in Thessaloniki as Azucena [The troubadour/Il Trovatore]. She has also given recitals and concerts in Thessaloniki, collaborating with the Thessaloniki State Orchestra. During 1967-1990 she worked with the GNO, participating in about 50 productions and/or revivals. She sang main and supporting roles in 24 operas, including: Eugene Onegin (as Larina), Rural chivalry [Cavalleria rusticana] (as Lucia), The troubadour [Il trovatore] (as Azucena), The barber of Seville [Il barbiere di Siviglia] (as Berta), Orfeo ed Euridice (as Orfeo), Cinderella [La cenerentola] (as Tisbe), Carmen (as Mercédès], Boris Godunov (as Fyodor), The tales of Hoffman [Les contes d'Hoffmann], Ariadne on Naxos [Ariadne auf Naxos], Lucia di Lammermoor, The magic flute [Die Zauberflöte] (as Third lady), Madama Butterfly (as Kate Pinkerton), Queen of Spades [Pique Dame] (as Wet-nurse), Rigoletto (as Giovanna), La Gioconda (as La Cieca), etc. She has collaborated with the Athens State Orchestra and the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) Symphony Orchestra, singing in oratorios and symphonic works. In addition, along with her husband G. Fragoulakis, she has taken part in musical events and concerts throughout Greece. In 1990 she retired from the GNO and has since been engaged in teaching. // Last update of the biography: December 2015 - The list of productions below is continually updated.