Ilona Domnich – Biography
Ilona’s latest operatic role is Tosca. She has been touring UK, Channel Islands, France and South Africa “…The Tosca of Ilona Domnich is a real revelation. Dramatically flamboyant, vocally volcanic but using an admirably mastered musicality, phrasing with emotion the famous, and awaited, prayer of the second act, she is a Tosca worthy of the best stages. A true dramatic soprano, she shows incredible power against Scarpia.” Classic Toulouse 2022
Ilona Domnich is a lyric soprano, described by Opera Now as” A memorable voice of silken beauty with a luminous edge to the tone, a sensitive musician and an actress of magnetic presence” and was chosen by Opera Now as one of the magazine’s Top 10 high flyers,” a new generation of sopranos who are having impressive careers”. Ilona Domnich was highlighted as ‘artist of the month’ in Opera magazine and is the Daily Telegraph’s choice of ‘best British-based talent’.
Ilona Domnich first came to the attention of legendary singing teacher, Vera Rosza during a masterclass. She went on to win the prestigious Wingate scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music and since those early days has gained a formidable international reputation for daring and excellence on stage. Her other teachers and mentors have included Thomas Helmsley, Enid Hartle, Janis Kelly, Joan Rodgers, Susan Roberts, Montserrat Caballe, Ludmilla Andrew, Donald Maxwell, Anthony Legge and Catherine Wyn-Rogers.
Ilona Domnich’s operatic highlights include Tosca by Puccini, Tatiana (Onegin) by Tchaikovsky, Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia) by Rossini, Mimi (La Boheme) by Puccini, Glauce (Medea) by Cherubini, Melisande (Pelleas et Melisande) by Debussy, Magda (La Rondine) by Puccini, Gilda (Rigoletto) by Verdi, Olympia/Antonia/Giulietta (Tales of Hoffmann) by Offenbach, Jacqueline (Fortunio) by Messager, Elle (La Voix Humaine) by Poulenc, Zerlina (Don Giovanni) by Mozart, Eurydice (Der neue Orpheus) by Weill, Venus (Judgement of Paris) by Arne, Madam Herz (Der Schauspieldirektor) by Mozart, Blondchen (Die Entfhrung aus dem Serail) by Mozart.
Ms Domnich has worked in close collaboration with English National Opera, BBC Concert Orchestra, Grange Park Opera, Buxton Opera Festival, English Touring Opera, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Concert Orchestra, Southbank Sinfonia. Festivals include Festival de Musique de Menton, Trasimeno Music Festival and Anghiari in Italy, Chopin festival in Mallorca, Aldeburgh International Festival, London Song Festival, Solent Music Festival, Chelsea Schubert Festival, North Norfolk and the Jersey International Festival as well as the Perth, Rye, Mayfield and Newbury Spring festivals. In London, she has appeared in concert at Queen Elizabeth Hall, Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Barbican, Westminster Cathedral, St. Johns Smith Square and St. Martin in the Fields and has sung in Paris, Rome, St. Petersburg, Jerusalem, Tokya, Dubai, Menton, Segura, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka and Beirut.
In October 2019, Ms Domnich was invited by acclaimed German violinist, Linus Roth to take part in the inaugural Weinberg focus event to be held at Wigmore Hall. Curated by Roth, the events featured a selection of the composer’s vocal and chamber music in the centenary year of his birth. Roth has since invited Ms Domnich to perform at his Shostakovich Days at the Gohrisch Festival in Germany 2020 and Schwaebischer Fruehling festival 2021, where he is the Artistic Director. There concert at the Wigmore Hall from the 30th September 2023 is available on YouTube.
With conductor Martin Yates Ilona has had numerous exciting collaborations performing and recording (Dutton Vocalion) with the BBC Concert Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia and Royal Scottish National Orchestra. The works include the scores to ‘Scott of the Antarctic’ by R. Vaughan Williams, ‘Rout’ by Sir Arthur Bliss, ‘ The Mystic Trumpeter’ by Gustav Holst, ‘The Future’ by R. Vaughan Williams.
Other fruitful collaborations include Simon Over /Southbank Sinfonia (now Sinfonia Smith Square), with whom she sang Poulenc’s Gloria at Notre Dame de Paris and Brahms’ Requiem at Westminster Cathedral, as well as her Operatic CD ‘Surrender’ together with baritone Leo Nucci, – available on Signum Classics. With the orchestra of St. Johns under the baton of John Lubbock OBE, she has performed a wide range of repertoire, from the early Baroque to Richard Strauss’ Vier letzte Lieder, as well as scenes from Onegin and La Traviata.
Ilona Domnich is also featured on the Toccata Classics label in songs with orchestra by Michael Csanyi-Wills, on OSJ Alive in Faure Songs, on FHR in Chamber works by Shostakovich, on Quartz in ‘Le secret – Love songs and arias’ and on Naxos in the world premiere recording of Timothy Hamilton’s Requiem.
Always inventive and keen to explore new directions, Ilona Domnich has also developed and performed a one-woman cabaret-style show, ‘Voix du cabaret’, based on songs sung by Marlene Dietrich, Jacques Brel and Edith Piaf, directed by James Bonas. This show grew into ‘Voix du cabaret encore’ and included West End dancers.
In the socially-distanced summer of 2021, Ilona started an open-air concert series in Hadley Woods, Barnet. Now in its 5th year, “Music by Jack’s Lake’ goes from strength to strength, bringing together international artists and young performers in a sylvan setting and delighting the richly diverse communities of North London. Many in the audience experience classical music here for the first time.
Ilona’s next adventure is ‘Queens and Goddesses – reclaiming the divine woman‘ show and touring.
As an emotional response to the horrific events of October 7th 2023, Ilona created a music video, ‘The Hope – Hatikvah’, with the help of arranger/violinist Charles Mutter, director Sebastian Harcombe and videographer Stewart French (Fly on the Wall) to show her solidarity with the Israeli and wider Jewish communities.
Another string to Ilona’s bow is ‘Voice coaching for leaders’, since 2018, Ilona has been coaching high-achieving executive directors, CEOs, women entrepreneurs and others in senior positions.
Parallel to her performing career, Ilona is a respected singing teacher with over 20 years’ experience. Many of her students have won scholarships to local schools and/or places at the Purcell School and Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
