Born in Bucharest, Liliana Nikiteanu made her vocal studies with Professor Georgeta Stoleriu at Bucharest’s Academy. During her career she received many awards and prizes, including the “Francisco Viñas”, Barcelona "Por la mejor y la mas joven mezzo-soprano finalista" (“For the best mezzo-soprano finalist among the youngest musicians); the “Jeunesse Musicale International Competition”, Belgrad; "Belvedere Competition", Vienna; The "Geneva International Music Competition" (CIEM).
She made her debut at the opera house in Galati (Romania) and in 1991 became a member of Zurich Opera. Highlights of her career are her performance with Claudio Abbado and Valery Gergiev at the Salzburg Festival, with René Jakobs in Aix-en-Provence and with William Christie at London‘s Royal Festival Hall. She also performed at the Vienna Klangbogen, the Bregenz Festival, in Edinburgh, at La Coruña and Montpellier. She sang Muse and Nicklausse in Les contes d‘Hoffmann and Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier at the Opéra Bastille in Paris; Octavian in Hamburg (in the Peter Konwitschny production), in Frankfurt, at the Vienna State Opera and, under the baton of Adam Fischer, in Mannheim; Marguerite inLa damnation de Faust with Antonio Pappano in Brussels. Guest performances also took her to Berlin State Opera, the Bavarian State Opera, the Semperoper in Dresden, the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid and the Grand Théâtre in Geneva.
In 2008 she made her debut as Fricka in Das Rheingold, her first Wagner role that she sang in Zurich under the baton of Philippe Jordan. Also with Philippe Jordan she sang Second Norn in Götterdämmerung and Rossweisse in Die Walküre. More recently she sang Hexe in Humperdinck‘s Königskinder, Federica in Luisa Miller, Jezibaba in Rusalka under the baton of Vladimir Fedosseyev, Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro with Jan Schultsz, Eleonora in the world premiere of Marc-André Dalbavie’s Gesualdo, Ragonde in Le Comte Ory .
In concert, she performed Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Zubin Mehta in Zurich, Berlioz’s Les nuits d‘été with Heinz Holliger at the Cité de la musique in Paris, Mozart’s Requiem with John Neschling in São Paulo, Verdi’s Requiem with Aldo Ceccato in Copenhagen, Rossini’s Stabat Mater with Nelo Santi in Zurich, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, Haydn’s Berenice, che fai? with Adam Fischer and the Bamberg Symphonic Orchestra, Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde in Interlaken, Bruckner’s Te Deum at the opening of the new Auditorio de Tenerife, Brahms’ Rhapsodie für Alt und Männerchor in Galati. In 2005, she had the honour to sing at the 500 Years Swiss Guard celebrations in St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome.
2011-2012 season includes Madame Podtochina in The Nose, Ragonde in Le Comte Ory, Emilia in Rossini‘s Otello (webcast live on medici.tv), Maddalena in Rigoletto in Zurich, Jezibaba in Rusalka in Montreal, Ino in Semele, concerts in Paris, the "Christmas in Vienna" concert, Bruckner’s Te Deum with Zubin Mehta in Tel Aviv and Salzburg.
Her wide repertoire reaches from Bach (Mass in B minor, Magnificat, St. John’s Passion, St. Matthew’s Passion, Christmas Oratorio) to Luciano Berio.
Her discography includes DVDs with the ensemble of Zurich Opera as Cherubino, Zerlina and Dorabella in the “Mozart-Da Ponte Trilogy” (Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni and Così fan tutte ) conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt (director: Jürgen Flimm), and her performance as Auntie in Peter Grimes, conducted by Franz Welser-Möst.
