Welcome

“As Armida, the bright-voiced, fearless soprano Elza van den Heever stole every scene she was in...”

The New York Times
Der Fliegende Holländer - Santa Fe Opera

Van den Heever was a luminous Senta, singing with power, beauty, and a full palate of tone colours.

Ludwig van Toronto
Season Highlights

"Blessed with a plush, dramatic voice capable of formidable power and dazzling high notes ..." soprano Elza van den Heever's current season includes role debuts in Tannhäuser and Die Walküre.

Associated Press
'Peter Grimes' at English National Opera

"Elza van den Heever, a superb South African soprano who looks and sounds remarkably like the young Joan Sutherland, stands out from the herd as a stolid and sensible Ellen Orford, with a voice of angelic sheen and purity promising hope and redemption."

The Telegraph
The Metropolitan Opera's 'Maria Stuarda'

“Elza van den Heever ... whose career is rising internationally, is a vocally burnished and emotionally tempestuous Elizabeth (Elisabetta) … her voice has penetrating depth and character. She turns flights of coloratura passagework into bursts of jealousy and defiance ..."

The New York Times

About Elza

South African-born Elza van den Heever is one of the world's most important lyric-dramatic sopranos.

She opens the season 2024/25 as Leonore (Fidelio) at Lyric Opera Chicago. The Metropolitan Opera presents the soprano als Empress (Frau ohne Schatten) and as Salome in two of her signature roles. She will make her debut at La Scala Milano as Sieglinde (Walküre) under the baton of Christian Thielemann and appear as Elettra (Idomeneo) at the San Francisco Opera under Eun Sun Kim. Concert engagements include a Strauss concert with the Metropolitan Orchestra under Yannick Nézet-Séguin at Carnegie Hall New York.