Aviva was born into a musical family in Zimbabwe. She obtained a Master’s Degree from University of Cape Town and made her debut as Norina in Don Pasquale. She soon dominated the stage in all the best loved roles – Violetta in La Traviata, Rosina in Barber of Seville, Gilda in Rigoletto… and subsequently performed extensively on local and international stages, on television and radio.
In addition she has starred in many operettas, Die Fledermaus, Merry Widow, Mikado… as well as countless musicals such as My Fair Lady , Fiddler on the Roof, Man of La Mancha, The Sound of Music… Her wide range of musical performances have included, oratorio and cabaret resulting in her having sung in over 2000 performances all over the world, working with such illustrious conductors as Janos Furst, Piero Gamba, Hubert Sudant, Victor Yampolsky and Reinhard Schwarz.
Her greatest pleasure comes from entertaining, singing, acting and immersing herself in a role, giving of herself to her audience. The list of awards she has received tells of the honour and praise she has received from numerous distinguished and appreciative audiences.
Her energy and enthusiasm for fundraising initiatives is tireless, her patronage of worthy organizations and charities, boundless and inspiring. She reaches out to less advantaged communities and shares her gift of music and voice. She has worked closely with young singers at Cape Town Opera; and gives workshops in Khayelitsha and Guguletu.
Aviva’s remarkable contribution to the Performing Arts was recognised with a Gala Tribute Concert in Cape Town – VIVA AVIVA!
In this interview Aviva gives a clear, articulate understanding of how an opera singer works, bringing body, voice and intellect together to meet the demands of an operatic role.
“…we’ve only got this one pair of vocal cords per lifetime and we have to be very careful and responsible with them…”
interviews
