Ivana Rusko

The Czech soprano completed her vocal studies at the Brno Conservatory before attending the Bratislava Academy of Music. She took part in masterclasses with Francisco Araiza, Luana DeVol, Peter Dvorský, Magdaléna Blahušiaková as well as Marius van Altena and is a prize-winner of various international competitions. After two years at the International Opera Studio of the Oper Zürich, she was a member of the ensemble from 2012 to 2016. In Zürich, her roles included Irina in Eötvös' "Tri Sestri", Virginia in Marius Felix Lange's "Das Gespenst von Canterville", Musetta in "La Bohème", Fortuna / Giunone in "Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria" and Elfe in "Rusalka". Guest appearances have also taken her to Opéra de Lyon (Lauretta in "Gianni Schicchi", Suor Genovieffa in "Suor Angelica") and to the Kosice City Theatre (Contessa Almaviva in "Le nozze di Figaro"). She made her outstanding house debut at Oper Köln – initially as a guest – in the 2015.16 season as Musetta in "La Bohème".

She has been a member of the Oper Köln ensemble since the 2016.17 season and has so far appeared there as Schlaukopf in Leoš Janáček's "Das schlaue Füchslein", as Kurfürstin Marie in "Der Vogelhändler", in the title role of Carl Orff's "Die Kluge", as Liù in "Turandot" and Marzelline in "Fidelio". Other highlights of the past seasons at Oper Köln include Rosalinde in "Die Fledermaus", Donna Elvira in "Don Giovanni", Female Chorus in "The Rape of Lucretia", Giulietta/Zauberin in “Hoffmanns Erzählungen für Kinder", Ellen Orford in "Peter Grimes", Micaëla in "Carmen", Die Bauerntochter in "Die Kluge" by Carl Orff and, as part of the cooperation project "Interfaces [II]", in the opera "The Ends" by Andreas Eduardo Frank.

In the 2022.23 season, she can be heard as 1st Lady in “Die Zauberflöte".