GAJA NAPAST

The soprano Gaja Napast has an international musical background. She is currently completing her Master’s degree at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts with Michelle Breedt, after obtaining her Bachelor’s degree in 2021 at the Zurich University of the Arts with Martina Janková.

She has performed various opera roles, including Adina in L’elisir d’amore, Micaëla in Carmen, Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, and Musetta in La Bohème. Her repertoire also includes operetta roles such as Adele in Die Fledermaus, and roles like Despina in Così fan tutte and Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel. Her upcoming roles include Zerlina in Don Giovanni at the Ljubljana Festival and Pamina in The Magic Flute.

In 2024/2025, she won second prize in the Opera/Operetta category at the Bundeswettbewerb Gesang in Berlin, as well as the Rosenbaum Foundation prize for a Baroque aria. She also won first prize at the Musica Goritiensis International Music Competition and third prize at the SGSM International Singing Competition and the Slovenian National Music Competition (TEMSIG).

The first round highlights Pamina’s aria, “Ach ich fühl’s,” from Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, a touching and intimate lament in which the princess believes she has lost Tamino’s love. This is followed by Giulietta’s famous “Oh! quante volte” from Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi, an aria of great lyricism where the young woman expresses her inner turmoil between her desire to flee with Romeo and her loyalty to her family.

The semifinal continues with two arias of profound sensibility: the first is Cleopatra’s “Piangerò la sorte mia” from Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto, a moment of great despair and at the same time, noble dignity. The program concludes with Manon’s aria, “Je marche sur tous les chemins,” from Massenet’s Manon, in which the protagonist reflects frivolously on her changing nature and her carefree philosophy of life.