“... a voice that is both brilliant in technique and deep in expressiveness.”
Biography
Gina Hanzlik is a classically trained soprano with “a voice that is both brilliant in technique and deep in expressiveness”. She is known for her deep commitment to character and delivery. Currently based in Brooklyn, Gina comes to New York City by way of Montreal, Michigan, and Minnesota (clearly has a thing for places starting with “M”).
Beholden only to storytelling, Gina performs all types of vocal music. Equally interested in exploring traditional repertoire and new works, Gina has performed with Paper Mill Playhouse, Tapestry Opera, Summer Theater of New Canaan, the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Michigan Opera Theater, McGill Symphony Orchestra, and Société d'art vocal de Montréal. Gina regularly premiers work for various composers and chamber ensembles in the US and Canada. Opera credits include the Cunegonde in Candide, Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Madame Herz in The Impressario, and Sister Rose in Dead Man Walking. Musical Theater credits include Beauty and the Beast and The Sound of Music. Her concert repertoire ranges from the soprano soloist in Elijah, to Crumb’s Madrigal Books.
Recognized for excellence by McGill University, Gina was a finalist in the 2017 Wirth Vocal Prize and the recipient of the Dixie Ross-Neill Scholarship and Schulich Scholarship. She is a Teach for America Alumni and holds a Master of Education in Urban Pedagogy from the University of Michigan, as well as music degrees from McGill University and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Gina is a Teaching Artist with The Little Orchestra Society, conducts the Culture Lab’s Community Voices Choir, and leads ASPDP approved trainings on arts integration and curriculum development.
Gina lives in Brooklyn where she loves exploring new neighborhoods through food and commuting by bike! To learn more about this solar powered music box check out @ginaehanzlik on instagram.
PRESS
“Gina Hanzlik navigated the Baroque tune with diamond clarity and with a voice that’s knife’s edge sharp… Hanzlik’s bright tone was confident and secure, with a natural ease.”
— Vino Theater Review 2023: A Ghost’s Endeavor by Chris Ruel
Elijah, McGill Symphony Orchestra, 2018
“... la première soprano Gina Hanzlik assurée et imprégnée entièrement de son role... Ému jusqu’aux larmes (celles tout intérieures et contenues de la puissante soprano Gina Hanzlik ne m’ont pas échappées aux moments les plus forts ) notre imaginaire de mélomanes était sans cesse captivé par l’action de l’oratorio de Mendelssohn.”
Candide, Opera McGill, 2018
“Mention toute spéciale pour la diva Gina Hanzlik qui, à mon humble avis, a carrément volé la vedette et le show par sa voix volumineuse et triomphante aux aigus impressionnants de justesse et de stabilité. Elle a indubitablement été ma découverte et ma joie de la soirée. Quelle belle, grande et impressionnante voix! A star is born!”
“Special mention to diva Gina Hanzlik who ... has downright stolen the show with her voluminous and triumphant voice, with impressive accuracy and stability. Undoubtedly, it was my discovery and my joy of the evening. What a beautiful, big and impressive voice! A star is born!”
“This coloratura soprano is really a very remarkable talent. . . behind the ease of highs, there is something else: a vocal subject that augurs a future evolution of the voice when one thinks, for example, that a Hiromi Omura also began as coloratura. Gina Hanzlik is much more than an Olympia of Hoffmann’s Tales or a Lakmé and she is, in my eyes, since the emergence of Hélène Guilmette ... “the” great coloratura to come out of one of our training centers.”
“Cette soprano colorature est vraiment un talent très remarquable. Sans aller jusqu’à évoquer tout à fait le choc Philippe Sly sur cette scène il y a une dizaine d’années, on n’en est pas loin, d’autant que derrière la facilité des aigus, il y a autre chose : une matière vocale qui laisse augurer d’une évolution à terme de la voix lorsqu’on pense, par exemple, qu’une Hiromi Omura a aussi débuté comme colorature. Gina Hanzlik est bien davantage qu’une Olympia des Contes d’Hoffmann ou une Lakmé et elle est, à mes yeux, depuis l’émergence d’Hélène Guilmette ... « la » grande colorature à sortir de l’un de nos centres de formation.”
Lucia di Lammermoor, Opera McGill, 2018
“Remarquable, pour ne pas dire incroyable, Gina Hanzlik, soprano : le défi de l’aria de la folie se révèle être un morceau de bravoure avec une voix à la fois brillante de technique et profonde en expressivité. Son jeu démontrait fort bien l’injonction paradoxale que traverse Lucia entre la passion et le devoir, et qui la mènera à la folie. Un talent ovationné par le public de cette première, vendredi soir.”
“Soprano Gina Hanzlik was remarkable, not to say incredible; the challenging mad scene turned out to be a piece of bravery performed with a voice that is both brilliant in technique and deep in expressiveness. Her performance was a strong demonstration of Lucia’s paradoxical injunction between the passion and duty which led her to madness. A talent applauded by the public during the premiere Friday night.”
Die Fledermaus, Opera McGill, 2017
“Si c’était du cinéma, on dirait que la première crève l’écran, avec un abattage et une assurance formidable. Dans la scène de la prison au 3e acte, elle s’est mise à entremêler la Reine de la nuit ou Violetta (La Traviata) à son air, car des facéties musicales, notamment associées au rôle d’Alfred, font partie du concept dramaturgique de Patrick Hansen. Ne retombant pas totalement sur ses pieds, elle a enchaîné par un « Maestro please ». Le chef lui a donné la note et elle a balancé la fin, flamboyante. J’ai rarement vu tel aplomb.”
“The Laughing Song (featuring the dazzling coloratura of Gina Hanzlik) was a hit in part because of its free and natural pulse.”
“Soprano Gina Hanzlik stole the show as the Eisenstein’s stagy housekeeper Adele... Hanzlik’s spry charisma and sparkling voice took centre stage. Her command of comedy seemed natural as she floundered, flirted, and kvetched, while her rendition of the famous “Laughing Song” ... lilted with effortless magnetism.”
Dead Man Walking, Miami Music Festival, 2017
“As Sister Rose, soprano Gina Hanzlik was convincing as a concerned friend of Sister Helen and brought a bright, warm voice to their second act duet”