Soňa Červená was a renowned opera singer and actress who had a remarkable career spanning over seven decades. Born in 1925, she started her career in the interwar avant-garde Liberated Theatre, performing alongside legendary actors Jiří Voskovec and Jan Werich. She went on to perform with famous actors such as Vlasta Burian before becoming an opera singer at the National Theatre in Prague.
However, her promising career was cut short by the communist takeover in 1948. Fearing for her life, she escaped to West Berlin in 1962 and continued her career at the Frankfurt Opera. She gained recognition for her guest performances in numerous opera houses in Europe and the United States, including Vienna, Milan, Paris, Los Angeles and Chicago.
Soňa Červená starred in over 110 roles, the most famous of which was Bizet’s Carmen, which she performed more than 100 times on the world’s leading stages. After she retired from opera, she moved to the Thalia Theatre in Hamburg and returned to her home country after the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989.
Soňa Červená attributed her success and longevity to her undying optimism. She last performed in September 2022 in the Saint Ludmila oratorio in Rome to mark the Czech presidency of the European Union. Her legacy will live on through her remarkable performances and her inspiring story.