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Sylvia Geszty (born Sylvia Maria Ilona Wytkowsky; ; 28 February 1934 – 13 December 2018 Announcement of death Stuttgarter Zeitung (19 January 2019) was a Hungarian-German operatic coloratura soprano who appeared internationally, based first at the Staatsoper Berlin in East Berlin and from 1970 at the Staatstheater Stuttgart. She is remembered as Mozart's Queen of the Night and an ideal Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, but also performed Baroque opera and in the world premiere of Kurt Schwaen's Leonce und Lena.
Geszty was for decades a professor of voice at the Musikhochschule Stuttgart and also taught a master class in Zurich. She made many recordings and appeared on radio and television and in concert and recitals.
In Berlin, she continued to take voice lessons with Dagmar Freiwald-Lange. From 1963, she was also a regular guest at the Komische Oper Berlin where she appeared as the four leading female characters in Offenbach's Hoffmanns Erzählungen, among others. In 1966, she performed as Rosmene in Handel's Imeneo at the Handel Festival in Halle, conducted by Horst-Tanu Margraf, with Günther Leib in the title role and Hans-Joachim Rotzsch as Tirinto, in a performance that was recorded. She was awarded the Art Prize of the German Democratic Republic in 1966 1966 Art Prize, In Neue Zeit, 27 March 1966, and the title Kammersängerin in 1968. She appeared as a guest in Europe and the Americas, as the Queen of the Night at the Royal Opera House in London in 1966, at the Salzburg Festival in the same role from 1967, and in 1969 as Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss at both the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and the Los Angeles Opera.
In 1970, she moved to West Germany and became a permanent member of the Staatstheater Stuttgart ensemble, where she first appeared as Rosina. She appeared as Zerbinetta, as Mimi in Puccini's La Bohéme, staged by Götz Friedrich, and in the title role of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, among others.
She was a permanent guest at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich and at the Vienna State Opera, where she appeared as Queen of the Night in 1967, as Rosina, Zerbinetta, Gilda and Olympia in Les contes d'Hoffmann. In 1966, she performed as Rosmene in Handel's Imeneo at the Halle Handel Festival, conducted by Horst-Tanu Margraf, with Günther Leib in the title role and Hans-Joachim Rotzsch as Tirinto. She performed at major opera houses, including Hamburg, Paris, Brussels, Moscow, Amsterdam and opera houses in Italy. She appeared at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera in 1971 and 1972 as Zerbinetta and in 1972 also as Konstanze in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail. Geszty also performed as a and oratorio singer and in operetta.
From 1975 to 1997, she was a professor of voice at the Musikhochschule Stuttgart. From 1985 to 1991 she also directed a master class at the Zurich Conservatory. Her students included Melanie Diener, Annette Luig, Marlis Petersen and Anke Sieloff.
In 1988, Geszty initiated an international coloratura singing competition. She made many recordings, television appearances (over 80 programmes for ARD and ZDF), films and radio programmes. On her 70th birthday, the singer published her autobiography, Königin der Koloraturen. Erinnerungen.
Geszty died in Stuttgart at age 84.
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