Born Cristina-Antoaneta Păsăroiu in
Bucharest on 17 September 1987, She made her debut at the
Teatro Comunale di Bologna as Magda in Puccini's
La rondine. Footage from the rehearsals was used in the documentary
Loving Carmen. In 2016, she appeared as Valentine in Meyerbeer's
Les Huguenots, as Micaëla in her debut at the
Vienna State Opera, and as Violetta in Verdi's
La Traviata at the
Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden. She appeared there as Manon in 2017, singing and acting although she had broken her foot in a rehearsal and had to wear boots even in bed with her lover. In 2018 she made her role debut as Liù in
Turandot at the
Deutsche Oper Berlin, returned to the role of
Manon at the Korea National Opera in
Seoul and to the
Bregenz Festival as Micaëla in
Carmen. In the 2018/2019 season she made her role debut as the four heroines of
Les Contes d'Hoffmann in the premiere of a
Laurent Pelly staging at the
Deutsche Oper Berlin, causing the
Financial Times to proclaim her the "star of the evening". Other engagements in 2018/2019 include her role debut as
Alcina (
George Frideric Handel) and Gilda in a new staging of
Rigoletto at the Staatstheater Wiesbaden, Mimì in
La bohème at the Royal Opera House of
Copenhagen and Micaëla in
Carmen at the
Bavarian State Opera of
Munich. == Awards ==