Christina is a mezzo-soprano with a vocal range of over three octaves, who is particularly interested in works of the 20th and 21st centuries and learns and masters new and challenging pieces with incredible speed. She is also a human rights activist and official ambassador for Amnesty International and has been working as a volunteer aid worker since the beginning of the war against Ukraine.
We are very much looking forward to collaborating on our 1st subscription concert «Them and Us?» – with new works by Yurii Pikush, Sergej Newski, Aleksandra Słyż and Stefan Keller.
1. How did you first come into contact with "classical music" and why have you been unable to let go of it?
That I would become a musician was decided before I was even born. I heard Bach's Chaconne while still in my mother's womb – and later, as a child, I recognized a passage from it.
I ended up in the world of contemporary music, among other reasons, because I couldn't imagine, for example, performing a Mozart opera – with all due respect to him – for the umpteenth time. For me, art also always means new intellectual challenges.
2. You're not just a singer, but also a human rights activist. What motivates you in your commitment to others? And how did you get started?
Being there for others has been second nature to me since childhood – like breathing air. I especially tried to defend those who were treated unfairly or attacked.
3. At our joint concert in September, titled "Them and Us?", we want to offer an open space for different perspectives on the discourses currently being conducted about and through Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. How important is it for you to hear the opinions of others, even if they are uncomfortable or provocative?
I am absolutely open to other opinions and perspectives – as long as they are based on facts – and am always available for a constructive conversation.
4. Art is often politically instrumentalized. How can contemporary music take a stand without risking being misused? Is there a "red line" for you?
For me, a "red line" is crossed when people hide behind an "artistic facade" simply because they and their social circle are doing well. If, on the other hand, a rocket were to fall on a concert hall where relatives were present, attitudes would change rapidly.
And a common misuse lies in labeling human rights as politics – when in fact they are not the same thing. "Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person," states the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. When this right is brutally destroyed before our very eyes, art cannot look away.
5. The Basel Sinfonietta has made it its mission to perform "music that is relevant to our times" and to participate in social discourse through its programs. How can this be achieved from your perspective?
This questionnaire is a good step –
