Editing Ileana Cotrubaș (section)

==Life and career==
{{BLP sources section|date=March 2023}}
Cotrubaș was born in [[Galați]].<ref name="Kutsch/Riemens" /><ref name="Oxford" /> She grew up in a musical family; her father, Vasile, was a tenor in an amateur choir. Cotrubaș' musical career began at the age of nine when she became a member of a children's radio choir.<ref name="Kutsch/Riemens" /> By the age of eleven, she was one of its leading soloists. In 1952, she moved to Bucharest to study at the ''Școala Specială de Muzică'' school for the musically gifted. Cotrubaș made her stage debut with the Bucharest Opera as Yniold in Debussy's ''[[Pelléas et Mélisande (opera)|Pelléas et Mélisande]]'' in 1964.<ref name="Kutsch/Riemens" /> She subsequently expanded her repertory to include roles such as Oscar in Verdi's ''[[Un ballo in maschera]]'', Gilda in ''[[Rigoletto]]'', and Blonde in Mozart's ''[[Die Entführung aus dem Serail]]'' and began appearing in productions throughout Europe.

In 1965, Cotrubaș won the [[International Vocal Competition 's-Hertogenbosch]] in Netherlands,<ref name="Kutsch/Riemens" /> where she won first prize in opera, [[lied]]er, and [[oratorio]]. The following year, she won the [[ARD International Music Competition]] in Munich. Those awards, together with her great success in the role of Pamina in Mozart's ''[[Die Zauberflöte]]'' in Brussels, led to appearances in the [[Vienna State Opera]], [[Hamburg State Opera]], [[Berlin State Opera]] and [[Salzburg Festival]], and to a contract with the [[Oper Frankfurt]] in 1968.<ref name="Kutsch/Riemens" />

In 1969, she made her UK debut at the [[Glyndebourne Festival Opera|Glyndebourne Festival]] as Mélisande, and sang two succeeding seasons there in the title role of Cavalli's ''[[La Calisto]]''. She made her début at the [[Royal Opera House]] in London in 1971 as Tatyana in Tchaikovsky's ''[[Eugene Onegin (opera)|Eugene Onegin]]''.<ref name="Kutsch/Riemens" /> Cotrubaș signed a three-year contract with the Vienna State Opera in 1970. During her time there, she learned the roles of Susanna in Mozart's ''[[Le nozze di Figaro]]'', Zerlina in ''[[Don Giovanni]]'', the title role in Verdi's ''[[La traviata]]'', Mimì in Puccini's ''[[La bohème]]'', and Sophie in ''[[Der Rosenkavalier]]'' by Richard Strauss.<ref name="Vienna" />

In 1973, she made her American operatic debut at the [[Lyric Opera of Chicago]] as Mimì, and at Glyndebourne sang Susanna opposite the Figaro of [[Knut Skram]]. Cotrubaș made her international breakthrough on 7 January 1975, when she replaced [[Mirella Freni]] at [[La Scala]] as Mimì. She had to fly from her home in [[Kent]] and arrived 15 minutes before curtain time. Her interpretation was acclaimed by critics and audiences alike.

Cotrubaș made her [[Metropolitan Opera]] debut on 23 March 1977, as Mimì<ref name="Kutsch/Riemens" /> in a production with [[José Carreras]] and [[Renata Scotto]].<ref name="Metropolitan" /> While with the Met, she appeared as Gilda, opposite [[Plácido Domingo]] and [[Cornell MacNeil]], in a televised performance of ''Rigoletto'' on 7 November 1977, and as Violetta, again opposite Domingo and MacNeil, in a televised performance of ''La traviata'' on 28 March 1981. She sang three other roles at the Met: Ilia in Mozart's ''[[Idomeneo]]'' (in its Metropolitan Opera premiere), Tatyana, and Micaëla in Bizet's ''[[Carmen]]'', the role of her final performance with the company on 26 March 1987.<ref name="Metropolitan" />

Cotrubaș is known for being very demanding of directors and colleagues. On several occasions—''Eugene Onegin'' in Vienna in 1973 and ''[[Don Pasquale]]'' at the Met in 1980—she walked out of productions when she disagreed with the stage director. She retired from public singing in 1990, but continued to teach, giving [[master class]]es and coaching promising young singers, including [[Elena Tsallagova]].