Merle Jalakas

Joined the Vanemuine Theatre in 1995

Born
5.08.1968

Merle Jalakas has been an opera and operetta soloist at the Vanemuine since 1995 and since 2010 an assistant to the director of musical productions. Jalakas graduated from the Estonian Academy of Music in 1996 in Ljudmilla Issakova’s class and has also participated in master classes by Kapustjanski, Puglisi, Valjakka, Märtson-Wilson, Pelo, Kremling and Anvelt. She has sung solos in various major musical works, such as Mozart’s Grosse Messe in C minor, Spatzenmesse in C major and Ave verum corpus, Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Bach’s Kaffeekantate and Pergoles’ Stabat Mater.

Roles in the Vanemuine
Madame de Rosemonde – Dangerous Liaisons (Haydn/Madia 2024), Bonycrone – Bonycrone and Captain Drum (2023), Grandmother – Sundja and Aints’s Sipsik (2023), Mall – Varres’s The New Old Nick of Hellsbottom (2022), Mother Superior – Menken’s Sister Act (2020), Soloist – Evening with Lehár (2020), Soprano – Operetta Section (2020), Actress Amalie, Moidela – W (2019), Lotte’s mother, Doctor Ave – Pajusaar’s Detective Lotte (2009/2020), Mrs Potts – Menken’s The Beauty and the Beast (2018), Maid Anna – The Fire Raisers (2018), Blue – Aints’s Googlemoogledotcom (2017), Donna Sheridan – Andersson’s/Ulvaeus’s Mamma Mia! (2016), Lotte’s mother, Giraffe – Pajusaar’s Lotte in the Dream World (2015), Night with Kálmán (2015), Old woman – Tubin’s The Parson of Reigi (2014), Madame Giry – Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera (2014), Witch Minna – Aints’ The Old Barny (2013), Fairy – Pajusaar’s Lotte’s Christmas Party (2012), Soprano, Chinese woman – Purcell’s Fairy Queen (2011), Sylviane – Lehár’s The Merry Widow (2011), Winifred Banks – Disney and Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins (2011), participant in the Vanemuine opera lessons Help, Opera?! (2009-2011), Kate Pinkerton – Puccini’s Madame Butterfly (2010), Barbarina – Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro (2010), Venus – Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld (2010), Poussette – Massenet’s Manon (2009), Daisy – Abraham’s Ball in Savoy (2008), Stella – Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann (2007), Contessa Ceprano – Verdi’s Rigoletto (2007), Adéle – Strauss’s The Bat (2006), Flower wizard – Ehala’s Snow Queen (2006), Papagena – Mozart’s The Magic Flute (2005), participant in the operetta “Oh, without women…”, (2004), Annina – Verdi’s La traviata (2004), Fairy – Ehala’s Bumpy, Atalanta – Händel’s Xerxes, Musetta – Puccini’s La Bohème, Lucia – Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, Leonore – Nielsen’s Masquerade, Gretchen – Lortzing’s The Poacher, Gianetta – Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love, Gretel – Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, Polynesia – Lūsēns’ Doctor Dolittle and the Bird Opera, Ciboletta – Strauss’ A Night in Venice, Oscar – Verdi’s A Masked Ball, Riquette – Abraham’s Victoria and Her Hussar, Simone – Schwartz’ The Baker’s Wife, Nannetta – Verdi’s Falstaff, Violetta – Kálmán’sThe Violets from Montmartre, Jane – Friml-Stothart’s Rose-Marie, Marie – Anton’s Saturnin’s Game, Lisa –  Kálmán’s Countess Maritza, Marietta – Kálmán’s Die Bajadere, Woman in white – Wolfgang Amade Mozart, Rosina – Rossini’sThe Barber of Seville, Fairy – Mendelssohn-Bartholdy’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Snowflake – Kapp’s Winter Fairy Tale, Fanny – Rossini’s The Bill of Marriage,

Recognition
Richard Wagner Society scholarship in 1998
Vanemuine Colleague Award in 2011
EMT Music Theatre Award in 2011