She had performed frequently with French tenor Roberto Alagna, whom she first met in 1992 and married in 1996, in concerts and opera productions until their eventual divorce in 2013.

A liquid instrument of great lyrical beauty with gleaming spun-gold high notes, but a dark, vibrant contralto range, reminiscent of Maria Callas.

Her graduation exam took place at the Cluj-Napoca Romanian National Opera as Mimì in La bohème in 1990, the same year she won third prize in the Belvedere International Singing Competition.

Four years later, after Elena's surgeon husband, Andrei Dan, died, Angela adopted their daughter, Ioana,[9] who studied in the University of Kent and has lived in London since.

In November 1994, she debuted as Violetta in Richard Eyre's new production of La traviata conducted by Georg Solti at the Royal Opera House.

The sensation prompted BBC Two to clear its regular schedule on 8 December to broadcast the live performance, which led her to international stardom.

In 1999, she was featured in Roméo et Juliette at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and in Mascagni's L'amico Fritz as Suzel at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo.

[28] In March 2003, Gheorghiu starred in Gounod's Faust as Marguerite at the Metropolitan Opera, but withdrew from final performances citing security concerns due to the Iraq War.

[29] In July 2003, she debuted as Nedda in Pagliacci with Plácido Domingo in the title role at the Royal Opera,[30] and then performed in La traviata at the Verona Arena.

In 2006, she sang the title role in Tosca on stage for the first time in Jonathan Kent's new production at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

[42] In November 2010, Gheorghiu made her role debut in a new production of Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur at the Covent Garden Royal Opera House to critical success.

[43][44] In July 2011, Gheorghiu sang the title role in Tosca at the Royal Opera House conducted by Antonio Pappano which was released on DVD and Blu-ray, and the following September returned there for the revival of Faust, which was broadcast live in cinemas all over the world.

[47] In June 2012, she celebrated 20 years since her debut on the stage of the London Royal Opera House, by performing in La bohème with Roberto Alagna.

[49] Gheorghiu returned to the Met in December 2014 to perform Mimì in La bohème to great critical acclaim, opposite Michael Fabiano.

[50] In March 2015, she debuted as Charlotte in Massenet's Werther at the Vienna State Opera to great critical acclaim,[51] and then repeated the role in August at the Salzburg Festival in a concert performance.

[53] In October 2015, Gheorghiu appeared in Australia for the first time, performing in two exceptional gala concerts at the Sydney Opera House and at Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne.

[62] In 2016, Gheorghiu returned in the title role of Puccini's Tosca at the Royal Opera House and received great critical acclaim.

[70] On Wednesday 6 September 2017, she performs at the Luciano Pavarotti 10th Anniversary Concert, held at the Verona Arena, singing together with Il Volo, Placido Domingo and José Carreras, but also with Massimo Ranieri.

[73] In September 2021 was released last studio album Juno to Jupiter by Vangelis in which Gheorghiu performed on three compositions representing Greek-Roman Goddess Hera-Juno.

[12][10] They were engaged by 1995, and then married during a run of La bohème at the Metropolitan Opera in April 1996 in general manager Joseph Volpe's office by New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani.

They also sang at a joint concert in Buenos Aires, and had planned to perform together in Manon Lescaut and Adriana Lecouvreur in future seasons.

"[87] She has attributed her outspokenness to her upbringing in Romania under the totalitarian regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu: Because I grew up in a country where there was no possibility of having an opinion, it makes me stronger now.

[88]In 1996, Gheorghiu was cast as Micaëla in a new production of Bizet's Carmen, opposite Waltraud Meier and Plácido Domingo at the Metropolitan Opera.

When the Met toured the production in Japan in 1997, she refused to wear it on the first night to which then general manager Joseph Volpe said, "The wig is going on, with you or without you" and replaced her with an understudy.

[89][90] Volpe had planned to engage Gheorghiu in the role of Violetta Valery for a new production of La traviata, to premiere in November 1998 and directed by Zeffirelli.

[98] The EMI recording of Tosca with Gheorghiu, Roberto Alagna and Ruggero Raimondi in the title roles brought her the Deutscher Schallplattenpreis award in 2002.

[100] In 2004, Gheorghiu won the Best Opera Recording in the Victoires de la musique classique for Bizet's Carmen issued by EMI Classics.

[110] In October 2012, Gheorghiu received the Nihil Sine Deo royal decoration from King Michael I, honoring her contribution to promoting Romanian culture in the world.