Claudia Mahnke, Mezzosoprano

Claudia Mahnke has established herself as one of the most important mezzo-sopranos and impresses her audiences at international opera houses and concert halls with her warm, versatile voice.

In autumn 2021 Claudia Mahnke will make her house debut at the MET with Magdalene in Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg under the direction of Antonio Pappano. She will return to the Bavarian State Opera in Munich as Auntie in the new production Peter Grimes (director: Stefan Herheim). At the Vienna State Opera she will perform Herodias (Salome). Claudia Mahnke is Frankfurt Kammersängerin, where she will appear as Judith (Bluebeard's Castle), in the new production of Dallapiccolas Ulisse and in a solo recital. Concerts with Philippe Jordan lead her to the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra with Bergs Altenberglieder.

Recent highlights have been her role debut as Mere Marie in the new production Dialogues des Carmélites by Poulenc in Frankfurt and Magdalene at the Munich Opera Festival under Kirill Petrenko.

Claudia Mahnke has been an ensemble member of the Frankfurt Opera since 2006/07. Here she recently sang Herodias in Salome (director: Barrie Kosky, director: Joana Mallwitz), Rusalka-Princess, Wozzeck-Marie, Selika in Meyerbeers Africaine (director: Tobias Kratzer), Werther-Charlotte, Lucretia (The Rape of Lucretia), Dido (Les Troyens), Conception (L'heure espagnole), Giulietta (Les Contes d 'Hoffmann), Judith (Bluebeard's Castle), Marguerite (La Damnation de Faust), Brangäne (Tristan and Isolde), Waltraute and 2nd Norn (Götterdämmerung), Komponist (Ariadne auf Naxos) and Kundry (Parsifal).

At the Bavarian State Opera she could be heard as Silla in Palestrina and Frugola in Tabarro, among others. The Hamburg State Opera invited the much sought-after artist as Kundry, Waltraute and Brangäne. At the Theater an der Wien she appeared as La Grande Vestale under the direction of Bertrand de Billy in Spontini's La Vestale. In San Francisco she appeared as Dorabella, Cherubino and Zerlina. She also performed her star role of Judith at the LA Opera. As Iokaste in Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex, she celebrated a great success at the Semperoper in Dresden. Her Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier) has been one of the highlights in Cologne, where she was also celebrated as Brangäne. As Adriano in Rienzi, she attracted attention at the Teatro Real in Madrid.

Claudia Mahnke made her debut at the Bayreuth Festival in the new Ring under Kirill Petrenko in 2013 as Fricka, Waltraute and 2nd Norn. She also sang Brangäne with Petrenko at the Ruhrtriennale.

From 1996 to 2006 Claudia Mahnke was a member of the ensemble of the Stuttgart State Opera, where she was nominated several times as "Singer of the Year" in Opernwelt magazine for her impressive interpretation of the title role in Karl Amadeus Hartmann's Simplicius Simplicissimus. In August 2006 Claudia Mahnke was appointed Kammersängerin of the Stuttgart State Opera. Here she last sang Judith in Bluebeard's Castle.

Claudia Mahnke's broad concert repertoire extends from Bach's B minor Mass, Beethoven's 9th Symphony and Missa solemnis to Schönberg's Gurrelieder and Penderecki's Credo. The syamphonies and songs by Gustav Mahler form an important focus.

Claudia Mahnke received her vocal training from Prof. Heidi Petzold at the Dresden University of Music.

2021/22

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