Katharina Konradi
Soprano Katharina Konradi was born in Bishkek and is the first soprano from Kyrgyzstan to have an international career as a Lied, concert and opera singer. Her “crystal-clear” voice and “dazzling vocal technique,” (Backtrack) has a “fascinating palette of colour shades,” (Das Opernglas) which she employs for roles such as Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier), Gilda (Rigoletto) and Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), and on the concert and recital stage. Her love of singing developed in childhood, and her move to Germany with her family at age 15 - and subsequent German citizenship - nurtured her love of classical music. Balancing her time between opera, Liederabend and concert work, recent engagements include performances at the Bayerische Staastoper, Wiener Staatsoper, and Opernhaus Zürich, recitals at Wigmore Hall and Konzerthaus Wien, and concerts with the Berlin Philharmonic, and Munich Philharmonic.
Konradi’s opera appearances in her 2024/25 season include Oscar in Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera at Opernhaus Zürich, a return to the Bayerische Staastoper for Adèle (Die Fledermaus), her debut as Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto, a return to one of her signature roles, Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), at the Staatsoper Hamburg, and a return the Bayreuth Festival as Woglinde (Das Rheingold and Götterdämmerung).
On the concert stage, appearances include Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, marking her debut with the Berlin Philharmonic, conducted by Kirill Petrenko at the Festspiel Baden-Baden, Fauré’s Requiem in Paris, Bruckner’s Mass in F minor in Munich and St. Florian conducted by Thomas Hengelbrock, a European tour of Mozart’s Requiem, and concerts of one of her favourite pieces, Mozart’s Mass in C minor, at the Elbphilharmonie, and in Switzerland.
Liederabend also form an integral part of her season. She performs at the Kölner Philharmonie, Leeds Lieder, Schloss Ettersburg, Konzerthaus Wien, Elbphilharmonie, Schubertiade in Hohenems and Schwarzenberg, alongside pianists such as Malcolm Martineau, Helmut Deutsch, Joseph Middleton, Daniel Heide, and Ammiel Bushakevitz.
Katharina Konradi’s artistry is documented on her numerous critically acclaimed recordings. Her latest release, Echoes, features lieder and art songs in French and Spanish, arranged as duets with mezzo-soprano Catriona Morison, and featuring Amiel Bushakevitz at the piano. Other lieder recordings include Solitude, Liebende, Insomnia, Gedankenverloren, and Liebende and feature lieder by Strauss, Mozart, Schubert, Wolf, Clara Schumann, and Robert Schumann, recorded with piano or ensembles. Russian Roots explores Russian chamber music with the Trio Gaspard with repertoire by Weinberg, Gubaidulina and Shostakovich, among others. Konradi is also featured on a highly praised recording of Mozart’s ‘Coronation Mass’ with the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin under Howard Arman, and multiple other masses by Mozart with the Cologne Chamber Orchestra and WDR Choir under Christoph Poppen, as well as Haydn’s The Creation with the Gaechinger Cantorey under Hans-Christoph Rademann, and Mendelssohn Symphonies, conducted by Paavo Järvi.
Highlights from Konradi’s previous seasons include Pamina (Die Zauberflöte) Marzelline (Fidelio), Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel) at the Staatsoper Hamburg, Adele (Die Fledermaus) and Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier) at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro) at the Wiener Staatsoper, Staatsoper Hamburg and Bayerische Staatsoper), Nannetta (Falstaff) at the Staatsoper Hamburg, Morgana (Alcina) at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden, Ännchen (Der Freischütz) at the Staatsoper Hamburg , Zdenka (Arabella) at the Semperoper Dresden and Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier) at the Bayerische Staatsoper.
On the concert stage, she has worked with renowned orchestras, including the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris, the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, the symphony orchestras of the BR, HR and MDR, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and the Balthasar Neumann Ensemble, under conductors such as Thomas Hengelbrock, Manfred Honeck, Paavo Järvi, Kent Nagano, Gustavo Dudamel, Andrea Marcon, Philippe Herreweghe and Daniel Harding, performing at venues such as the Philharmonie Berlin, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden and the Konzerthaus Vienna, as well as Queen Elisabeth Hall in Antwerp, the Felsenreitschule Salzburg and the Philharmonie de Paris. Passionate about performing lieder, Liederabend always forms an important part of her season, and has taken her to Wigmore Hall, the Kölner Philharmonie and Teatro de la Zarzuela, among others. She takes an active part in creating her programs, which include art songs in multiple languages, and are often centred around a specific theme. Although her repertoire is broad, she feels a special connection with Schubert, whom she often includes in her performances.
Konradi has a Bachelor of the Arts in Vocal Performance from UdK Berlin, and a Masters degree in Lied and Konzertgesang from the Hochschule für Theater und Musik München. She was the winner of the 2016 German Music Competition and a BBC Radio 3 scholarship holder as the New Generation Artists programme (2018-2021). She has been a member of the Staatsoper Hamburg ensemble since 2018.
Engagements in Bayreuth
Year | Opera | Part |
---|---|---|
2025 | Götterdämmerung | Woglinde |
2025 | Das Rheingold | Woglinde |
2021 | Tannhäuser | Ein junger Hirt |
2019 | Parsifal | Klingsors Zaubermädchen |
2019 | Tannhäuser | Ein junger Hirt |