news
10th January >
Singing engagements are often like London buses. You wait a while for one to roll by - and then 3 come along together! The spring of 2012 looks as though it is going to be very busy for me with three engagements in close succession:
March 2012 > Concerts:
I'm delighted to announce that I will be singing 4 concerts in March 2012 for the newly established Musica em Trancoso open-air festival in Bahia, Brazil, organised by Mrs Sabine Lovatelli, who founded the Mozarteum Brasiliero and has received many awards for her work promoting Brazilian culture at home and abroad as well as encouraging classical music amongst young people of all social backgrounds. For the festival an amphitheatre with 600 seats has been built in a stunning location on the coast at the paradise holiday resort of Trancoso. Click here to see a link with information about the festival (in Portuguese) and photos of this breathtaking location.
I will be singing arias and duets from La Bohème, La Traviata, West Side Story and Porgy & Bess, partnered by tenor Tadeusz Szlenkier. The orchestra is the recently founded Orquestra Juvenil da Bahia (Youth Orchestra of Bahia), conducted by maestro Ricardo Castro. They recently attracted international attention during an appearance at the Young Euro Classic Festival in the Konzerthaus, Berlin. Read about the orchestra and their young conductor in a recent article from the newspaper Der Tagesspiegel (in German) here
It is wonderful to have the opportunity of visiting this beautiful country again and singing with these outstanding young musicians - and yes, I have already ordered some gorgeous new concert dresses for the occasion…!
1st April > Song Recital:
On Palm Sunday I will be giving another Liederabend in St Georgen, Freiburg together with Hansjacob Staemmler (piano), Sarah Momm (horn) and Alexander Niehues (recitation). We will be exploring the theme of the "Forest" in words and music and performing some beautiful music by Schumann, R. Strauss, Gounod, Debussy and Caplet, as well as texts by celebrated German lyricists such as Heine, Goethe and Theodor Heuss. I was inspired to compile the programme by the Black Forest, where I now live, and entitled my recital "Dans la forêt du charme et de l'enchantement", which is also the title of one of the beautiful songs by Ernst Chausson that we will be performing. It promises to be a very special evening.
April and May 2012 > Opera performances:
As if that wasn't enough to keep me busy, I'll also be reprising my role as Helmwige in Die Walküre for Theater Freiburg, who will perform two complete cycles of their acclaimed production of Der Ring des Nibelungen, produced by Frank Hilbrich and conducted by General Music Director Fabrice Bollon, again this season. The first cycle takes place between 2nd - 7th April 2012 and the second cycle from
25th - 30th May 2012. You can find further information on the Freiburg Theater website
I'm looking forward to seeing my great colleagues again and enjoying the fabulous atmosphere - Hojotoho!
news archive
March 2012 > Concerts:
I'm delighted to announce that I will be singing 4 concerts in March 2012 for the newly established Musica em Trancoso open-air festival in Bahia, Brazil, organised by Mrs Sabine Lovatelli, who founded the Mozarteum Brasiliero and has received many awards for her work promoting Brazilian culture at home and abroad as well as encouraging classical music amongst young people of all social backgrounds. For the festival an amphitheatre with 600 seats has been built in a stunning location on the coast at the paradise holiday resort of Trancoso. Click here to see a link with information about the festival (in Portuguese) and photos of this breathtaking location.
I will be singing arias and duets from La Bohème, La Traviata, West Side Story and Porgy & Bess, partnered by tenor Tadeusz Szlenkier. The orchestra is the recently founded Orquestra Juvenil da Bahia (Youth Orchestra of Bahia), conducted by maestro Ricardo Castro. They recently attracted international attention during an appearance at the Young Euro Classic Festival in the Konzerthaus, Berlin. Read about the orchestra and their young conductor in a recent article from the newspaper Der Tagesspiegel (in German) here
It is wonderful to have the opportunity of visiting this beautiful country again and singing with these outstanding young musicians - and yes, I have already ordered some gorgeous new concert dresses for the occasion…!
1st April > Song Recital:
On Palm Sunday I will be giving another Liederabend in St Georgen, Freiburg together with Hansjacob Staemmler (piano), Sarah Momm (horn) and Alexander Niehues (recitation). We will be exploring the theme of the "Forest" in words and music and performing some beautiful music by Schumann, R. Strauss, Gounod, Debussy and Caplet, as well as texts by celebrated German lyricists such as Heine, Goethe and Theodor Heuss. I was inspired to compile the programme by the Black Forest, where I now live, and entitled my recital "Dans la forêt du charme et de l'enchantement", which is also the title of one of the beautiful songs by Ernst Chausson that we will be performing. It promises to be a very special evening.
April and May 2012 > Opera performances:
As if that wasn't enough to keep me busy, I'll also be reprising my role as Helmwige in Die Walküre for Theater Freiburg, who will perform two complete cycles of their acclaimed production of Der Ring des Nibelungen, produced by Frank Hilbrich and conducted by General Music Director Fabrice Bollon, again this season. The first cycle takes place between 2nd - 7th April 2012 and the second cycle from
25th - 30th May 2012. You can find further information on the Freiburg Theater website
I'm looking forward to seeing my great colleagues again and enjoying the fabulous atmosphere - Hojotoho!
25th December 2011
I always love to sing in church on Christmas Day and was delighted to be invited to take part in Mozart's Spatzenmesse ("Sparrow" Mass) in the village of Pfaffenweiler - a short drive from my house, so very much a "home fixture". I sang alto solo, because my friend Susan Davis-Holmes was already engaged to sing the soprano part, but this gave me a chance to use my lower and middle registers, very important for dramatic soprano repertoire. During the communion I switched back into "soprano mode", partnering Peter Parsch, my colleague from Freiburg Theater, in Mozart's beautiful duet for soprano, tenor and strings Sub Tuum Praesidium. I met lots of old friends: bass soloist, Manfred Plomer, and I had sung together in a concert for the Stimmen Festival in Lörrach, the young leader of the orchestra had also played in the pit for my Der Rap des Nibelungen project for Theater Freiburg in 2010, and another member of the orchestra knew me from my tour to Brazil in 2006. Conductor Markus Spranger and choir were very friendly and it was a lovely occasion.
13th November 2011
A musical treat awaits early risers on Sunday, 20th November 2011. To celebrate the feast of Christ the King (Christkönigssonntag) I will be singing the soprano solos in the "Mass in G major" by Carl Maria von Weber at the colossal church of St Georg, in St-Georgen, Freiburg. The mass was composed in the year 1818 in celebration of the golden wedding anniversary of the King of Saxony and is also known as the Jubelmesse or Jubilation Mass. The virtuosic soprano part is particularly "jubilant" with brilliant coloratura sequences and soaring legato solos. Scored for soprano, alto, tenor and bass soloists, SATB choir and orchestra, the work will be conducted by award-winning young organist Alexander Niehues. The service starts at 9.30am and the church is located in Basler Landstraße 81 in Freiburg.
12th September 2011
A few weeks ago I took my mini disc and microphone along to a session with my coach Margaret Singer recently and recorded a couple of opera arias with piano accompaniment: "In questa Reggia" from Puccini's Turandot and "Ewig war ich", which Brünnhilde sings in the third act of Wagner's Siegfried. The idea was to illustrate how my voice is developing and give examples of the repertoire I'm now exploring. You can now listen to these live recordings on my audio page and gain an impression for yourself.
I've also updated my audio page to include a live "unplugged" recording of two French songs made during my recital in April 2011 with pianist Hansjacob Staemmler. "L'invitation au voyage" by Duparc is one of the most beautiful chansons in the entire repertoire and "Fêtes galantes", by Poulenc, is surely one of the fastest!
9th July 2011
Julia will be singing the aria "Tacea la notte placida" from Verdi's opera "ll Trovatore", a passionate but tragic tale of love and vengeance, at a grand open-air opera gala in the Cathedral Square, Limburg.
8th June 2011
It has just been announced that Julia will sing alongside international opera stars Keith Ikaia-Purdy, tenor and Graziela Alperyn, mezzo, and the Frankfurt Sinfonikern Orchestra in a French Opera Gala at Schloss Höchst near Frankfurt for Opera Classica on 29th June 2011. Among other things, she will perform Micaela's beautiful aria from Bizet's "Carmen" and, with Ms Alperyn, the famous duet "Belle nuit, o nuit d'amour" from Offenbach's celebrated operetta "The Tales of Hoffmann".
8th June 2011
Julia can now be heard on Youtube! Exactly one year ago today "Der Rap des Nibelungen ein Hip-hop Oper" had its premiere at Theater Freiburg. To mark this memorable occasion, Julia's colleague Chefkoch, who played the role of Hagen in the production, has uploaded a short excerpt from the Act 1 Finale complete with photos from the production. A nice memory of the show and the great time we all had working on this project. Follow the link here to watch the video.
5th June 2011
After singing Wagner for most of last year, Julia has been expanding her horizons during the early part of this year. She has been working on Italian repertoire with Enrico Cacciari, music coach at Zurich Opera, and delving into the French song repertoire with Hansjacob Staemmler, piano.
24th April 2011
Julia sang both the soprano and mezzo soprano solos in Vivaldi's "Gloria" at the Church of Saints Peter & Paul, St Ulrich, and on 30th April she performed some beautiful songs by Poulenc and Duparc at a recital in the "Klingende Kirchen" concert series in St Georgen, Freiburg. The concert was a great success and she has already been invited back to give another recital in the near future.
17th January 2011
The year started well for Julia with a further performance as Helmwige in Wagner's "Die Walküre" at Theater Freiburg on 4th January. As soon as the New Year arrived, she started warming up her Hoj-jo-to-hos...and her backward somersaults! The performance was a great success with a very enthusiastic audience reception. 2010 also ended well for Julia, when she received a lovely review in the Badische Zeitung for her singing at the anniversary concert of the St Jakobus Church Choir in Denzlingen near Freiburg. Her voice was praised for its vibrance, sensitivity and lyrical purity. Read the full review here
1st September 2010
Julia is warming up her Wagnerian "Ho-jo-to-hos" again for her role as the Valkyrie Helmwige in Theater Freiburg's production of Wagner's cycle "Der Ring des Nibelungen". 2010/2011 is the centenary season for the theatre and Julia is delighted to be singing in "Die Walküre" on 22nd September 2010.
14th August 2010
Julia sings the role of Nedda in Leoncavallo's "Pagliacci" this evening at Schloss Braunfels. This dramatic one act opera is set in Italy on the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (15th August) and tells of passion, jealousy and murder. The beautiful courtyard of Braunfels Castle, with its natural acoustic, is sure to be the perfect setting.
17th July 2010,
the final performance of "Der Rap des Nibelungen" takes place today in Theater Freiburg. After receiving a 20 minute ovation at the premiere on June 8th, the 'hip-hop opera' played to sold-out houses and wildly enthusiastic audiences. Julia's performance as Brünnhilde was acclaimed as one of the highlights of the show.
16th July 2010, Konzerthaus Freiburg, Four Last Songs, R. Strauss, Beethoven 9th Symphony, Junge Kammerphilharmonie, conducted by Andreas Winnen
In June 2010 Julia will sing the role of Brünnhilde in Freiburg Theater's hip-hop opera "Der Rap des Nibelungen", an innovative project for young people, sponsored by the Deutsche Kulturstiftung. More information here...
8th May 2010, Konzerthaus Freiburg, Messa da Requiem, G. Verdi. Junge Kammerphilharmonie, conducted by Andreas Winnen
21st April 2010, Julia received rave reviews for her recital of Strauss and Brahms Lieder in Bolando, Bollschweil on 15th April 2010. She was accompanied by prize-winning German pianist Hansjacob Staemmler, born in Nordhausen, who trained at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin and has appeared in concerts throughout Europe, including at the Musikverein Vienna and the Berliner Staatsoper. The Badische Zeitung wrote "sensitive, vocally immaculate, drawing on every nuance from powerful to tenderness, she brought the sound world of this late-Romantic yet Modernist composer to life." Read more in the Reviews section...
I always love to sing in church on Christmas Day and was delighted to be invited to take part in Mozart's Spatzenmesse ("Sparrow" Mass) in the village of Pfaffenweiler - a short drive from my house, so very much a "home fixture". I sang alto solo, because my friend Susan Davis-Holmes was already engaged to sing the soprano part, but this gave me a chance to use my lower and middle registers, very important for dramatic soprano repertoire. During the communion I switched back into "soprano mode", partnering Peter Parsch, my colleague from Freiburg Theater, in Mozart's beautiful duet for soprano, tenor and strings Sub Tuum Praesidium. I met lots of old friends: bass soloist, Manfred Plomer, and I had sung together in a concert for the Stimmen Festival in Lörrach, the young leader of the orchestra had also played in the pit for my Der Rap des Nibelungen project for Theater Freiburg in 2010, and another member of the orchestra knew me from my tour to Brazil in 2006. Conductor Markus Spranger and choir were very friendly and it was a lovely occasion.
13th November 2011
A musical treat awaits early risers on Sunday, 20th November 2011. To celebrate the feast of Christ the King (Christkönigssonntag) I will be singing the soprano solos in the "Mass in G major" by Carl Maria von Weber at the colossal church of St Georg, in St-Georgen, Freiburg. The mass was composed in the year 1818 in celebration of the golden wedding anniversary of the King of Saxony and is also known as the Jubelmesse or Jubilation Mass. The virtuosic soprano part is particularly "jubilant" with brilliant coloratura sequences and soaring legato solos. Scored for soprano, alto, tenor and bass soloists, SATB choir and orchestra, the work will be conducted by award-winning young organist Alexander Niehues. The service starts at 9.30am and the church is located in Basler Landstraße 81 in Freiburg.
12th September 2011
A few weeks ago I took my mini disc and microphone along to a session with my coach Margaret Singer recently and recorded a couple of opera arias with piano accompaniment: "In questa Reggia" from Puccini's Turandot and "Ewig war ich", which Brünnhilde sings in the third act of Wagner's Siegfried. The idea was to illustrate how my voice is developing and give examples of the repertoire I'm now exploring. You can now listen to these live recordings on my audio page and gain an impression for yourself.
I've also updated my audio page to include a live "unplugged" recording of two French songs made during my recital in April 2011 with pianist Hansjacob Staemmler. "L'invitation au voyage" by Duparc is one of the most beautiful chansons in the entire repertoire and "Fêtes galantes", by Poulenc, is surely one of the fastest!
9th July 2011
Julia will be singing the aria "Tacea la notte placida" from Verdi's opera "ll Trovatore", a passionate but tragic tale of love and vengeance, at a grand open-air opera gala in the Cathedral Square, Limburg.
8th June 2011
It has just been announced that Julia will sing alongside international opera stars Keith Ikaia-Purdy, tenor and Graziela Alperyn, mezzo, and the Frankfurt Sinfonikern Orchestra in a French Opera Gala at Schloss Höchst near Frankfurt for Opera Classica on 29th June 2011. Among other things, she will perform Micaela's beautiful aria from Bizet's "Carmen" and, with Ms Alperyn, the famous duet "Belle nuit, o nuit d'amour" from Offenbach's celebrated operetta "The Tales of Hoffmann".
8th June 2011
Julia can now be heard on Youtube! Exactly one year ago today "Der Rap des Nibelungen ein Hip-hop Oper" had its premiere at Theater Freiburg. To mark this memorable occasion, Julia's colleague Chefkoch, who played the role of Hagen in the production, has uploaded a short excerpt from the Act 1 Finale complete with photos from the production. A nice memory of the show and the great time we all had working on this project. Follow the link here to watch the video.
5th June 2011
After singing Wagner for most of last year, Julia has been expanding her horizons during the early part of this year. She has been working on Italian repertoire with Enrico Cacciari, music coach at Zurich Opera, and delving into the French song repertoire with Hansjacob Staemmler, piano.
24th April 2011
Julia sang both the soprano and mezzo soprano solos in Vivaldi's "Gloria" at the Church of Saints Peter & Paul, St Ulrich, and on 30th April she performed some beautiful songs by Poulenc and Duparc at a recital in the "Klingende Kirchen" concert series in St Georgen, Freiburg. The concert was a great success and she has already been invited back to give another recital in the near future.
17th January 2011
The year started well for Julia with a further performance as Helmwige in Wagner's "Die Walküre" at Theater Freiburg on 4th January. As soon as the New Year arrived, she started warming up her Hoj-jo-to-hos...and her backward somersaults! The performance was a great success with a very enthusiastic audience reception. 2010 also ended well for Julia, when she received a lovely review in the Badische Zeitung for her singing at the anniversary concert of the St Jakobus Church Choir in Denzlingen near Freiburg. Her voice was praised for its vibrance, sensitivity and lyrical purity. Read the full review here
1st September 2010
Julia is warming up her Wagnerian "Ho-jo-to-hos" again for her role as the Valkyrie Helmwige in Theater Freiburg's production of Wagner's cycle "Der Ring des Nibelungen". 2010/2011 is the centenary season for the theatre and Julia is delighted to be singing in "Die Walküre" on 22nd September 2010.
14th August 2010
Julia sings the role of Nedda in Leoncavallo's "Pagliacci" this evening at Schloss Braunfels. This dramatic one act opera is set in Italy on the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (15th August) and tells of passion, jealousy and murder. The beautiful courtyard of Braunfels Castle, with its natural acoustic, is sure to be the perfect setting.
17th July 2010,
the final performance of "Der Rap des Nibelungen" takes place today in Theater Freiburg. After receiving a 20 minute ovation at the premiere on June 8th, the 'hip-hop opera' played to sold-out houses and wildly enthusiastic audiences. Julia's performance as Brünnhilde was acclaimed as one of the highlights of the show.
16th July 2010, Konzerthaus Freiburg, Four Last Songs, R. Strauss, Beethoven 9th Symphony, Junge Kammerphilharmonie, conducted by Andreas Winnen
In June 2010 Julia will sing the role of Brünnhilde in Freiburg Theater's hip-hop opera "Der Rap des Nibelungen", an innovative project for young people, sponsored by the Deutsche Kulturstiftung. More information here...
8th May 2010, Konzerthaus Freiburg, Messa da Requiem, G. Verdi. Junge Kammerphilharmonie, conducted by Andreas Winnen
21st April 2010, Julia received rave reviews for her recital of Strauss and Brahms Lieder in Bolando, Bollschweil on 15th April 2010. She was accompanied by prize-winning German pianist Hansjacob Staemmler, born in Nordhausen, who trained at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin and has appeared in concerts throughout Europe, including at the Musikverein Vienna and the Berliner Staatsoper. The Badische Zeitung wrote "sensitive, vocally immaculate, drawing on every nuance from powerful to tenderness, she brought the sound world of this late-Romantic yet Modernist composer to life." Read more in the Reviews section...
