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The German mezzo-soprano, Stephanie [Stefanie] Firnkes, studied singing at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, the Netherlands, with Margeet Honig. She continued her studies with specialization in singing / music theater at the Folkwang Hochschule in Essen. She supplemented her studies by attending master-classes with Maarten Koningsberger, Anna Reynolds, Klesie Kelly, Emma Kirkby and at the Internationalen Bachakademie in Stuttgart.
Since completing her studies, Stephanie Firnkes works as a freelance singer. As a soloist, she has worked in the opera as well as specialist in oratorio and concert platform. In the field of contemporary music, she has appeared at various festivals as a soloist in premieres, including the Festival d'Automne à Paris at the Bastille, with attacca at the Theaterhaus Stuttgart and at the Festival Donaueschinger Musiktage.
During her studies, Stephanie Firnkes gained experience in the field of opera in various roles. First engagements have taken her to the Kammeroper Köln, repeated at the Sommeroper Bamberg, to the Puchheimer Taschenoper and to the Oper im Rathaushof in Konstanz. In 2011, she appeared as a soloist in a radio production of Deutschlandfunk and WDR of Anton Urspruch's reissue of the opera Das Unmöglichste von Allem, with, broadcast in Leverkusen. In 2012 and 2013, she sang in Pasinger Fabrik in Munich, and in the fall of 2013 CD of the opera Das Unmöglichste von Allem appeared on the label Naxos.
Her opera roles so far have included: the title role of Gluck's Orfeo, Manos Tsangaris' Bathsehba. Eat the History!, Frau Reich in Otto Nicolai's opera Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor, Prince Orlofsky in Johann Strauss II's Die Fledermausdermaus, Amastre in George Frideric Handel's Xerxes, Marcellina in W.A. Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, the roles of Kai in der fairy-tale opera Die Schneekönigin, Frugola in Puccini's Il Tabarro, Pastore in Puccini's Tosca, Zia Principessa in Suor Angelica and Catarina in Das Unmöglichste von Allem. With orchestra she sang scenes from Georges Bizet's Carmen, Dorabella in W.A. Mozart's Così fan tutte and Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro. In autumn 2014 she sang the role of Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte.
In addition, Stephanie Firnkes is devoted to the church music. In oratorio her professional focus is on the music of the Baroque. So, she has sung, among others, with the Göttinger Symphonieorchester, Hofer Symphoniker, Thüringer Philharmonie and Meininger Hofkapelle. |
