The German-American mezzo-soprano, Sonja Koppelhuber, studied at the Musikhochschule Detmold with Mechthild Böhme and at the Musikhochschule Würzburg with Professor Monika Bürgener. She attended several master-classes e.g. with Neil Semer, Roberta Cunningham, Ingeborg Danz, Helmuth Rilling and Helmut Kretschmar.
During her studies she manifested her capabilities with her first experiences on the opera stage with productions of the music university opera school. In addition, she distinguished herself even more as a member of the Young chamber opera Cologne from 2004 to 2006 singing the roles of The second/ third Lady in Mozar’s Magic flute and Prince Orlovsky in the Strauss operetta The bat.
Her busy concert schedule takes them to renowned concert halls in Germany such as the Philharmonie and the Konzerthaus am Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin, the Liederhalle Stuttgart and the Alte Oper Frankfurt. She has worked together with orchestras such as the Bachorchester Stuttgart, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Deutschen Kammerorchester Berlin, Bamberger Symphoniker, Barockorchester L'arpa festante München, Vogtland Philharmonie Greiz/Reichenbach, Hofer Symphoniker, Prague Philharmonic Orchestra und Göttinger Symphoniker. Recently she sang the alto part in Seven Gates of Jerusalem, 7th Symphony by K. Penderecki under the baton of the composer in concerts in Poland and Germany. She is particularly interested in the recitals, singing Lieder by Korngold and Pfitzner and in 2011 she will start with the pianist Klaus Simon recording for Naxos Naxos the complete Lider of both composers.
Since 2006-2007 season, Sonja Koppelhuber is an ensemble member at the Mainfranken Theater in Würzburg, Franconia. Here she enjoyed great success among other things, as Octavian in R. Strauss’ Rosenkavalier, as Angelina in La Cenerentola, as Sextus in Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito, as Dorabella in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte, Ramiro in Mozart’s La finta giardiniera, and as Hansel in Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hansel und Gretel. Thiis season shoe will sing there inter alia Orpheus in Gluck’s Orpheo. Guest engagements have led her to various theatres in Germany such as the Markgräfliche Opernhaus Bayreuth during the Bayreuth Festival (with the chamber opera Prague) or the Mittelsächsische Theater Freiberg and Theater Nordhausen.
In 2007 Sonja Koppelhuber received the Award of the Theaterfördervereins Mainfrankentheater for outstanding performance. |