Claudia Mahnke

Worldwide representation

Claudia Mahnke has established herself as one of the most important mezzo-sopranos internationally, thrilling audiences with her performances on opera stages and in concert halls with her warm, versatile voice.

In the 2024/25 season, Claudia Mahnke makes two role debuts at her home theatre, Oper Frankfurt: Countess Geschwitz in a new production of Lulu under the musical direction of Thomas Guggeis and Giselle in Guercoeur by Magnard, also a new production. She will return to the Bavarian State Opera in Munich as Annina in Rosenkavalier and makes a guest appearance at the Hamburg State Opera as Herodias (Salome) under the baton of Alexander Soddy. Concerts will take the much sought-after artist to Berlin with Mahler's Lied von der Erde under Sylvain Cambreling and to Cologne with Mahler's Symphony No. 2 under Lorenzo Viotti.

Recent highlights include her MET debut with Magdalene (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg) under Antonio Pappano, Herodias (Salome) at the Vienna State Opera, Fricka at the Berlin State Opera under Christian Thielemann, Guggeis and Philippe Jordan as well as her role debuts as Amneris (Aida) and Mere Marie in the new Frankfurt production of Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites.

Claudia Mahnke is a Kammersängerin of the City of Frankfurt, where she has been an ensemble member since 2006/07. Here she recently performed Herodias in Barrie Kosky’s production of Salome conducted by Joana Mallwitz, as well as the Foreign Princess (Rusalka), Marie (Wozzeck), Selika in Meyerbeer's L’Africaine (directed by Tobias Kratzer), Charlotte (Werther), Lucretia (The Rape of Lucretia), Dido (Les Troyens), Conception (L'heure espagnole), Judith (Bluebeard's Castle), Marguerite (La Damnation de Faust), Brangäne (Tristan und Isolde), Waltraute and 2. Norn (Götterdämmerung), Komponist (Ariadne auf Naxos), Kundry (Parsifal), and the Mother in Hänsel und Gretel.

At the Bavarian State Opera, her roles have included Auntie (Peter Grimes), Magdalene (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg) under Kirill Petrenko, Silla (Palestrina) and Frugola (Il Tabarro). The Hamburg State Opera invited Mahnke to sing the roles of Kundry, Waltraute and Brangäne. At the Theater an der Wien she made a guest appearance as La Grande Vestale under the baton of Bertrand de Billy in Spontini's La Vestale. In San Francisco, she appeared as Dorabella, Cherubino and Zerlina. She also sang her starring 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) thrilled audiences in Cologne, among other places, where she was also celebrated as Brangäne. As Adriano in Rienzi, she attracted attention at the Teatro Real in Madrid.

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

From 1996 to 2006 Claudia Mahnke was a member of the ensemble at 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.

Claudia Mahnke's broad concert repertoire ranges from Bach's Mass in B minor, Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and Missa solemnis, Schumann's Paradise and the Peri, to Berg's Altenberg Lieder, Schoenberg's Gurre-Lieder and Penderecki's Credo. An important focus is on the symphonies and songs of Gustav Mahler.

Claudia Mahnke received her vocal training with Prof. Heidi Petzold at the Hochschule für Musik in Dresden.

2023/24

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