Sophie Koch

Sophie Koch studied with Jane Berbié at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris and won the 1st prize of the Dutch International Vocal Competition in ´s Hertogenbosch. Her debut took place in France but it was at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Cosi fan tutte) and the Semperoper Dresden (Ariadne auf Naxos) under the Direction of Sir Colin Davis where she had her greatest success. This was followed by Don Giovanni and Orfeo at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich.

In Vienna, she made her debuts as Cherubino and she was immediately offered Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier, emblematic role of her young career which she sung all over the world. After Munich, Berlin, Milan, Vienna and London, she has appeared at the Paris Opera for the Ring and King Arthur. She regularly appears on the major stages of the world: Toulouse, Brussels, Madrid, Berlin, Zurich, Geneva, the Salzburg Festival and of course London, Dresden, Vienna and Chicago. This year, she made her Metropolitan Opera debut in a new production of Werther.

After having imposed her Mozart and her Strauss over the major European stages, Sophie Koch now adds the French and German repertoire. In addition to performing in the complete Ring Cycle at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich this season, her future engagements include Venus in Tanhäuser and Mère Marie in Dialogues des Carmélites at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, der Rosenkavalier at the Wiener Staatsoper, and the Salzburg Festival.

Sophie Koch has also given many recitals at the Salzburg; Edinburgh, Aix and Verbier Festivals, at the Brahmssaal/Wiener Musikverein, in Paris, London, Frankfurt, Berlin, Luxembourg, Brussels and Madrid.

She received in 2001 the Christel Goltz's Prize at the Semperoper Dresden.

Her first recordings were dedicated to Lieder by Wolf and Schubert and French Melodies (Le Chant du Monde). Then she has recorded Peer Gynt (Eon), Manon and the world Premiere of Laurent Petitgirard’s opera Elefant Man (EMI). She has also recorded Wellesz’ and Bloch‘s Lieder (Delta/Capriccio), some exerpts of Ariane à Naxos under the direction of Antonio Pappano (Virgin), Mahler’s 8th Symphony under Nagano, a Schumann recital (Myrten) with Nelson Goerner and some Lieder of Strauss with Philippe Entremont (Cascavelle). She recorded French orchestral works: Le Poème de l’amour et de la mer from Chausson, Ravel’s Shéhérazade and Berlioz’s Cantate d’Herminie. A CD (DDG Records) has recently been released of Sophie Koch performing in Werther at Covent Garden, under the direction of Sir Antonio Pappano.

In DVD, you can see her alongside Renée Fleming in Der Rosenkavalier (Decca) and Ariadne auf Naxos (DGG) live from Baden-Baden Festival and in Werther with Jonas Kaufmann (Decca) from the Paris Opera.



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