Gabriela Scherer │Michael Volle: Popular arias from operas and operettas

Gabriela Scherer was born in Zurich and studied at the Mozarteum in Salzburg with Prof. Horiana Branisteanu. She has received several awards and prizes, such as at the International Singing Competition of the Rheinsberg Castle Chamber Opera in 2005 and the International Mozart Competition Salzburg in 2006, and completed her training at the Zurich Opera Studio (06/07 season) and with masterclasses with Angelika Kirchschlager, Francisco Araiza and Barbara Fink, among others.

In the 21/22 season, Gabriela Scherer makes her house and role debut in the title role of Puccini's Tosca at Theater Dortmund and her role debut as Elsa in a new production of Lohengrin of Katharina Wagner at the Leipzig Opera, where she appeared as Freia in a gala performance of the Rheingold is to be experienced. The soprano will also be performing Rossini's Petite Messe Solenelle in Zurich.

In 2021, Gabriela Scherer took over a gala concert with the Salzburg Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Elisabeth Fuchs at short notice and in May 2020 performed excerpts from Strauss' Arabella and Wagner's The Flying Dutchman alongside Michael Volle at the Staatstheater Wiesabden. In the summer of 2020, she sang several concerts, including an open-air concert alongside Michael Volle, Massimo Giordano and Barbara Frittoli, conducted by Markus Bosch together with the Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie, which was one of the few orchestras allowed to perform again during the pandemic.

Appearances as Senta (The Flying Dutchman) as part of the International May Festival at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden and at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf Duisburg, a gala concert in Budapest and her role debut as Lady Macbeth in Verdi's Macbeth in Wiesabden and a recital with works by Strauss and Wagner in Dortmund had to be canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Highlights of recent seasons include two roles at the Semperoper Dresden: Contessa (Le Nozze di Figaro), followed by the title role of Iphigenia in the opera choreographed by Pina Bausch Iphigenia au Tauride by Christoph Willibald Gluck. Gabriela Scherer made her debut at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden as Senta in Richard Wagner's The Flying Dutchman.

 As Ariadne in Ariadne on Naxos at the Lucerne Theater in the 2014/15 season, the Swiss actress made a successful transition to the lyric soprano repertoire. In 2016/17, she was cast as Ariadne (Ariadne on Naxos) at Theater Lübeck, as Countess Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro) at the Leipzig Opera and as First Lady (The Magic Flute) at the Opéra National de Paris. As Freia (The Rhinegold), Gabriela Scherer has appeared in concert performances of Rheingold under the musical direction of Marek Janowski and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Konzerthaus Dortmund and as part of the Whitsun Festival at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden. In the 2017/18 season, the soprano made her debut as Contessa (Le Nozze di Figaro) at the Saxon State Opera in Dresden and the Leipzig Opera, where she also made her successful role debut as Agathe. In 2018/19, Gabriela Scherer sang the title role of Richard Strauss' Arabellafollowed by the roles of Agathe (The Freischütz), her role debut as Elisabetta (Don Carlo), Contessa (Le nozze di Figaro), Freia (The Rhinegold), Gerhilde (The Valkyrie) and Gutrune (The twilight of the gods) at the Leipzig Opera. She appeared as Contessa in the Heidenheim Winter Opera and ended the season on the concert stage with ChorWerk Ruhr and Mozart's Messa da Requiem.

In the 2007/08 season, she was a member of the Leipzig Opera ensemble and appeared as Hänsel (Hansel and Gretel), Miss Jessel (The Turn of the Screw), Annio (La Clemenza di Tito) and as a composer (Ariadne on Naxos) on the stage. In the following seasons, from 2009 to 2011, Gabriela Scherer worked at the renowned Bavarian State Opera, where she was a member of the ensemble in roles such as Dorabella (Così fan tutte), Hansel (Hansel and Gretel), Mércèdes (Carmen), Fenena (Nabucco), Soeur Mathilde (Dialogues des Carmélites), flower girl (Parsifal) and Silla (Palestrina) sang.

Gabriela Scherer is also distinguished by her busy concert schedule. She regularly works with outstanding conductors such as Riccardo Chailly, John Eliot Gardiner, Lawrence Foster, Christopher Hogwood, Kent Nagano, Marek Janowski, Marcus Bosch and Simone Young. Concerts have taken her to Schloss Elmau, to the anniversary gala of the European Cultural Forum Mainau e.V. with Michael Volle and Piotr Beczala and to the Heidenheim Opera Festival.

Michael Volle is probably one of the most sought-after singers of all. The baritone is a fixed star at all major opera houses and festivals worldwide, such as the Metropolitan Opera New York, the Munich and Vienna State Operas, the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Royal Opera House, the Opéra National de Paris and the opera houses in Berlin. Michael Volle has a particularly close relationship with the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, where he recently sang Jack Rance (la fanciulla del West) under the musical direction of Sir Antonio Pappano. The celebrated Wagner interpreter is also a regular guest at the Salzburg and Bayreuth Festivals and the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden.

The 21/22 season brings four exciting roles at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden for the versatile baritone: he is set to appear in the title role of Verdi's Falstaff as well as in the role of the High Priest in Samson et Dalila and as Jack Rance in the revival of la fanciulla del West. As part of the festive performances, Michael Volle will also be singing the title role in a new production of Mozart's Don Giovanni under the direction of Daniel Barenboim. With one of his signature roles, Hans Sachs in The Mastersingers of Nurembergthe excellent Wagner singer returns to the Metropolitan Opera New York to sing Wolfram (Tannhäuser) at the Saxon State Opera Dresden and Wotan (The Rhinegold) both on a European tour with the Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin and in a gala performance as part of the Wagner Festival at the Leipzig Opera. He has also appeared as Scarpia (Tosca) in a gala performance at the Theater Dortmund, as well as at the Royal Opera House London, Guy de Montfort sings in a new production of Les vêpres siciliennes at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and one of his most brilliant roles, Barak in Strauss' The woman without a shadowat the opera festival of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. The much sought-after singer is just as active on the concert stage: he starts the season with Mussorgsky Songs and dances of death together with pianist Martha Agerich at the Lausitz Festival, sings Bach's John Passion with the Munich Bach Choir in Bucharest, Rossini's Petite Messe Solenelle in Zurich, The beautiful Magelone in the Philharmonie Essen, the opening concert of the Mozartwoche Salzburg, as well as Mahler's Song of the earth in the Elbphilharmonie and the Laeiszhalle Hamburg.

Highlights of the past season include his acclaimed role debut as Boris in Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov at the Zurich Opera House, Jack Rance at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, Hans Sachs (The Mastersingers of Nuremberg) and Amfortas in a concertante Parsifal at the Bayreuth Festival. On the concert stage, Michael Volle appeared with Plácido Domingo for a gala concert at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow and sang Haydn's Creation with the orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino under the baton of Zubin Mehta in Florence. He also performed works by Wagner and Strauss at the Wiesbaden State Theater as part of the Metropolitan Opera New York's "Wagnerians Live in Concert", which was streamed live worldwide. Further recitals and concerts have taken him to the Lausitz Festival, Taggenbrunn, the Brucknerhaus Linz, the Müpa in Budapest, the Martha Argerich Festival in the Laeiszhalle Hamburg with Mussorgsky's Songs and dances of death and to the Richard Wagner Museum in Bayreuth for a recital with Helmut Deutsch.

Appearances as Johanaan (Salome) at La Scala and in Baden-Baden, as Barak (The woman without a shadow) and Scarpia (Tosca) in New York, as a Dutchman (The Flying Dutchman) in Wiesbaden, Munich, London and Berlin, as Sachs (The Mastersingers of Nuremberg) in Bayreuth, as Mandryka (Arabella) in Vienna, as Don Giovanni in Karlsruhe, as Wotan/Wanderer (The Ring of the Nibelung) in Dresden, Méphistophélès in Berlioz' La Damnation de Faust with the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, as well as numerous concerts and recitals, were canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Highlights of the 19/20 season for Michael Volle included five roles at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin: Wotan (The Rhinegold and The Valkyrie) and hikers (Siegfried) in the Ring cycle, his role debut as Herr Fluth in Otto Nicolai's The Merry Wives of Windsorand as the high priest in Camille Saint-Säens' Samson et Dalilaall under the direction of Daniel Barenboim. As Jochanaan in Richard Strauss' Salome and as Orest (Electra) he returned to the Vienna State Opera and was heard in concert performances as Barak with the Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin in Paris, Dortmund and Rotterdam.

Michael Volle is one of the leading interpreters of the German repertoire; his showpiece roles include the title role in Wagner's Flying Dutchman, Wotan/Wanderer in the Ring of the Nibelung, Hans Sachs (The Mastersingers of Nuremberg) and Amfortas (Parsifal) and the Strauss roles of Barak (The woman without a shadow), Johanaan (Salome), Orest (Electra) and Mandryka (Arabella), Dr. Schön/Jack the Ripper (Lulu) and Wozzeckboth by Alban Berg. But the baritone is also a world leader in the Italian repertoire. He has sung Scarpia (Tosca) alongside Anna Netrebko in the title role at the Metropolitan Opera, the Vienna State Opera and the Deutsche Oper Berlin, shone as Sir John Falstaff in Berlin and as Jack Rance (La fanciulla del West).

On the concert stage, the baritone can be heard in all the world's major concert halls and with the most renowned orchestras. He regularly works with conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta, Christian Thielemann, Sir Antonio Pappano, Maris Janssons, Franz Welser-Möst, Valery Gergiev, Thomas Hengelbrock, Simon Rattle and Frieder Bernius. Michael Volle devotes himself intensively to lieder singing and regularly gives recitals with Helmut Deutsch at the piano, including at the Heidelberger Frühling and the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg.

Numerous recordings on CD and DVD, live broadcasts in cinemas worldwide, as well as the film production "The Hunter's Bride" (The Freischütz) with Michael Volle as Kaspar document the artist's work. Michael Volle is the winner of the German theater prize "Faust" and singer of the year of the magazine "Opernwelt" (2008 and 2014).

Born in Moldova, pianist Alexandra Goloubitskaia grew up in Moscow. Her musical talent was discovered and encouraged at a very early age. She studied piano at the Central Music School of the Moscow State Conservatory P.I.Tchaikovsky and at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz.

Her career then developed into a sought-after soloist, song accompanist and chamber music partner, constantly expanding her program and receiving international recognition and acclaim. Song accompaniment for various recitals and extensive musical appearances have taken her to concerts and festivals in the CIS states, Germany, Austria, Italy, France, South Africa, South America, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

She is a prizewinner of the Bösendorfer and Hans Gabor Belvedere Competition in Vienna. Engagements at the Vienna State Opera, the Theater an der Wien, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Grand Teatre Liceo, Barcelona, at the Bayreuth Festival in collaboration with K. Petrenko and S. Bychkov, at the Salzburg Festival in collaboration with R. Muti, in Grafenegg, the Komische Oper Berlin as well as guest performances at the Bolshoi Theatre, in Prague, Tel Aviv, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Bremen document the varied stations of her artistic activity.

Her orchestral piano accompaniment in the concert performance of Tristan and Isolde was met with enthusiasm, as was her song accompaniment as part of the chamber music program of the "Internationale Maifestspiele Spezial" at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden; she also took on the role of the orchestra in the gala performances of the Ring des Nibelungen at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden.

Aleksandra Goloubitskaia has held a professorship at the Music and Arts Private University of the City of Vienna since 2017.