Elisabeth Kulman

Elisabeth Kulman (born 28 June 1973) is an Austrian classical singer who has performed operatic roles in soprano, mezzo-soprano and contralto repertory.

She has appeared at opera houses in Vienna and internationally.

She has performed early operas such as Legrenzi's Il Giustino as well as new works, creating the role of Gora in the premiere of Reimann's Medea at the Vienna State Opera.

She recorded Lieder by Mussorgsky, Bach's Christmas Oratorio with Peter Schreier and Beethoven's Missa solemnis with Nikolaus Harnoncourt.

Born in Oberpullendorf, Kulman achieved the Matura in 1991.

She studied Russian, Finno-Ugristics and musicology.

She was a choir singer in several notable choirs in Vienna, including Arnold Schoenberg Chor, Concentus Vocalis Wien, Wiener Singakademie, Wiener Kammerchor and Chorus sine nomine.

She began voice studies in 1995 at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien with Helena Lazarska.

She completed her studies in both Oper and Lied und Oratorium as a master of arts mit Auszeichnung.

She was immediately engaged to appear as Pamina in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte at the Wiener Volksoper in 2001, followed by other Mozart roles such as the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni.

In 2004, Kulman changed to mezzo-soprano, with the title role of Suppé's Boccaccio, staged by Helmuth Lohner.

She appeared as Orpheus in Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice at the Opéra National de Paris in June 2005.

In the field of historically informed performance, she appeared in two opera revivals at the Schwetzingen Festival, both conducted by Thomas Hengelbrock, in 2005 in Alessandro Scarlatti's Telemaco, and in 2007 in the title role of Giovanni Legrenzi's Il Giustino.

As a Lied singer, often with Walter Moore as the pianist, she has focused on unusual repertory such as Mussorgsky Dis-Covered, a project of Tscho Theissing, and Mahler arrangements with the ensemble Amarcord Wien.

She recorded Bach's Christmas Oratorio on DVD, conducted by Peter Schreier who also performed the part of the Evangelist, with the Münchener Bach-Chor, the Bach Collegium München, Sibylla Rubens, Martin Petzold and Andreas Scheibner.

In the New Year's Eve 2006 production of Die Fledermaus, she was Prince Orlofsky, a performance that garnered her the Eberhard-Waechter-Medaille.

She sang the title role of Bizet's Carmen at the Staatsoper Berlin in 2007.

In 2010, she appeared as Gora in the premiere of Aribert Reimann's Medea at the Vienna State Opera.

In 2011 she appeared in Berlin again as Smeton in Donizetti's Anna Bolena, alongside Anna Netrebko in the title role and Elīna Garanča as Giovanna Seymour.

In 2013, she recorded Beethoven's Missa solemnis, conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, with the Netherlands Radio Choir, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and alongside Marlis Petersen, Werner Güra and Gerald Finley.

From 2015, she has focused on concert singing.

From April 2015, she has focused on concerts.

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