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The German mezzo-soprano, Renate Kaschmieder, began her training as a singer at the Meistersinger Conservatory at Nuremberg. She studied with Ingeborg Russ and Monique Herreman and even during this time made a name for herself in the genre of church music. She finished her studies at the Conservatory with the concert exam and attained first prize in the Nuremberg Dr. Drexel competition. Master-classes with Julia Hamari, Hans Hotter, Brigitte Fassbaender and Anna Reynolds, her singing mentor, further honed Renate’s technique and expanded her range. Further studies included private tutelage with Norma Lerer and Emmy Lisken.
Renate Kaschmieder's repertoire covers a wide span. It extends from early music beginning with Hildegard von Bingen, to Monteverdi, Heinrich Schütz, J.S. Bach, George Frideric Handel, W.A. Mozart and L.v. Beethoven, to the Romantic period, especially Felix Mendelssohn and Gustav Mahler. Her vast repertoire further includes modern music of the 20th century. Concentrating on concert and lieder performance, Renate along with the guitarist Uwe Stein, founded the Duo Esperanza. Other musical contacts include the harpist Volker Sellmann and the pianists Denette Witter, Werner Doermann and Florian Kaplick. Together with these artists she creates utterly delightful concert events performing works of different musical periods.
In 1989 Renate Kaschmieder gave her operatic debut as the 3rd Lady in W.A. Mozart's Die Zauberflöte during the opera festival in Bad Hersfeld. Additional performances on this stage were her striking renditions of Fenena in Verdi’s Nabucco and Ines in Verdi’s The Troubadour. Other examples of performances in the operatic genre include Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, Marcellina in W.A. Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro and Maddalena in Rigoletto. These performances took Renate to Eutin, Schwerin and Passau where she worked with conductors like Peter Falk (Broadcast Orchestra of the SWF), Vladimir Valek (Broadcast Symphony Orchestra of Prague) and Roderich Kreile (Dresdner Kreuzchor).
The warm timbre and deeply evocative sound of Renate Kaschmieder’s voice have inspired a loyal following of music lovers throughout Europe. Her unique timbre of voice together with her deeply moving power of expression has led to great achievements in this field. One example is her performance in Verdi’s Requiem in Belgium. Above all, music of J.S. Bach retains its focusing influence throughout her career. In Bern, Switzerland, she appeared with deeply impressive performances in J.S. Bach’s Johannes-Passion (BWV 245) with the Camerata Bern and in J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) with the Collegium Musicum Luzern. Some of her other favourite works include Nuits d’Ete by Berlioz, Lieder with orchestra by G. Mahler, the Gurre Lieder by Arnold Schoenberg and Sheherazade by Ravel.
Many of Renate Kaschmieder’s performances were recorded on CD and included in broadcasts by the Bavarian Broadcast Company. The latest example is a concert at the International Organ Week in Nuremberg (ION). |
