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The British-German soprano, Sarah Wegener, originally studied double-bass in Stuttgart. She later switched to singing studies at the Conservatory with Professor Bernhard Jaeger-Böhm in Stuttgart. After passing with distinction in 2006, she continued her studies in the class of Lied interpretation, working with Cornelis Witthoefft, and took part in master-classes with Dame Gwyneth Jones and Renée Morloc. In 2007 she won the 1st prize of the "International Max-Reger-Competition for Lied" in Weiden.
Sarah Wegener enthrals listeners with the richness and warmth of her voice. She approaches every role like a chamber musician, whether it be with contemporary, classical or romantic repertoire. She regularly gives concerts with partners such as Philippe Herreweghe, Thomas Hengelbrock, Emilio Pomàrico, Tonu Kaljuste, Heinz Holliger, Frieder Bernius and Michael Hofstetter. Concerts and Lieder recitals have taken her to the Bachfest Leipzig, Salzburg Biennale, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, RuhrTriennale, Ludwigsburg Festival, Rheingau Music Festival, SWR RheinVokal Festival, Dialogues Salzburg, as well as to the Tonhalle Düsseldorf, Alte Oper Frankfurt, De Doelen Rotterdam, Bozar Brussels, Konzerthaus Berlin (where she made her debut performing Ein deutsches Requiem by Johannes Brahms), De Singel Antwerp and Philharmonie Luxembourg.
Under the direction of Frieder Bernius Sarah Wegener could be seen in Robert Schumann's Szenen aus Goethes Faust, as Euridice in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice, with W.A. Mozart's Mass in C minor and Schubert's Lazarus. Last season (2014-2015) she sang Strauss’ Vier letzte Lieder with the recreation - Grosses Orchester Graz under Michael Hofstetter in Graz and Dvořak’s Stabat Mater with the Orchestre des Champs-Élysées and the Collegium Vocale Gent under Philippe Herreweghe at Opéra de Dijon. She has also sung J.S. Bach's cantatas (under Peter Neumann at Folles Journees Nantes), Alban Berg's Orchesterlieder Op.4 and many contemporary works. In the 2014-2015 season she also performed with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart and Hans-Christoph Rademann with L.v. Beethoven's Funeral Cantata and Mass in C major, and gave her debut with the NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg under Thomas Hengelbrock with Jörg Widmann’s Dunkle Saiten. Following the celebrated world premiere of Widmann’s Labyrinth (2008-13) in 2014 at the Kölner Philharmonie with the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, she performed the work again with the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest under Emilio Pomàrico at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and with the Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto under Peter Rundel at Casa da Música.
Sarah Wegener recorded a CD of arias by Justin Heinrich Knecht with Frieder Bernius and the Hofkapelle Stuttgart. Her discography also comprises recordings of Korngold's Die stumme Serenade (CPO), Rossini's Petite Messe solennelle under Tonu Kaljuste (Carus) and a CD with the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra (SWR) under Heinz Holliger (Hänssler Classic).
Sarah Wegener has formed a close artistic relationship with the composer Georg Friedrich Haas. His 2009 Lieder cycle …wie stille brannte das Licht was written especially for the soprano, drawing on her unique ability to interpret microtonal music. In 2011, she performed the main role of Nadja in the world premiere his opera Bluthaus (Schwetzinger SWR Festival/Theater Bonn), for which she was nominated for “Singer of the Year” by Opernwelt magazine in 2011; in 2014, the revised version of Bluthaus, directed by Peter Mussbach, was premiered during the Wiener Festwochen (Klangforum Wien, Peter Rundel) and afterwards at Kampnagel Hamburg and the Staatstheater Saarbrücken. She returned to Schwetzingen in 2013 with the opera Thomas and Dido for string quartet and soprano. She performed Haas’ composition ATTHIS with the Ensemble musikFabrik at the Philharmonie Luxembourg and with musicians of the Bayerischer Rundfunk Symphonieorchester as part of musica viva.
In the 2015-2016 season, Sarah Wegener will make her debuts at the Royal Opera House London and Deutsche Oper Berlin as Signe/Midwife in Georg Friedrich Haas’ new opera Morgen und Abend (staged by Graham Vick). She can also be seen in Lieder recitals at the Tonhalle Zürich, Hugo-Wolf-Akademie Stuttgart and AMUZ Antwerp, and in concerts at the Suntory Hall Tokyo with Heinz Holliger and on European tour with Philippe Herreweghe (Haydn, Die sieben letzten Worte unserers Erlösers am Kreuze). |
