Barbara Zechmeister is a German operatic soprano and voice teacher. A member of the

Oper Frankfurt The Oper Frankfurt (Frankfurt Opera) is a German opera company based in Frankfurt. Opera in Frankfurt am Main has a long tradition, with many world premieres such as Franz Shrek's ''Der ferne Klang'' in 1912, '' Fennimore und Gerda'' by Frede ...

from 1996, she has appeared in major European opera houses and international festivals. She has performed in world premieres, and in recitals and recordings. Zechmeister has been a voice teacher at Dr. Hoch's Konservatorium since 2005.

Career

Zechmeister studied at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Heidelberg/Mannheim, first music pedagogy with main subjects piano and voice, then for special exams in

lied In Western classical music tradition, (, plural ; , plural , ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music to create a piece of polyphonic music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German, but among English and French s ...

, concert and opera, and finally for the concert exam (''Konzertexamen'') with Eva-Maria Molnár and

Rudolf Piernay Rudolf Piernay (born 8 December 1943 in Berlin) is a German vocal teacher and university lecturer. Biography Piernay spent his childhood, youth, and first studied in Berlin, then began the study of singing, piano, song accompaniment and conduct ...

. She took master classes with

Judith Beckmann Judith Beckmann (born May 10, 1935) is an American-German soprano. She has spent the majority of her stage career in Germany and Austria. Life and work Beckmann was born in Jamestown, North Dakota, into a talented musical family, the daughter of a ...

Agnes Giebel Agnes Giebel (10 August 1921 – 24 April 2017) was a German classical soprano. She was born in Heerlen, in the Netherlands, where she lived the first years of her life. She studied at the Folkwangschule in Essen and made her first public appe ...

, Geoffrey Parsons, Laura Sarti and Kurt Widmer. She has been a member of the

from 1996 when

Sylvain Cambreling Sylvain Cambreling (born 2 July 1948 in Amiens, France) is a French conductor. Biography Trained as a trombone player, Cambreling studied at the Paris Conservatoire. He joined l' Orchestre Symphonique de Lyon (OSL) as a trombonist in 1971. In 19 ...

engaged her. She made her debut there as Laura in Verdi's ''

Luisa Miller ''Luisa Miller'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play ''Kabale und Liebe'' (''Intrigue and Love'') by the German dramatist Friedrich von Schiller. Verdi's initial idea for ...

'', followed by many Mozart roles such as Barbarina in ''

Le nozze di Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premie ...

'', Zerlina in ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanis ...

'' and Despina in ''

Così fan tutte (''All Women Do It, or The School for Lovers''), K. 588, is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte w ...

''. She took part in world premieres at the house, in 2006 as Livia in Detlev Glanert's ''

Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanicu ...

'', and in 2014 as one of the Sirens in Rolf Riehm's ''

Sirenen ''Sirenen – Bilder des Begehrens und des Vernichtens'' (''Sirens – Images of Desire and Destruction'') is an opera in three parts and eight scenes by Rolf Riehm, based on the Greek myth of Odysseus, Circe and the Sirens as told in Homer's ''Od ...

''. In 2019, she appeared as Graumann's wife in a new production of Franz Schreker's ''

Der ferne Klang ''Der ferne Klang'' (''The Distant Sound'') is an opera by Franz Schreker, set to his own libretto. Begun in 1903, it was first performed by the Oper Frankfurt on 18 August 1912. It was the composer's breakthrough to fame, and was frequently pe ...

'', staged by

Damiano Michieletto Damiano Michieletto (born 1975) is an Italian stage director especially known for opera. He has staged productions at leading opera houses and festivals worldwide. His awards include the 2015 Laurence Olivier Award for the production of Mascagn ...

and conducted by

Sebastian Weigle Sebastian Weigle (born 1961, in East Berlin) is a German conductor and horn player. He is currently ''Generalmusikdirektor'' of the Oper Frankfurt and principal conductor of the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra. Biography Weigle is a nephew of ...

. She performed the role of Mrs Gobineau in Menotti's ''

The Medium ''The Medium'' is a short (one-hour-long) two-act dramatic opera with words and music by Gian Carlo Menotti. Commissioned by the Alice M. Ditson Fund at Columbia University, its first performance was there on 8 May 1946. The opera's first profes ...

'' at the Bockenheimer Depot, conducted by Nikolai Petersen. Zechmeister appeared as a guest at opera houses including the

Aalto Theatre The Aalto Theatre (Aalto-Theater) is a performing arts venue in Essen, Germany, and is home to the city's opera company Aalto-Musiktheater and the ballet company Aalto Ballett. The serve as the venue's orchestra. The theatre opened on 25 Septembe ...

in Essen,

Staatsoper Hannover Hanover State Opera (german: Staatsoper Hannover) is an opera company in Hanover, the state capital of Lower Saxony, Germany. The company is resident in the Hanover Opera House (), and is part of a publicly-funded umbrella performing arts organ ...

Nationaltheater Mannheim The Mannheim National Theatre (german: Nationaltheater Mannheim) is a theatre and opera company in Mannheim, Germany, with a variety of performance spaces. It was founded in 1779 and is one of the oldest theatres in Germany. History In the 18 ...

Staatsoper Stuttgart The Staatsoper Stuttgart (Stuttgart State Opera) is a German opera company based in Stuttgart, the capital of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The Staatsorchester Stuttgart serves as its resident orchestra. History Performances of operas, ballet and ...

, in Rouen and Lisbon, and at festivals such as the

Ludwigsburg Festival The Ludwigsburg Festival (''Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele'', also ''Internationale Festspiele Baden-Württemberg'') is a culture festival with programs in music, dance, theatre and literature. The festival is held in Ludwigsburg annually between ...

and the

Bregenz Festival Bregenzer Festspiele (; Bregenz Festival) is a performing arts festival which is held every July and August in Bregenz in Vorarlberg (Austria). It features a large floating stage which is situated on Lake Constance. History The Festival beca ...

. At the 2004

Wexford Festival Wexford Festival Opera () is an opera festival that takes place in the town of Wexford in south-eastern Ireland during the months of October and November. The festival began in 1951 under Tom Walsh and a group of opera lovers who quickly gener ...

, she appeared as Clarissa in a recorded production of ''

Die drei Pintos ' ( Anh 5, ''The Three Pintos'') is a comic opera of which Carl Maria von Weber began composing the music, working on a libretto by Theodor Hell. The work was completed about 65 years after Weber's death by Gustav Mahler. It premiered on 20 Januar ...

'', a comic opera by

Carl Maria von Weber Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (18 or 19 November 17865 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and critic who was one of the first significant composers of the Romantic era. Best known for his opera ...

completed by

Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...

. Zechmeister has been a teacher of voice at Dr. Hoch's Konservatorium since 2005. She was awarded the title Kammersängerin in 2011.

References

External links

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Verdi, Jérusalem / Konzertante Aufführung in französischer Sprache
Alte Oper 2003 {{DEFAULTSORT:Zechmeister, Barbara German operatic sopranos Living people Place of birth missing (living people) 20th-century German women opera singers 21st-century German women opera singers Year of birth missing (living people)