Christina Gerstberger (born 1976) is a German operatic

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

. The award-winning singer has worked freelance and as a member of theatres such as the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

, often in roles by Mozart such as Susanna. She has performed at international festivals such as the Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele, and in concert and recordings.

Career

Born in

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

, she finished gymnasium with the ''

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

'' in 1995, specializing in music. The same year, she was awarded second prize in the Bavarian competition of Jugend musiziert. In 1996 she won second prize in the competition of the

Deutscher Tonkünstlerverband The Deutscher Tonkünstlerverband is the oldest and largest professional association for musicians in Germany. The umbrella organization with headquarters in Munich and a branch office in Passau is the professional representative for all music pro ...

in North Rhine-Westphalia. She studied voice from 1996 to 2000 at the Musikhochschule Detmold, with Ingeborg Ruß among others. She further studied operatic performance at the

Musikhochschule Würzburg A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...

with Christel Gernot-Heindl. In 1998, she received second prize of the ''Robert-Saar-Wettbewerb''. The same year, she won first prize at both the regional competition of North Rhine-Westphalia and the national competition of the

Bundeswettbewerb Gesang The German national competition Bundeswettbewerb Gesang Berlin was inaugurated in 1966 as a competition for solo singing. Beginning in 1979, it has been held annually, for the categories Musical theatre, Musical and Chanson in uneven years, for Ope ...

in Berlin. She had a scholarship of the Walter-Kaminsky-Stiftung in Munich and of the Hans-und-Eugenia-Jütting-Stiftung in Stendal that year. In 2003, she was awarded a scholarship of the Richard-Wagner-Verband. Gerstberger was a member of the ensemble of the

Anhaltisches Theater Anhaltisches Theater Dessau is a theatre in Dessau, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, which was called Landestheater Dessau until 1984. It is offering drama, musical theatre (operas, operettas, musicals), ballets, concerts of the orchestra, and pup ...

Dessau Dessau is a town and former municipality in Germany at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the '' Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it has been part of the newly created municipality of Dessau-Roßlau ...

from 2000 to 2005. She appeared there as Luise in Kurt Weill's ''

Die Bürgschaft "The Pledge" (German: "Die Bürgschaft", ) is a ballad published by the German poet Friedrich Schiller in his 1799 ''Musen-Almanach''. He took the idea out of the ancient legend of Damon and Pythias issuing from the Latin ''Fabulae'' by Gaius J ...

'' in 2002. She worked freelance for two years, appearing as a guest at

Frankfurt Opera 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 ...

, the

Theater Dortmund Theater Dortmund is a theatrical organization that produces operas, musicals, ballets, plays, and concerts in Dortmund, Germany. It was founded as the Stadttheater Dortmund in 1904. Supported by the German Government, the organization owns and o ...

and the , among others. From 2007 to 2012, she had been a member of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in

, where she performed as the Princess in

Cesar Bresgen Cesar Bresgen (16 October 1913 – 7 April 1988) was an Austrian composer. Biography He was born in Florence to Maria and August Bresgen, both artists. He spent his childhood in Zell am See, Munich, Prague, and Salzburg. From 1930 to 1936 ...

's children's opera '' Der Mann im Mond'', as Susanna in Mozart's '' Die Hochzeit des Figaro'', as Zerline in Auber's ''

Fra Diavolo Fra Diavolo (lit. Brother Devil; 7 April 1771–11 November 1806), is the popular name given to Michele Pezza, a famous guerrilla leader who resisted the French occupation of Naples, proving an "inspirational practitioner of popular insurrect ...

'', and as Gretel in Humperdinck's '' Hänsel und Gretel'', among others. From 2015, she has been a member of the Freies Landestheater Bayern, where she appeared as Pamina in Mozart's '' Die Zauberflöte'', as Ännchen in Weber's ''

Der Freischütz ' ( J. 277, Op. 77 ''The Marksman'' or ''The Freeshooter'') is a German opera with spoken dialogue in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Friedrich Kind, based on a story by Johann August Apel and Friedrich Laun from their 181 ...

'', as Anna Reich in Nicolai's '' Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor'', and as Micaela in Bizet's ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...

'', among others. Gerstberger has also appeared in concert,

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 ...

and oratorio. She made concert tours in France with pianist Jörg Demus in 1999 and 2002. In 2008, she recorded the role of Lisida in the premiere of E. T. A. Hoffmann's '' Liebe und Eifersucht'' in a performance of the Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele, conducted by Michael Hofstetter. In 2018, she sang the soprano solo in Mozart's

Requiem A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

in St. Anna im Lehel in Munich, conducted by Angelika Tasler.

References

External links

* * * * Corinna Klimek
Kurzinterview mit Christina Gerstberger
nacht-gedanken.de 2011
Christina Gerstberger
klassik-heute.com
E.T.A. Hoffmann: Liebe Und Eifersucht / Hofstetter, Sellier, Gerstberger, Simson, Specht, Martin
arkivmusic.com
Songs and duets by Antonín Dvórak
hfm-detmold.de * Gerhard Heldt

Mittelbayerische Zeitung, 18 October 2007
Musikstipendien 2018
juettingstiftung.de/pdf {{DEFAULTSORT:Gerstberger, Christina 1976 births Living people Musicians from Nuremberg German operatic sopranos Hochschule für Musik Detmold alumni 21st-century German women opera singers