Gerlinde Sämann

Gerlinde Sämann (born 1969) is a German soprano known for her performances in concerts and operas. She is particularly associated with the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Her concert repertoire also includes lieder, oratorio, early music, and contemporary music.

Career

Born in Nuremberg, Gerlinde Sämann studied the piano and singing at the Richard Strauss Conservatory in Munich with Karl-Heinz Jarius, Henriette Meyer-Ravenstein and Selma Aykan. She also completed a course as a Respiratory therapist according to the method of Ilse Middendorf. In 2000 she received a scholarship from the city of Munich.

In 1999 she performed Poulenc's opera ''La voix humaine'', at the Opernfestspiele Schloß Rheinsberg and in 2000 at the Stadttheater Aachen. She has collaborated with Dresdner Kreuzchor. In the 2002–2003 season Sämann appeared in Pergolesi's ''Stabat mater'' at the Theater Neumarkt, Zürich, and also performed in St. Petersburg and Moscow. In 2004 she appeared as Euridice in Gluck's ''Orfeo ed Euridice'' at the Rostock opera.

She recorded Bach's ''St Matthew Passion'' in 1997 with conducting the , Jörg Dürmüller as the Evangelist and Klaus Mertens as the vox Christi (voice of Jesus).

In the field of historically informed performance, she has worked with the choir Junge Kantorei in Eberbach Abbey in works of Handel, ''Hercules'' in 2006, '' Alexander's Feast'' and '' Ode for St. Cecilia's Day'' in 2008, and ''Messiah'' in 2009. She has collaborated regularly with Sigiswald Kuijken and La Petite Bande in concerts and recordings of works of Bach, the soloists also singing the choral parts. She performed the soprano part in Bach's ''St Matthew Passion'' and in several of his cantatas, including ''Wer Dank opfert, der preiset mich, BWV 17'', written for the 14th Sunday after Trinity. She recorded Bach's ''Mass in B minor'' both with La Petite Bande and with the SebastianChor Munich, conducted by Michaela Prentl. With Prentl, she recorded Bach's ''St John Passion'' in 2006, with as the Evangelist, Christa Bonhoff, Thomas Hamberger and Tim Hennis. In 2009 she recorded in Trogen a DVD of Bach's cantata ''Gloria in excelsis Deo'', BWV 191 with Rudolf Lutz conducting the Vokalensemble der Schola Seconda Pratica and tenor Johannes Kaleschke.

In 2010 she performed with the RIAS Kammerchor Monteverdi's ''Vespro della Beata Vergine'' at the Rheingau Musik Festival in Eberbach Abbey, with María Cristina Kiehr, James Elliott, Andreas Karasiak, Harry van der Kamp, and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, conducted by Hans-Christoph Rademann.

Since 2010 she has also performed with the early music group VocaMe, focused on works by the 9th century Byzantine composer Kassia.

Gerlinde Sämann is blind.

References

External links

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Frau mit wandlungsfähiger Stimme – Die Sopranistin Gerlinde Sämann im Porträt
Interview of Deutschlandradio 17 December 2009

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samann, Gerlinde
1969 births
Blind classical musicians
German operatic sopranos
Living people
Musicians from Nuremberg