The Prague based mezzo-soprano Bella Adamova was born in Chechnya in 1992. She studied in Cologne, London, and Basel. The art song and improvisation are focal points of her work. Laureate of the Czech Song Prize at the Emmy Destinn Awards and the Martinů Prize at the International Dvořák Competition she has appeared at the ZeitRäume Festival for contemporary music in Basel. In 2019, she sang as part of the Duisburg Philharmonic season in duo with Michael Gees and their debut album ‘Blooming’ was released. In 2021 she will perform Mahler’s Rückertlieder with the Janáček Philharmonic. Bella has taken part in masterclasses i.a. with C. Prégardien, Sir S. Keenlyside, K. Kelly, and C. Immler.

The korean lyric mezzo soprano Teaa An began her singing studies in 2009 at the Korea National University of Arts in Seoul with Prof. Sangho Choi. During her studies she made her debut in 2010 at the Seoul Artcenter Operahouse as Despina in Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” and gave various song recitals. From 2015 to 2020 she studied in Germany with Prof. Hendrikje Wangemann, Prof. Edward Randall as well as a duo with Prof. Olaf Bär at the Musikhochschule Dresden. She was guesting at the Staatsoperette in Dresden during the saison 2018/19 and 2019/20. She won 3rd prizes in the 53rd International Dvorak Singing Competition 2018 and also in the The Mirjam Helin Singing Competition 2019.

Mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Chayka-Rubinstein was born in 1998 in Kyiv, Ukraine, and is currently studying singing under the guidance of Prof. Marina Sandel and Art Song under the supervision of Prof. Jan-Phillip Schulze at the HMTM Hanover. She is the winner of several competitions such as the National Competition in Berlin, the international Anton Rubinstein Competition, and the 19th Maritime Music Prize. Last year she won the Prix de Lied at the Nadia et Lili Boulanger Competition in Paris. In 2019 she took part in the Carnegie Hall Songstudio with Renée Fleming and Piotr Beczała. Also, she was invited to participate in the Ravinia outdoor music festival in Chicago in the summer of 2021.

The Brazilian mezzo-soprano Melissa Domingues graduated with a bachelor’s in 2016 and a master’s degree in 2019 from the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin with honours. She received important input through the regular work with Julia Varady, Peter Berne and Wolfram Rieger. She was granted the first prize at the IX. Carlos Gomes Competition in Campinas – Brazil. In 2017 she won a scholarship from the Ottilie-Selbach-Redslob Foundation. In the 2017/18 season, she was member of the Ensemble of the Mittelsächsisches Theater Freiberg and in 2019/20 she took part in the Academy Programm of the RIAS Kammerchor.

The young mezzo-soprano Valerie Eickhoff completed her vocal studies at the Robert-Schumann-Hochschule in Düsseldorf with Prof. Konrad Jarnot. In addition, the young singer took part in master classes with Bernarda Fink and Brigitte Fassbaender. After the season 18/19 in the Niederrhein Opera Studio, she moved to the Opera Studio of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf in 19/20, where she received a full-time ensemble contract one year later. Her repertoire includes roles such as Prince Orlofsky “Die Fledermaus” and Angelina “La Cenerentola”. Furthermore she is a Werner Richard-Dr. Carl Dörken Foundation and Live Music Now scholar and was a finalist in the New-Voices Competition in 2019.

At the festival Internationales Musikfestival Heidelberger Frühling 2017, young mezzo-soprano Magdalena Hinz was part of its Lied Academy under Thomas Hampson. This was followed by Lied recitals at the Staatstheater Darmstadt and at the festival of k l a n g werk LIED in Freiburg. She is scholarship holder of the Walter und Charlotte Hamelstiftung, the Oscar und Vera Ritter-Stiftung as well as award winner of the Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg. Magdalena is currently studying with Henryk Böhm. She is performing with ensembles as Collegium Vocale Gent under Philippe Herreweghe, Göttinger Barockorchester and at the festival of Festival Alte Musik Knechtsteden 2020.

The german mezzo-soprano Michelle Neupert is member of the MDR Leipzig Radio Choir since April 2020, finalist of the International Vocal Competition CantateBach 2019, winner of the Dr. Gerda Rohde Prize 2018 and Deutschlandstipendium 2017. She has been featured as a soloist, in various renowned ensembles, regularly performing her own art song programmes as well. Michelle Neupert completed her master’s degree in opera singing with Gudrun Pelker at the Hannover University of Music, Drama, and Media and gained significant impulses in masterclasses with Thomas Quasthoff, Claudia Barainsky, Peter Berne and Markus Schäfer. Michelle is currently living in Leipzig with her husband and two children.

The mezzo-soprano Corinna Scheurle is a member of the Bayerische Staatsoper. Earlier she was in the Opera Studio at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden. She has performed at the Festivals in Bregenz, Rheinsberg, Baden-Baden and Tirol. This season she will make her debuts at the Mozartwoche and Glyndebourne Festival. She has worked with conductors such as Kirill Petrenko, Daniel Barenboim and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. She won First Prize at the Gasteig Musikpreis in 2017 and was a finalist at Neuen Stimmen in 2015. She has recital experience performing at the Konzerthaus Berlin, the Oper Lille and the Mendelssohnhaus Leipzig. She studied in Berlin and at the Theaterakademie August Everding with Prof. Christianne Iven.

Lauded for her “strong presence” and “intriguing depth”, Scottish Mezzo Beth Taylor is at the onset of a major international career. In the 2020/21 season, Beth is set to make several important role and house debuts: Mistress Quickly in a new production of Verdi’s “Falstaff” at La Monnaie de Munt, La Cieca in “La Gioconda”, Schwertleite in “Die Walküre” and Marchesa Melibea in “Il viaggio a Reims” at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and Argia in the Dutch premiere of Giacomelli’s “Merope” at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and as Falliero in “Bianca e Falliero” at Oper Frankfurt. She is the 3rd prize winner of the 2019 Wigmore Hall Competition and the winner of the 2018 Gianni Bergamo Classical Music Awards.

American Mezzo-soprano, Erin Wagner is an advocate of art song, chamber music, and new music. She is currently in the graduate program at The Juilliard School and has previously studied at The Manhattan School of Music, The Chautauqua Institution, SongFest, and Scuola di Bel Canto. She has performed in Alice Tully Hall with Brian Zeger, David Geffen Hall and the MET Museum with the NY Philharmonic, and for WQXR. Before cancellation due to COVID-19 she was selected as an inaugural Renée Fleming Artist for Aspen Music Festival where she would have performed in “Die Zauberflöte”, Virgil Thomson’s “The Mother of Us All”, Ricky Ian Gordon’s “The Grapes of Wrath”, and Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy.

Tenor Ronan Caillet studied voice and horn at the Conservatoire de Colmar, the Musikhochschule Freiburg and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Leipzig. He is, among other, second prize winner in the junior category of the national singing competition and winner of the Prix de mélodie française at the Concours international Nadia et Lili Boulanger. Last year he was invited to perform with the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie at the Emmerich Smola Förderpreis (SWR Junge Opernstars). He has worked with Helmuth Rilling, Reinhold Friedrich, Hans-Christoph Rademann and the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, among others, and attended master classes by Brigitte Fassbaender, Edith Wiens, Christoph Prégardien etc.

Laurence is a British Tenor, ABRSM scholar at the Royal College of Music and holds the Kathleen Ferrier Society Bursary Award. Recent solo concert highlights include: Venus & Adonis (Early Opera Company/Wigmore Hall), St. John Passion (Gabrieli Consort/Cathédrale de Lausanne), Elijah with Masaaki Suzuki (OAE/Théâtre des Champs-Elysées), Peter Sellars’ staging of the St John Passion with Sir Simon Rattle (OAE/Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg), Lieder Recital (Akademie der Künste). Operatic work: Apollo/Pastore/Spirito/”L’Orfeo” (Nederlandse Reisopera), Phoebus/”The Fairy Queen” (Waterperry Opera Festival), Lucano/”L’incoronazione di Poppea” (Longborough Festival Opera).

Tenor, James Micklethwaite, is studying for a Masters in Vocal Studies at the Royal College of Music. He is the Drapers’ Company Scholar and studies singing under Russell Smythe. James’ passion for singing began when, as a child, he performed in a number of productions with Opera North. Whilst studying for a degree in Philosophy at the University of Cambridge, James was a member of the choir of King’s College, Cambridge, with whom he toured extensively in Europe, the US and Australia, and gave solo performances in venues such as the Concertgebouw and the Sydney Opera House. James is passionate about art song’s ability to tell stories and to connect people across time and space.

Gabriel Pereira was born in Brazil, studied at the Centro de Formação Artística do Palácio das Artes in Belo Horizonte and at the PUC de Chile with Rodrigo del Pozo. He is currently a Roland Schubert’s student at HMT Leipzig. Pereira was involved in opera productions when he joined the opera studio of the Teatro Municipal de São Paulo, such as “The Magic Flute” and “Il Combatimento di Tancredi et Clorinda”. In 2020 he sang the operas „Hin und Zurück“ by Hindemith, „Die Witwe von Ephesus“ by Hartmann and Krenek’s „Schwergewicht“ and the “Stabat Mater” by Dvořák. During the corona lock-down, he gave an online concert. He will soon be singing “Capriccio” von Strauss at the Oper Leipzig.

Liverpool born tenor Dan Shelvey was a member of the National Opera Studio 2017-18. In the 2018-19 season Shelvey made his Royal Opera House debut as Baldr in the world premiere of “The Monstrous Child” and made his Japanese debut as Ozzie in a production of Bernstein’s “On the Town” under Maestro Sado. Recent highlights include the role of Ecclittico in Haydn’s “Il mondo della Luna” for New Chamber Opera. Daniel was a Kathleen Ferrier finalist 2017, won the Richard Van Allen prize 2016 and won the Alexander Young Prize 2011. As a baritone he sang Marchese d’Obigny “La traviata” at Glyndebourne Festival Opera, having previously sung Flora’s Servant and covered Morales from “Carmen” for the company.

Maximilian Vogler has performed with the Jena Philharmonic, the Southwest German Philharmonic, the baroque orchestras L’Arpa Festante, La Stagione, L’Arco and La Banda. He made his debut at Zurich Opera House in a children’s production at the end of 2019. In March 2021 he will debut at the Salzburg Landestheater as Uriel in Haydn’s Creation. He is a scholarship holder of the festival LIEDBasel, recipient of various sponsorship awards and participant in several international singing competitions. From 2012-2016 he studied at the HfM Detmold with G. Romberger, where he received important impulses. From 2016-2020 he deepened his studies at the Zurich HdK with Werner Güra and through master classes with M. Honig, R. Holl and G. Johnson.

A master’s degree in song, concert and opera took Tae Hwan Yun to the University of Music and Performing Arts Mannheim in the class of Professor Katharina Dau. He studied in Professor Stefanie Krahnenfeld’s solo class. At the 11th Immling International Singing Competition in Bad-Endorf, he was awarded third prize and the song prize in 2019. In addition, he won the 3rd prize and the audience prize at the 2nd International Helmut Deutsch Lied Competition in the Schönbrunn Palace Theater (Vienna). In addition, he took part in the Emmerich Smola Sponsorship Award (2020 SWR Young Opera Stars) as a finalist. In the 18/19 and 19/20 seasons he was a member of the Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern Opera Studio.

André Baleiro is the winner of the Emmerich Smola SWR Young Opera Stars 2019 Award and the Robert Schumann Competition 2016. In 2017 he received a Prize for Most Promising Talent at the competition DAS LIED and the Theodor-Heuss-Kulturpreis in Schwetzingen. His operatic appearances include the National Theater in Lisbon, the Munich Chamber Opera and the Perez Galdos Theater in Las Palmas. On the concert stage, he collaborated with conductors like Michel Corboz, Stefan Blunier, Andreas Spering, Nabil Shehata, Lorenzo Viotti, and pianists like Axel Bauni and Eric Schneider. The Portuguese Baritone studied at the UdK Berlin and now works regularly with Prof. Snežana Stamenković.

German-American baritone, Dennis Chmelensky, joins Washington National Opera as a member of the Cafritz Young Artist Program for the 2020-21 season. A Berlin-native, Dennis’ love for lieder and new music since a young age led him to unique opportunities throughout his career. He has performed extensively in America, Europe and Asia, including performances of Hugo Wolf’s Italienisches Liederbuch throughout the United States, his Carnegie Hall debut in 2016, and his Konzerthaus Berlin debut during a tour throughout Europe in 2019. He is a graduate of the Curtis Institute, IMA, Chautuaqua Music Festival, and the Schubert-Institute. He is a 2018 Opera Awards Career Grant Recipient.

Lars Conrad follows his passion for Lied since he was a prestudent at HfM Detmold. Along his academic way in Leipzig (Berthold Schmid) and London (Rudolf Piernay), he learned more and more about his favourite form of musical expression. He is a participant of the Liedakademie des Heidelberger Frühling (Thomas Hampson), he was part of the Franz-Schubert-Institut Baden bei Wien (Robert Holl, Julius Drake, Helmut Deutsch and many more), and he had the opportunity to work with Peter Schreier. Lars works continously with Eric Schneider. He was awarded 3rd prize at the 1. Helmut-Deutsch-Liedcompetition.

Arvid Fagerfjäll is a lyric baritone from Sweden. He obtained his education in Sweden, Germany and Italy by renowned teachers such as KS Prof. Regina Werner-Dietrich and Prof. Peter Anton Ling. Defining artistic influences were received from Jan-Philip Schulze, Peter Berne and Philip Moll. Arvid Fagerfjäll preforms at Opera in Leipzig with roles such as Fiorello “Il Barbiere di Siviglia”. He is also an experienced Lied singer with a passionate concert program, partaking in major Lied competitions throughout Germany and Scandinavia like Wolfwettbewerb Stuttgart.

Ren Fukase studied singing at the Tokyo National University of Art and Music. This was followed by a master’s degree (opera) with Prof. Carola Höhn at the Berlin University of the Arts, which he completed in 2018. He was awarded several prizes for his achievements in his bachelor’s degree. In 2006 he also won first prize in the Japanese school music competition and was a prizewinner at the Rheinsberg Castle Chamber Opera competition. He is a fellow of the Rohm Music Foundation 2017/2019 and the Office for Cultural Affairs 2018. Since 2018 he has continued his studies in the master song/oratorio/concert at the Berlin University of the Arts.

Yuriy Hadzetskyy is from season 2019/2020 member of the International Opera Studio Zürich. In seasons 2017-2019 he was a participant of Young Talents Training Programme Opera Academy in The Grand Theatre – Polish National Opera in Warsaw, Poland. He was a member of the 2019 Voice Residency of the Académie du Festival d’Aix en-Provence (France). In addition he is laureate of the Queen Elizaeth Competition: Voice 2018 (Brussels, Belgium), laureate of 9th Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition and winner of an oratorio prize (Dublin, Ireland). From February to July 2018 he was a fellow of the Program of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of Poland “Gaude Polonia”. He works under the supervision of Olga Pasichnyk since 2017.

Benjamin Hewat-Craw originates from the United Kingdom and grew up in the county of Dorset. From 2015 to 2018 he
studied with Christoph Prégardien, and currently studies with Lioba Braun at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln. In November 2017, he gave a sold-out Lieder recital in the Beethovenhaus Chamber Recital Hall in Bonn. Since June 2017, he has worked together with the pianist Yuhao Guo. In 2020 they won the Lions Club Internal Hochschule Lieder Competition. He has sung as a soloist in Durham and St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, the Kölner Philharmonie and Tonhalle Düsseldorf.

Vincent Kusters, baritone, studied classical singing and piano at the Maastricht Academy of Music, with Mya Besselink and Joop Celis respectively, and attained a master’s degree for both (2016/2017). Furthermore he attained a qualification in choir directing at the Utrecht Conservatoire in 2018. He is a two-time winner of the Vocallis Lied Prize, as both a singer (2017) and a pianist (2018). In the latter year, he was accepted in the roster of the Vrienden van het Lied Society. He is Prize winner of the 2019 edition of the International Vocal Competition (Lied), ‘s-Hertogenbosch. In 2020 he won the first prize in the Internationaler Wettbewerb für Orgel und Gesang, Neuss.

The lyrical baritone Geng Lee was born in Shenzhen, southern China in 1994. Most recently, he was a participant of the Schuber Week in the project of “Heidelberger Frühling” under the leadership of Thomas Hampson in the Pierre Boulez Saal Berlin. Daniel Gerzenberg and Kunal Lahiry accompanied him as pianist. Since 2014 Geng has been studying singing at the HfMT Hamburg, first with Prof. Jörn Dopfer, currently with Prof. Carolyn James, and Lied with Prof. Burkhard Kehring. Master classes with Wolfram Rieger, Hartmut Höll, Roger Vignoles, Brigitte Fassbaender, KS Angela Denoke, and Prof. Bernd Valentin gave Geng Lee important impulses with regard to his further development as a classical singer.

London-based New Zealand baritone Kieran Rayner graduated from the Royal College of Music International Opera School in 2018. He has been a Young Artist with Garsington Opera, Independent Opera, Verbier Festival, Samling Arts, Britten Pears Foundation, and the Internationale Meistersinger Akademie. He was a Wigmore Hall International Song Competition semifinalist 2019, and won the Royal Overseas League Crashaw Prize for Outstanding Overseas Musician 2018. Career venue highlights include the Royal Albert Hall and Buckingham Palace. He has performed opera and song all around the UK, as well as in France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Singapore, New Zealand and beyond.