Christa Mayer, mezzo-soprano
Christa Mayer, mezzo-soprano, gave a master class at InterHarmony in 2017.
Christa Mayer Biography
Christa Mayer studied voice at the University of Music and Theatre in Munich. She attended the class of Lied interpretation with Helmut Deutsch and the opera course, taking part in performances at the Prinzregententheater Munich, and graduated with 1st class honours.
She was a prize winner in several competitions, such as the ARD International Music Competition 2000. Moreover, she has been awarded the Richard-Strauss-Plakette – the Young Talent Prize of the Richard Strauss Society – and the Bavarian State Promotion Prize for Young Artists.
Starting with 2001/2002 season Christa Mayer has been an ensemble member of the Saxon State Opera in Dresden, where she has been performing Erda (Das Rheingold, Siegfried) with Peter Schneider and Michael Boder, Fenena in Nabucco, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Fabio Luisi and Jun Märkl, Quickly in Verdi's Falstaff with Daniele Gatti, Baba in The Rake’s Progress with Michael Boder, Adelaide in Arabella with Peter Schneider.
She was engaged at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and at the Bavarian Staatsoper Munich as well as at the Teatro di Maggio musicale Florence and the Teatro La Fenice Venice.
In 2006 she performed Erda (Das Rheingold) in the Ring-Cycle at the Semperoper Dresden under the baton of Fabio Luisi and debuted as Waltraute in Götterdämmerung. Furthermore, she took part in the Ring-Cycles in Valencia and Florence (Zubin Mehta) in 2007 as Erda (Das Rheingold).
Christa Mayer is successful as a concert singer and performs across Europe in numerous concerts: Bach’s Weihnachtsoratorium - Helmuth Rilling, Mozart’s Requiem - Barcelona Palau de la Musica, Beethoven’s Missa C-Dur - Lissabon Teatro San Carlo; Beethoven’s 9th Symphony - Bamberger Symphoniker, Bach’s h-Moll-Messe – Kreuzkirche, Dresden; Händel’s Messiah – Konzerthaus Berlin and Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder - September Musical Montreux.
She has performed on several Strauss CD recordings with Karl Anton Riekenbacher. Following her CD Recital Debut with songs of Hermann Zilcher at Orfeo International, the young mezzo soprano performed at the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg, the Bad Kissingen Summer Festival and the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival.
In Summer 2008 Christa Mayer made her debut at the Bayreuth Festival – as Erda and Waltraute, followed by the re-invitation for 2009 and 2010. Her interpretation of Brigitta in Die tote Stadt at the Venice Fenice (January 2009) turned out to be a much acclaimed success. In Dresden she sang Cornelia in Handel’s Giulio Cesare, Gaea in Dresden’s new production Daphne and Erda/Waltraute in the Ring. As Cornelia she was even invited to Düsseldorf, at the Hamburg State Opera she sang Quickly (Falstaff).
Future engagements include Die tote Stadt in Bilbao, Mary at the Bayreuth Festival and Erda (Siegfried) in Sevilla.
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This year in Sulzbach-Rosenberg, InterHarmony International Music Festival announces its first Outstanding Guest Vocalist, world-class mezzo soprano Christa Mayer. A native of Sulzbach-Rosenberg, Mayer has been an ensemble member of the Saxon State Opera in Dresden since 2001, where her interpretation of Erda in Das Rheingold and Siegfried brought her international recognition. Guest performances in recent years have brought her to opera houses in Berlin, Munich, Venice, Florence, Bilbao, Barcelona, Sevilla und Tokyo. In 2007, Mayer took part in the Ring Cycles of Valencia and Florence, and, in 2008, she made her debut at the Bayreuth Festival as Erda and Waltraute, where she has returned yearly since. Her recordings include a collection of songs by Hermann Zilcher and a number of albums of Strauss with Karl Anton Riekenbacher. She has performed at the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg, the Bad Kissingen Summer Festival and the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. Upcoming engagements include Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde, Mary in The Flying Dutchmen at the Bayreuth Festival. On August 4, 2017, in Sulzbach-Rosenberg, she will give an open master class, at which students in the Vocal program will then be invited to perform. This rare opportunity to work personally with one of opera’s most acclaimed mezzos should not be missed.