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The Ukrainian soprano, Kateryna Kasper- Machula, has studied with Raisa Kolesnik at the Prokofiev State Academy in Donetsk, where she obtained her Bachelor of Music degree (2004-2009); followed by studies with Edith Wiens at the Nuremberg University of Music, where she obtained her Diploma (2009-2010); and with Hedwig Fassbender at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts, where she obtained her Master degree and passed the Concert Exam (2010-2014). She has been supported by a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). In parallel, she was a member of the young artists program of the Opera Frankfurt (“Opernstudio”) from 2012-2014. She has participated in master-classes held by Ileana Cotrubaș, Margreet Honig and Helmut Deutsch. In 2014, she won the prestigious Mirjam-Helin International Singing Competition in Helsinki. This was preceded by prices at the IVC ’s-Hertogenbosch (2010), The Queen Sonja International Music Competition in Oslo (2011) and The Trude-Eipperle-Rieger-Prize for art song.
Stylistic versatility and authenticity of interpretation - these terms characterize the artistic agenda of Kateryna Kasper. A member of the Opera Frankfurt since 2014, she made her debut there already in 2011 as the Forest Bird in Wagner’s Siegfried. She has since performed important roles from almost all epochs in Frankfurt. Those include (early) Baroque opera such as Anima in Rappresentazione di anima e di corpo by Cavalieri, Giacinta in LʼOrontea by Cesti, Tigrane in George Frideric Handel’s Radamisto and Angelica in Antonio Vivaldi’s Orlando furioso as well as the world premiere of Der Goldene Drache by Péter Eötvös, who has composed the role Die Junge Frau for Kateryna (a co-production with the Ensemble Modern Frankfurt). From the classic and romantic period, Kateryna has sung W.A. Mozart roles such as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro and both Pamina and Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, belcanto repertoire such as Antonida in Glinka’s Iwan Sussanin, Gretel in Engelbert Humperdinck's Hänsel und Gretel, Nannetta in Verdi's Falstaff as well as Najade in Ariadne auf Naxos and - in particular - Sophie in Strauss’ Rosenkavalier. But also the operetta can be found among her repertoire with roles such as Komtesse Anastasia in Die Csárdásfürstin by Kálmán and – in the current season - Valencienne in Die Lustige Witwe by Lehár. She has appeared at opera festivals in Edinburgh, Bregenz, Savonlinna and Bergen, as well as at the Los Angeles Opera.
Kateryna Kasper also pursues an active performance schedule in song, oratorio and concert with performances at the Heidelberger Frühling, Handel Festival Karlsruhe, Telemann Festival Magdeburg, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Turku Philharmony, and Musashino Civic Cultural Hall Tokyo, Tchaikovsky Concert Hall Moscow, Royal Festival Hall London and Paris Philharmonie. In 2017, she gave her debuts in London with the London Philharmonic Orchestra / Nathalie Stutzmann and at the Moscow Philharmony with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra / Federico Maria Sardelli. In the current season (2017-2018), she will appear amongst others in the Philharmonie de Paris with the Ensemble Pygmalion directed by Raphaël Pichon (J.S. Bach's Johannes-Passion BWV 245, March 2018). She has been working with conductors such as Ivor Bolton, Constantinos Carydis, Sebastian Weigle, Michael Schneider, Felice Venanzoni, Michael Hofstetter, Helmuth Rilling and Howard Griffiths and with chamber music partners such as the Trio Vivente.
Kateryna Kasper's debut album "Ah! if I but knew the way back…" with romantic songs about childhood and fairy tales will appear on the label TYXart in September 2018. The disc has been recorded with Hilko Dumno at the original Steinway of Richard Wagner in Bayreuth. Planned are projects with her own baroque ensemble théâtre sans rideau as well as the recording of her second Lied album with songs by Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn, together with Dmitry Ablogin, at a historical fortepiano from 1835. |
