Hänsel und Gretel

Jochen Schmeckenbecher comes from Hockenheim and studied with Kurt Moll at the Cologne University of Music. After permanent engagements at the Theater Hagen and the Komische Oper Berlin, he performs the major roles of his repertoire on international opera and concert stages. His focus lies on the German-language repertoire with roles such as Amfortas and Klingsor ("Parsifal"), Kurwenal ("Tristan und Isolde"), Music Teacher ("Ariadne auf Naxos"), Faninal ("Der Rosenkavalier"), Orest ("Elektra"), Peter ("Hänsel und Gretel"), Don Pizarro ("Fidelio"), the title role in "Wozzeck", Dr. Schön ("Lulu") and Kaspar ("Freischütz"). He repeatedly celebrates great success as Alberich ("Der Ring des Nibelungen"), among others at the State Operas in Berlin, Hamburg, and Vienna, the opera houses in Frankfurt and Leipzig, the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, the Tanglewood Festival, the Philharmonie Berlin, the Kulturpalast Dresden, the Müpa Budapest, the Opéra national de Paris, as well as in several CD/DVD recordings. Further engagements have taken him to the State Operas in Dresden, Munich, Stuttgart, the Royal Opera House in London, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Teatro alla Scala di Milano, the Teatro Real in Madrid, the Theater an der Wien, the Volksoper Wien, the Salzburg Festival, and the opera houses in Basel, Essen, Lyon, Turin, as well as in San Francisco, Dallas, and Philadelphia.

Valeriy Murga studied at the Ukrainian National Music Academy in Kyiv. He was a finalist both at the 41st Concours International de Chant in Toulouse in 1996 and at the 7th Julian Gayarre Competition in Pamplona in 1998. In 1997, he won second prize at the Maria Callas Grand Prix in Athens and was able to take part in the Cardiff Singer of the World competition (BBC) in 1999. From 1997 to 1999, he was a soloist at the Ukrainian National Opera in Kyiv, where he performed roles including Figaro, Don Giovanni, Germont, Escamillo, Onegin, Prince Igor, and Schaunard. His repertoire also includes roles such as Marchese di Posa ("Don Carlo") and Shaklovity ("Khovanshchina").

At Zurich Opera House, Valeriy Murga appeared as a member of the IOS in productions such as Tosca (Sciarrone, Jailer) and Rigoletto (Monterone). Since the beginning of the 2000/01 season, he has been a permanent member of the ensemble and has performed in The Queen of Spades (Yeletsky), Carmen (Moralès), Salome (Second Soldier), Il barbiere di Siviglia (Fiorello/Officer), La sonnambula (Alessio), Rigoletto (Marullo and Monterone), L’italiana in Algeri (Ali), Faust (Wagner), as well as in family operas such as The Canterville Ghost (Dr. Bürkli), Robin Hood (Little John), The Enchanted Pig (Pig), and Jim Button (Half-Dragon/Grand Bonze Pi Pa Po).

He appeared in Tiefland at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona and in L’italiana in Algeri at the Berlin State Opera Unter den Linden. Most recently in Zurich, he has been seen in The Odyssey (Eurylochus), Dialogues des Carmélites (The Jailer), La bohème (Doctor Grenvil), Alice in Wonderland (Dormouse/Tweedledum), La rondine (Butler), and The Merry Widow (Bogdanowitsch).

Rosie Aldridge completed her training at the Benjamin Britten International Opera School in London and was a Jerwood Young Artist at the Glyndebourne Festival in 2010. From 2016 to 2018, she was a member of the ensemble at the Vienna State Opera. Guest engagements have taken her to, among others, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, the Stuttgart State Opera, and the Deutsche Oper am Rhein as the Kostelnička Buryja ("Jenůfa"), to the Hamburg State Opera and the Opéra national de Paris as Mrs. Sedley ("Peter Grimes"), to the Komische Oper Berlin as Mrs. Nellie Lovett ("Sweeney Todd"), to the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London as the Witch ("Hänsel und Gretel"), to the Opéra national de Lorraine as Klementia in Hindemith’s "Sancta Susanna" and Judith ("Bluebeard’s Castle"), and to the Glyndebourne Festival as Baba the Turk ("The Rake’s Progress").

For concert performances, she has worked with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Hallé Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Irène Friedli grew up in Räuchlisberg, Switzerland, and completed her soloist diploma at the Music Academy in Basel. The alto continued her studies in the interpretation class of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau in Berlin, took part in masterclasses with Brigitte Fassbaender, and received further training with Helen Keller. She won numerous prizes at international song competitions. Since the 1994/95 season, she has been a member of the ensemble at Zurich Opera House. Here she has performed, among others, as the Second and Third Lady (Die Zauberflöte), Mercédès (Carmen), the title role in Ravel’s L’Enfant et les sortilèges, Elsbeth in Schlafes Bruder, Lily in Harley, Annina and Flora (La traviata), Flosshilde (Das Rheingold, Götterdämmerung), Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro), Emilia (Otello), Lucia (Cavalleria rusticana), Olga in Peter Eötvös’ Three Sisters, Marthe in Gounod’s Faust, Margret (Wozzeck), Lovis in Ronja Räubertochter by Jörn Arnecke, Flower Maiden and Voice from Above (Parsifal), Gertrud/Witch (Hänsel und Gretel), Clotilde (Norma), Mother/Other Mother (Coraline), Fortune Teller (Arabella), and Nurse (Boris Godunov). In the world premiere of the family opera Die Odyssee, she portrayed Eurykleia/Mother, and in Girl with a Pearl Earring, Tanneke. In 2012, she appeared at the Opéra Bastille in Paris. Most recently in Zurich, she has appeared as the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, Filipyevna in Eugene Onegin, Tisbe in La Cenerentola, Miss Bentson in Lakmé, Mrs. Waas/Mrs. Grindtooth in Jim Knopf, the Head Chef in Amerika, and Ninetta in I vespri siciliani.

Svetlina Stoyanova, mezzo-soprano, is from Bulgaria and studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. In 2017, she won first prize at the “Neue Stimmen” singing competition; this was followed by engagements as Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro) at the Opéra de Nice and as Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia) at the Bregenz Festival. From 2018 to 2020, she was a member of the ensemble at the Vienna State Opera, where she appeared in numerous roles including Tisbe in La Cenerentola, Rossweisse in Die Walküre, Javotte in Manon, Dryad in Ariadne auf Naxos, and Rosina.

She has also performed at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg and as Zerlina (Don Giovanni) at the Tonhalle Düsseldorf. With Ensemble Matheus, she made her role debut as Isabella in L’italiana in Algeri and toured France with the production. She also debuted as Angelina (La Cenerentola) at the New Generation Festival in Florence, as Rosina at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, at the Rossini Opera Festival in Rossini’s Messa di Milano, as Ruggiero (Alcina) at the Glyndebourne Festival, and as Cherubino at both the Hamburg State Opera and La Scala in Milan.

Roles such as Zulma (L’italiana in Algeri), Rosina, Dryad, Il Destino / Le Furie (Cavalli’s La Calisto), and Kuchtík (Rusalka) have brought her back to Milan. In addition to opera, she also appears regularly on the concert stage and has given song recitals at the Musikverein in Vienna, Wigmore Hall in London, and at the Sofia Music Weeks Festival.

Siena Licht Miller, German-American mezzo-soprano, studied voice at the Curtis Institute of Music and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. She completed her training with programs at Opera Philadelphia, the Santa Fe Opera, the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and the Aspen Music Festival. She is a scholarship holder of the Bagby Foundation and a prizewinner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the Marilyn Horne Rubin Foundation, and the Gerda Lissner Foundation.

Highlights of her career so far include role debuts as Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Second Lady in Die Zauberflöte, and one of the two solo roles in the world premiere of Denis and Katya by Philip Venables at Opera Philadelphia. At the Aspen Opera Center, she sang the title role in Ravel’s L’Enfant et les sortilèges under the baton of Robert Spano.

She also regularly dedicates herself to song repertoire. She appeared in The Song Continues recital series at Carnegie Hall in honor of her mentor Marilyn Horne, and toured the United States with a recital alongside pianist Kevin Murphy.

In the 2020/21 season, she was a member of the International Opera Studio in Zurich, where she performed in Maria Stuarda, Simon Boccanegra, Viva la mamma, Salome, Odyssee, in the ballet Monteverdi, in L’italiana in Algeri, and as Flosshilde in Das Rheingold. Since the 2022/23 season, she has been a member of the ensemble at Zurich Opera House, where she recently appeared in Barkouf, Salome, Anna Karenina, Lakmé, La rondine, Die Walküre, and Götterdämmerung.

She also sang the title role in Handel’s Serse at Theater Winterthur.

The Austrian soprano Christina Gansch was awarded the Ferrier Award in 2014 and completed her studies with distinction at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and the Royal Academy of Music in London. During her studies, Christina made her international opera debut in Montpellier as Amore ("Orfeo et Euridice", 2013), followed by Barbarina ("Le nozze di Figaro") at the Theater an der Wien under Nicolaus Harnoncourt in 2014. She was a member of the Hamburg State Opera for three years (2014–16 International Opera Studio, 2016/17 ensemble), where she sang roles such as Pamina ("Die Zauberflöte"), Marzelline ("Fidelio"), Gretchen ("Faust Scenes"), and Almira.

She represented Austria in the finals of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition in 2021. Christina Gansch has appeared at La Scala in Milan as Najade ("Ariadne auf Naxos"), at the Bavarian State Opera as Gretel ("Hänsel und Gretel"), at the Glyndebourne Festival as Mélisande ("Pelléas et Mélisande"), at the Opéra national de Paris as Papagena ("Die Zauberflöte"), at the Berlin State Opera as Forest Bird ("Siegfried"), at the Opéra national de Lorraine as Pamina ("Die Zauberflöte"), and at the Salzburg Festival as Servilia ("La clemenza di Tito") and Fifth Maid ("Elektra").

Christina appears regularly at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Following a highly acclaimed performance as Dorinda ("Orlando") at San Francisco Opera, she returned there in 2022 as Zerlina. Her recordings include Zerlina ("Don Giovanni") with Teodor Currentzis for Sony, Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem with the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, and songs with Malcolm Martineau.

Yewon Han is a South Korean soprano. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Classical Voice at Seoul National University and continued her training in the Young Artist Program of the Korea National Opera Studio (2021–2022) as well as at the International Opera Studio Zurich (2022–2024). Yewon Han has performed a wide range of roles in Korea and Europe, including Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Romilda in Serse, Li Si in Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver, Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Najade in Ariadne auf Naxos. In 2025, she will appear as Ophelia in Hamlet at the Buxton International Festival. She has received numerous awards, including first prize at the 60th Concurso Tenor Viñas (2023), third prize at the International Singing Competition Neue Stimmen (2022), and several first prizes at major singing competitions in South Korea.

In the 2025/26 season, Yewon Han will continue as a permanent ensemble member at Zurich Opera, where she will appear in a wide-ranging repertoire.

Marie Lombard, soprano, studied at the Paris Conservatory and in Rennes with Stéphanie d’Oustrac, and took masterclasses with Anne Sofie von Otter, Stéphane Degout, Inva Mula, Sylvie Valayre, and Mariella Devia. She was awarded the “Prix Jeune Espoir” at the First International Competition for Young Singers of the Grand Opéra d’Avignon, as well as prizes at the “Corsica lirica” International Singing Competition and the Academy Prize of the International Saxon Academy of Singers. She also won third prize at the Marmande International Singing Competition. In 2023, she was a semi-finalist at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. To date, she has performed roles such as Inès (La favorite) at the Opéra National de Bordeaux, Belinda (Dido and Aeneas) at the Opéra de Rennes and in Bordeaux, Eurydice (Orfeo ed Euridice) at the Théâtre des Étoiles in Paris, Adèle (Die Fledermaus) in a production of the Paris Conservatory and the Philharmonie de Paris, Coraline (Adolphe Adam’s Le toréador) at the Opéra de Rennes, and First Lady (Die Zauberflöte) at the Opéra d’Angers-Nantes. The 2024/25 season will take her to the Auditorio de Tenerife as Najade/Nymph (Ariadne auf Naxos), as well as to the Opéra de Monaco as a member of Cecilia Bartoli’s academy. She is currently a member of the International Opera Studio at Zurich Opera House.

Sylwia Salamońska, soprano, studied with Wojciech Maciejowski in Poznań. During her studies, she performed roles such as Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), and Zosia (Stanisław Moniuszko’s The Spectres). In the 2023/24 season, she was part of the Opera Academy Young Talent Development Programme at the Polish National Opera in Warsaw, where she made her debut as First Companion of Dirce in Luigi Cherubini’s Medea. She also sang Frasquita (Carmen) at the Baltic Opera in Gdańsk. In 2024, she appeared alongside Luca Pisaroni at the “Stars and Rising Stars” Festival in Munich. She is a prizewinner of numerous international competitions, including the Halina Słonicka International Singing Competition in Poland (1st prize), the 21st Juventus Canti International Singing Competition in Vráble, Slovakia (3rd prize and special award), the Riccardo Zandonai International Singing Competition in Riva del Garda (finalist), and the Mikuláš Schneider-Trnavský International Singing Competition in Trnava, Slovakia (finalist). From the 2024/25 season, Sylwia Salamońska will be a member of the International Opera Studio at the Zurich Opera House.