Monster's Paradise

The Belgian soprano Sarah Defrise was named Young Musician of the Year in 2022 by the Belgian Press Association. She studied singing at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and at the École normale de musique de Paris, having previously studied Romance languages and acting. Early on, she made a name for herself in the field of contemporary music. Her debut in 2021 at La Monnaie in Brussels as the Teenager in "Is this the end?" by Jean-Luc Fafchamps marked the beginning of her international career. In the 2021/22 season, she sang The Girl in Péter Eötvös’s "Sleepless" at the Staatsoper Berlin and at the Grand Théâtre de Genève. There, as well as at the Nouvel Opéra Fribourg, she also appeared in Eötvös’s "The Golden Dragon", and in Fribourg additionally as Mélisande in Nicholas Stücklin’s opera of the same name. She made her debut at Teatro Real Madrid as Zdenka in Strauss’s "Arabella". At La Monnaie, she appeared in Fafchamps’s trilogy "Here’s the Woman" and as Naomi in Bernard Foccroulle’s opera "Cassandra", which was revived in Berlin in 2025. Further engagements took her as Zerlina ("Don Giovanni") to the Opéra Royal de Wallonie, as the Virgin in Schumann’s "Paradise and the Peri" to the Theater an der Wien, and as Suzanne in Offenbach’s "Robinson Crusoe" to the Komische Oper Berlin. In concert, she performed in Górecki’s 3rd Symphony with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège and appeared at the Ligeti 100 Festival in Budapest in 2023. With her solo program "I Hate New Music!", Sarah Defrise recently performed at the Nouvel Opéra de Fribourg, at La Monnaie, and at the Théâtre des Martyrs in Brussels. Her discography includes the solo album "For Cathy", a tribute to the singer Cathy Berberian.

Sylvie Rohrer, born in Bern, studied at the acting academy in Zurich. Her first engagements took her to the Schauspielhaus Zurich, from 1992 to 1995 to the Schauspielhaus Dortmund, and from 1995 to 1999 to the Thalia Theater in Hamburg. In 1995 she was named “Best Emerging Actress” by the magazine Theater heute; in 1996 she received the Boy Gobert Prize and was again voted “Best Emerging Actress” in the same year. Since 1999, Sylvie Rohrer has been a member of the ensemble of the Vienna Burgtheater. There she has worked with directors such as Barbara Frey, Johan Simons, Ulrich Rasche, Adena Jacobs, Martin Kušej, and Bastian Kraft. For her portrayal of Medea as well as for Elfriede Jelinek’s “Über  Tiere,” she received the Nestroy Theatre Prize in the category “Best Actress” in 2007. Guest engagements took her, among others, to the Berliner Ensemble for Robert Wilson’s evening “Shakespeare’s Sonnets,” “Mass für Mass” directed by Claus Peymann, as well as Philip Tiedemann’s two-person play “Die schönen Tage von Aranjuez.” At the Salzburg Festival she appeared in Henry Purcell’s “King Arthur” in 2004 and in Jean Racine’s “Phaedra” in 2010. In 2026 she will return to Salzburg in “Jedermann.” Sylvie Rohrer also appears in readings as well as in film and television roles. In 2019, she was named “Actress of the Year” by the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation for the radio play “Because the Sea Is Always Before Love.” She has also appeared internationally as a speaker in concert projects such as “Pierrot Lunaire,” “Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher,” “Perséphone,” and most recently in the world premiere of René Staar’s “Schwarzer Schnee” at the Tonhalle Düsseldorf.

Kristina Stanek is originally from Krefeld and studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Since the 2020/21 season, she has been a member of the ensemble at the Staatsoper Hamburg; previously, she was part of the ensembles at Theater Basel, Staatstheater Karlsruhe, and Theater Trier. Her repertoire includes roles such as Princess Eboli (Don Carlos), Azucena (Il trovatore), Brangäne (Tristan und Isolde), Carmen, Second Norn (Götterdämmerung), Concepción (L'Heure espagnole), Maddalena (Rigoletto), Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), as well as Soprano 4 in Luigi Nono’s Al gran sole carico d'amore, Mary Shelley in Michael Wertmüller’s Diodati. Unendlich, and Veronica Quaife in The Fly by Howard Shore. Guest engagements have taken her to the Staatsoper Berlin, Semperoper Dresden, Staatsoper Stuttgart, the Ruhrtriennale, and the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, among others. Recent highlights include her house debut as Carmen at the Staatsoper Stuttgart, her role debut as Azucena at the Staatsoper Hamburg, as well as a return as Azucena in Stuttgart. At the beginning of the 2024/25 season, she made her debut as Brangäne at the Grand Théâtre de Genève. This season, she also sings Azucena and Federica (Luisa Miller) at the Staatsoper Hamburg and will debut as Kundry (Parsifal) at the Glyndebourne Festival.

Ruth Rosenfeld wurde in Los Angeles geboren und wuchs in New York sowie in Tel Aviv auf. Sie lernte zunächst E-Bass und absolvierte anschliessend ein Gesangsstudium an der Rubin Academy of Music in Tel Aviv sowie an der Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin. Noch während des Studiums wurde sie Ensemble-Mitglied an der Berliner Volksbühne. Gastengagements führten sie bisher u.a. in die Berliner Philharmonie, ans Manchester Opera House, das Theater Basel, Musiktheater am Revier Gelsenkirchen, Staatstheater Braunschweig, zu den Bregenzer Festspielen, an die Oper Prag, die Vlaamse Opera Gent, das Lucerne Festival, das Königliche Dänische Theater in Kopenhagen, das Théâtre National in Brüssel, Théâtre de l’Odéon in Paris sowie ans Schauspielhaus Zürich. Als Spezialistin für zeitgenössische Musik wirkte sie bei Uraufführungen u.a. von Werken Morton Subotnicks, Bernhard Langs, Lucia Ronchettis, Bernhard Ganders und Michael Wertmüllers mit. Dabei arbeitete sie mit RegisseurInnen wie Frank Castorf, David Marton, Cordula Däuper, Mirella Weingarten, Dimiter Gotscheff, Jette Steckel und Herbert Fritsch sowie mit renommierten Künstlern wie Keren Cytter, Anri Sala und Douglas Gordon zusammen. In der aktuellen Spielzeit ist sie u.a. an der Staatsoper Hamburg (Weine nicht, singe), am Theater Basel (Bound to hurt) und an der Berliner Volksbühne (der die mann) zu erleben.

Georg Nigl was born in Vienna. He was a boy soprano with the Vienna Boys’ Choir and later studied voice with Hilde Zadek. Guest engagements have taken him to the Staatsoper Berlin, the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, the Vienna State Opera, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam, Théâtre de La Monnaie in Brussels, and the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, as well as to the Salzburg and Aix-en-Provence Festivals, the Ruhrtriennale, and the Wiener Festwochen. His repertoire includes roles such as Papageno (The Magic Flute), Don Alfonso (Così fan tutte), Nekrotzar (Le Grand Macabre), and the title roles in Le nozze di Figaro, L’Orfeo, Wozzeck, Jakob Lenz, Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, and Manfred Trojahn’s Orest. Georg Nigl has earned particular recognition not only as a soloist in numerous world premieres, but also as a driving force behind new compositions and publications, including works by Friedrich Cerha, Pascal Dusapin, Georg Friedrich Haas, Wolfgang Mitterer, Olga Neuwirth, and Wolfgang Rihm. In 2015, he was named Singer of the Year by Opernwelt magazine. Highlights of recent seasons include the world premiere of Beat Furrer’s Violetter Schnee at the Staatsoper Berlin and a concert performance of Wolfgang Rihm’s Jakob Lenz at the Salzburg Festival. In the 2024/25 season, he will appear as Clov (Kurtág’s Fin de partie), as Ulisse and Eisenstein (Die Fledermaus) at the Vienna State Opera, in the title role of Gordon Kampe’s Despot at the Hamburg State Opera, as Eisenstein and Don Alfonso at the Bavarian State Opera, and as Klingsor (Parsifal) at the Tirol Festival in Erl.

Robin Adams wurde in England geboren und studierte Gesang, Klavier und Violoncello in England und Wien. 2011 debütierte er an der Mailänder Scala als Valmont in der Uraufführung des Zweipersonenstücks Quartett von Luca Francesconi. Die Produktion wurde seitdem u.a. bei den Wiener Festwochen, am Royal Opera House London, am Gran Teatre de Liceu in Barcelona, in der Cité de la Musique in Paris, beim Holland Festival Amsterdam, an der Opéra de Lille, am Opernhaus Dortmund und der Casa de Música in Porto gezeigt. Als Ensemblemitglied am Stadttheater Bern war er u.a. als Don Giovanni, Eugen Onegin, Kurwenal (Tristan und Isolde), Nick Shadow (The Rake’s Progress), Conte d’Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Enrico (Lucia di Lammermoor), Balstrode (Peter Grimes), Ford (Falstaff) und als Papageno zu erleben. Am Landestheater Linz trat er als Dandini in La cenerentola, als Wolfram in Tannhäuser und als Guglielmo in Così fan tutte auf. Am Theater Basel war er als Oronte in Charpentiers Médée, am Theater Augsburg als Wozzeck und am Theater Freiburg als Prior Walter in Angels in America zu erleben. Am Théâtre du Châtelet Paris sang er in Henzes Die Bassariden, an der Staatsoper Stuttgart die Titelfigur in Henzes Der Prinz von Homburg. Als Interpret von zeitgenössischer Musik wirkte er am La Monnaie Brüssel in The Lighthouse von Peter Maxwell Davies sowie in Triumph of Spirit over Matter von Wim Henderickx mit, in Boesmans Winter’s Tale am Liceu Barcelona sowie in Leonce and Lena von Christian Henking am Theater Bern. Als Konzertsänger interpretierte er u. a. Zemlinskys Lyrische Symphonie mit dem Moscow Symphony Orchestra und Bachs Magnificat mit dem English Chamber Orchestra am Barbican in London.

Anna Clementi, born in Lugano, studied flute, acting, and singing in Rome. In 1986, she moved to the Berlin University of the Arts, where she studied experimental vocal music and music theatre. She worked closely with Dieter Schnebel and his ensemble Die Maulwerker. Anna Clementi’s repertoire is notable for its wide range, spanning contemporary acoustic works, music theatre, electroacoustic music, and club music. A central focus of her work is the music of John Cage. In 2019, she took on the role of Narrator in Olga Neuwirth’s “Orlando” at the Vienna State Opera, and in 2022, the role of Bartleby in Neuwirth’s “The Outcast” at the Philharmonie de Paris.

Andrew Watts was born in Middlesex, Great Britain, and trained at the Royal Academy of Music. Engagements have taken the countertenor to the Royal Opera House London, the Glyndebourne Festival, La Scala in Milan, Teatro La Fenice in Venice, the Staatsoper Berlin, the Opéra de Lyon, and to festivals in Salzburg, Bregenz, Lucerne, Aldeburgh, Edinburgh, and the Ruhrtriennale. As Edgar in Reimann’s "Lear" he appeared at the Staatsoper Hamburg, the Opéra de Paris, the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, and Teatro Real Madrid. His repertoire includes roles such as Ottone ("Agrippina"), Athamas ("Semele"), Arsamene ("Xerxes"), Oberon ("A Midsummer Night’s Dream"), Prince Go-Go ("Le Grand Macabre"), Baba the Turk ("The Rake’s Progress"), and Orlofsky ("Die Fledermaus"). Andrew Watts has also appeared in world premieres by composers including Olga Neuwirth, Harrison Birtwistle, Jörg Widmann, and Unsuk Chin. Most recently, he performed in Olga Neuwirth’s "Keyframes for a Hippogriff" with the New York Philharmonic, as Orlofsky at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, and in Unsuk Chin’s "Alice in Wonderland" at the Theater an der Wien.

Ruben Drole, bass-baritone, is a native of Winterthur and studied at the Zurich University of Music. In 2004 he joined the International Opera Studio, and in 2005 he became a member of the ensemble of the Zurich Opera House, where he appeared, among others, as Lucio Cinna (J. C. Bach’s "Lucio Silla"), Haly ("L’italiana in Algeri"), Argante ("Rinaldo"), Wurm ("Luisa Miller"), and as Papageno in "Die Zauberflöte" conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt. He also made his debut as Papageno at the Semperoper Dresden in 2015. Further projects with Harnoncourt included Kezal ("Die verkaufte Braut") and Haydn’s "Schöpfung" at the Styriarte Graz, Beethoven’s "Christus am Ölberge" in Vienna and Lucerne, a Japan tour (Mozart’s "Requiem" and Handel’s "Messiah"), as well as Leporello ("Don Giovanni") at the Theater an der Wien. In the Zurich cycle of the Mozart/Da Ponte operas staged by Sven-Eric Bechtolf and conducted by Franz Welser-Möst, he performed as Guglielmo ("Così fan tutte"), Figaro ("Le nozze di Figaro"), and Leporello. He sang the same roles under Welser-Möst with the Cleveland Orchestra. At the Salzburg Festival in 2012 he appeared as Achilla ("Giulio Cesare") and returned in 2013 for Haydn’s "Il ritorno di Tobia" and Walter Braunfels’ "Scenes from the Life of Joan of Arc". In Zurich he has sung, among others, Papageno ("Die Zauberflöte"), Alaskawolfjoe ("Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny"), the Soldier ("The Soldier’s Tale"), Odysseus ("The Odyssey"), Antonio ("Le nozze di Figaro"), as well as Duchess/Caterpillar in "Alice in Wonderland". He was also recently seen in "Amerika" and in the ballet evening "Nachtträume".

Der Schweizer Schlagzeuger und Perkussionist Lucas Niggli gilt als einer der interessantesten Drummer in der europäischen Szene zeitgenössischer Musik und musiziert im Grenzbereich von improvisierter und komponierter Musik. Mit verschiedenen Formationen tourt Lucas Niggli weltweit. Er ist gerngesehener Gast an den grossen Jazz Festivals in Vancouver, Berlin, Willisau, Saalfelden, Moers, Rom, Nürnberg, Capetown oder Zürich. Ebenso spielt er an grossen Festivals für zeitgenössische Musik wie Donaueschingen, Huddersfield (UK), Ultima Oslo (N) und MaerzMusik Berlin (D). Zu seinen aktuellen Formationen gehören Steamboat Switzerland, Biondini - Godard – Niggli, Kalo Yele (mit Aly Keïta) und das Duo mit dem Sänger Andreas Schaerer. Lucas Niggli führt regelmässig Werke zeitgenössischer Komponisten wie David Dramm, Michael Wertmüller, Sam Hayden, Felix Profos, Mauricio Kagel, John Cage und andere auf. In seinen Bands und Projekten arbeitete Lucas Niggli Hand in Hand mit grossen Musiker/innen wie Barry Guy, Pierre Favre, Butch Morris, Trevor Watts, Fred Frith, John Cale, Sylvie Courvoisier, Hans Koch, Peter Waters, Samul Nori, Xu Fengxia, Tom Cora, Ikue Mori, Michel Wintsch, Collegium Novum, Erika Stucky, Jacques Demierre, Arkadij Shilklopper, Jean-Luis Matinier, Irene Schweizer, Wu Wei, Phil Minton, ARTE Quartet, Flea, Andreas Schaerer und vielen anderen mehr. Lucas Niggli komponierte Werke für Chor, Orchester und kleinere Ensembles und ist als Dozent an der Zürcher Hochschule der Künste (ZHdK) tätig. Seine Diskographie umfasst 50 Titel, davon 17 CDs als Leader und Komponist, zumeist auf dem Label INTAKT Records.

Seth Josel, born in New York, USA, studied at the Manhattan School of Music and Yale University. As a soloist, he performs in Europe, Japan, the USA, and Canada. He appears with orchestras and ensembles including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, the Süddeutscher Rundfunk Choir, Staatskapelle Berlin, the Boulez Ensemble, and the Schönberg Ensemble Amsterdam, and has participated in festivals such as the Salzburg Festival, Ars Musica, Donaueschingen, the Holland Festival, the Munich Biennale, and the South Bank Festival London. From 1991 to 2000, he was a permanent member of musikFabrik. He has worked with conductors including Simon Rattle, Zubin Mehta, Kirill Petrenko, Marek Janowski, Vladimir Jurowski, Jonathan Nott, and Iván Fischer.