School of Rock
Random article All articles A–Z
2 languages

Christine Schäfer

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Christine Schäfer was born in Frankfurt in 1965 and is a German operatic soprano. From 1984 to 1991 she studied at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin, with Aribert Reimann and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, among others, and attended masterclasses with Arleen Augér and Sena Jurinac. After her studies she sang at the opera house in Innsbruck. In 1993 she made her American debut as Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier in San Francisco. In 1995 she made her mark at the Salzburg Festival in the title role of Berg's Lulu, a part she later also sang at the Metropolitan Opera and at Glyndebourne.

Music and breakthrough

Her repertoire runs from Baroque operas and Bach cantatas to the great Mozart roles, such as Konstanze, Cherubino and Pamina. She also sang modern works such as Pierrot Lunaire and Pli selon pli, which she recorded with Pierre Boulez. Her recordings further include songs by Robert Schumann, with which she won a Gramophone Award in 1997, songs by Schubert, including Winterreise, and songs by Chausson and Debussy. Early recordings are Messe h-Moll from 1994 and Der Freischütz from 1996. In 1998 she recorded a recital of Mozart and Richard Strauss with Claudio Abbado. In 2014 she took a sabbatical that was later extended indefinitely.

Influence

Since 2015 she has been professor of voice at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin. Her voice is clear and agile, and she combines dramatic power with precision in song interpretation. She shows that an opera singer can also be at home in small, intimate songs.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a Schumann song in her performance and notice how softly and precisely she shapes each phrase, with only a piano beside her. Try to hear how the words guide the melody.

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists