Ann Petersen

INTRODUCTION

Soprano Ann Petersen has established a distinguished international career, appearing at many of the world’s leading opera houses and concert venues. She is particularly noted for her critically acclaimed performances in the German repertoire, with a strong focus on the works of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss.

RECENT AND FUTURE ENGAGEMENTS

Ann Petersen’s future engagements include (a.o.) Sieglinde in Die Walküre at the Korea National Opera in Seoul.

In the 2025/26 season, she performed the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier at the Royal Danish Opera.

In the 2024/25 season, Ann Petersen portrayed Ariadne in Ariadne auf Naxos at the Israeli National Opera in Tel Aviv, Minnie in La Fanciulla del West at Teatro Comunale di Bologna, and Soprano 1 in Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with Teatro Nacional de São Carlos in Lisbon, Portugal.

In the 2023/24 season, she was a soprano soloist in Vier Letzte Lieder and performed as the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier (semi-staged version) with Taiwan Philharmonic, as Ariadne in Ariadne auf Naxos at the Royal Danish Opera, and in New Year’s Gala Concerts at the Royal Danish Opera.

In the 2022/23 season, she took the stage as Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle with the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Isolde in Tristan und Isolde with Aix-En-Provence in Luxembourg, a concert of Wagner/Holmès with Orchestre National de Metz at the Philharmonie de Paris, and Wagner’s Isoldes Liebestod in concert at Teatro Nacional de São Carlos. Earlier in the season, she made her role debut as Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle with Adam Fischer and Dresdner Philharmonie.

In the 2021/22 season, she made her debut as Tosca at the Royal Danish Opera, where she also appeared as Sieglinde in Die Walküre. She also performed the title role in Salome with Claus Gut and Sokhiev at the Bolshoi Theatre and Leonore in Fidelio at Teatr Wielki in Warsaw.

In the 2020/21 season, Ann Petersen performed the title role in Salome with Claus Gut and Sokhiev at the Bolshoi Theatre and Ariadne in Ariadne auf Naxos with Katie Mitchell and Lawrence Renes, with Aix-En-Provence in Luxembourg.

BIOGRAPHY

Ann Petersen’s repertoire encompasses some of the most demanding roles of the dramatic and late-Romantic canon. Her signature roles include Isolde in Tristan und Isolde, Sieglinde in Die Walküre, Ariadne in Ariadne auf Naxos and the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier. Other notable roles include Senta in Der fliegende Holländer, Elisabeth in Tannhäuser, Elsa in Lohengrin, Turandot, Minnie in La fanciulla del West and Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle.

Ann Petersen has appeared at leading opera houses including the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Teatro alla Scala, Bolshoi Theatre, Staatsoper Berlin, Teatro Real Madrid, Wiener Staatsoper, Opéra Bastille in Paris, La Monnaie, NCPA Beijing, the Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen and Opéra de Lyon, as well as in Dresden, Turin and Monte Carlo and at Chorégies d’Orange.

On the concert platform, she has performed with and at the Dresden Philharmonie, Radio France in Paris, Orchestre National de Metz, Taiwan Philharmonic Orchestra, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Wiener Musikverein and Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, as well as in Luxembourg.

Between 2015 and 2026, Ann Petersen has collaborated with many notable conductors. Her work with Daniel Barenboim has included Lohengrin and Tannhäuser, while collaborations with Christian Thielemann have encompassed Das Rheingold and a Wagner Gala. She has worked with Juraj Valčuha on Tristan und Isolde, Antonio Pappano on Das Rheingold, Gianandrea Noseda on Der fliegende Holländer, and Kirill Petrenko on Tristan und Isolde and Die Walküre. Further collaborations include Adam Fischer in Bluebeard’s Castle and Der Rosenkavalier, Alain Altinoglu in Tristan und Isolde, Alexander Vedernikov in Turandot, Philippe Jordan in Die tote Stadt, Fidelio, Der Rosenkavalier and Don Carlos, and Kent Nagano in Lohengrin and an R. Strauss concert.

She has worked with stage directors including Stefan Herheim, La Fura dels Baus, Mariusz Treliński, José Cura, Ralf Pleger, Katie Mitchell, Claus Guth, Sasha Waltz, Peter Konwitschny and Paul Curran.

Ann Petersen was educated at the Royal Academy of Music and The Opera Academy at the Royal Theatre Copenhagen.

She has been nominated three times as Singer of the Year by the Reumert Committee and received the Axel Schiøtz Prize 2023 for outstanding performance in the art of Lied and opera. She has also been honoured as Knight of the 1st Class by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II.