Dénise Beck

Dénise Beck is a charming lyric soprano with a nice, warm, and yet crystal-clear tone.

She has performed on stages such as Volksoper Wien, Salzburger Landestheater, Royal Opera Copenhagen, Oper Klosterneuburg Vienna, Konzerthaus Wien, Musikverein Wien, Bregenzer Festspiele, Wigmore Hall London, Teatro Nacional de Brasil, OperaCity Tokyo, Bunkan Kaikan Tokyo, Den Nye Opera Bergen Norway, The Concerthall Copenhagen, the Radiohall Copenhagen, The Royal Danish Opera, The Danish National Opera, Den Norske Opera Oslo and Opera Hedeland Denmark.

RECENT AND FUTURE ENGAGEMENTS

Most recent and future engagements include:

• Anna/Brothers with The Icelandic Opera on tour to the Copenhagen Opera Festival;
• Olympia/Antonia/Stella/Giulietta in The Tales of Hoffmann at the NorrlandsOpera (Umeå) and at Göteborgsoperan;
• Leonora/Maskarade, Pamina/Die Zauberflöte, Valencienne/Die lustige Witwe, Musetta/La bohème and a soprano in Great Mass in C minor, K. 427 at the Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen;
• Zdenka/Arabella (concert) w. Constantin Trinks and Crystal Pite: Light of Passage (Gorecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs) at the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet, Oslo;
• the title role in Tosca at Folkoperan Stockholm;
• Elvira/L’italiana in Algeri at the NorrlandsOpera;
• Röschen/Dornröschen by Humperdinck at Theater und Orchester Neubrandenburg / Neustrelitz;
• Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 w. the Copenhagen Phil;
• a New Year’s Concert w. Aalborg Symfoniorkester;
• concerts w. Aarhus Symfoniorkester (Canteloupe’s Chants d’Auvergne, Nielsen’s Symphony No. 3, a Danish Opera Gala);
• Haydn’s Nelson Mass w. the Arctic Philharmonic;
• Carmina Burana w. the DR Symphony Orchestra;
• Haydn’s The Seasons w. Le Concert des Nations in Madrid;
• Syng Højt: Troldeprinsessen – a children’s opera on tour in Denmark.

BIOGRAPHY

Dénise Beck’s engagements in the recent years include Grethe/Hans og Grethe at Norwegian National Opera, Elverskud/Gade with Schønwandt and Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, ‘Radial System’ with the Zafraan Ensemble in Berlin and Basel, Carl Nielsen’s Symphony 3 with BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Sidi in Kuhlau’s Lulu at Copenhagen Royal Opera, Adina/L’ elisir d’ Amore at Danish National Opera in Aarhus, Anna/Brothers at the Danish National Opera staged by Kasper Holten, Bach/B Minor Mass with the Copenhagen Royal Chapel Chour, the soprano part in the opera La Douce by Emmanuel Nunes at Berliner Staatsoper and Mozart concert at The Royal Library Copenhagen. Also among others: Musetta/La bohème and Bertha/Il barbiere di Siviglia in Heidenheim, Matthäus Passion with Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir, Papagena/Die Zauberflöte at Bregenzer Festspiele, Fiordiligi/Cosi fan Tutte at Opera Hedeland, Leonora/Maskerade with Concertgebouw, Pamina/Die Zauberflöte at Den Norske Opera and Mahler’s 4th Symphony with Michael Schönwandt in Copenhagen as well as Adele/Fledermaus and Amanda/Le Grand Macabre at The Royal Opera in Copenhagen, concerts with Aalborg Symphony Orchestra.

While finishing her studies in the Lied-class in Vienna, Dénise Beck was accepted at the Royal Academy of Music in Copenhagen in their post-grad program. There she studied with Professor Kirsten Buhl-Møller, Ulrich Stærk, Mikael Eliasen and Bo Skovhus. After only three and a half years in Vienna (in 2008) she had her debut at the Volksoper Wien as Komtesse Anastasia in Die Csardasfürstin by Kalman. Shortly hereafter she performed as Blondchen/Die Entführung aus dem Serail at the Salzburger Landestheater.

In 2012 she performed Zerlina/Don Giovanni and Alena (the main role of Orpheus 68 – a new opera composed by Paul Schwarz from New York). She also recorded the main role of Suzon in Schierbeck’s Fête Galante with among others Michael Schønwandt, Bo Skovhus and Morten Frank Larsen.

On stage she performed the roles of Pamina/Zauberflöte, Fiordiligi/Cosi fan Tutte, Zerlina/Don Giovanni, Musetta/La bohème, Carolina/Il matrimonio Segreto, Blondchen/ Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Sofie Scholl/Die Weiße Rose, Morgana/Alcina, Frasquita/Carmen, Grethel/Hänsel und Grethel at The Royal Opera in Denmark. In 2015 was released a CD-recording with the Danish Symphony Orchestra of Carl Nielsen´s Maskerade with Dénise Beck in the role of Leonora.

Apart from opera, Dénise Beck is a renowned oratorial singer. She has performed as soloist in the C minor mass by Mozart, Carmina Burana by Carl Orff, Beethovens 9th Symphony, Gloria by Poulenc, the B minor mass by Bach, and many other masses and cantatas by Haydn, Mozart and Händel. She has performed in concert with the Strauss Ensemble der Wiener Symfoniker, with whom she released a CD in 2012. In 2015 she also released a  Unknown Nielsen CD published with Johan Reuter.

Another interest of Dénise Beck is contemporary music (operas, masses, lieder…). She has thus performed at the Tiroler Festspiele in a new mass by Christoph Cech, which was broadcasted on Ö1 (The National Radio in Austria). She also performed at the Konzerthaus Wien with songs for soprano and orchestra by the swedish composer Fredrik Bobr. She has performed with ensemble Zafraan in Berlin and (among others) performed pieces by Nicolai Worsaae, György Ligeti and Martin Hiendl.

AWARDS

Dénise Beck has received several Prizes such as: Aalborg Opera Prize 2017, Else Brems Prize 2015, The Inga Nielsen Prize, the Talent Award of the Danish National Radio 2011 and was announced Sonning Laureate 2012. She was also was awarded the 1st prize in the Danish competition Young Singers in 2004, just before she was accepted at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna. She studied with Professor Franz Lukasovsky, Sir Charles Spencer and Istvan Bonyhadi.

Dénise Beck has received the Axel Schiøtz Prize 2016 for her interpretation of and dedication to the Lied-Genre.

On December 3rd, 2021 Dénise Beck was knighted by Her Majesty The Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and now bears the title ‘Knight of Dannebrog’.