Lyric Coloratura - General Management
Soprano Rebecca Nelsen, a native of Texas, appeared last season (2010/11) at the Semperoper Dresden as Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro) , made a house debut with Oper Köln as Blondchen, and went on tour with this production in Irak. She was also heard at the Vienna Volksoper as Gretel, and made her USA debut as a soloist with the Pittsburgh Symphony conducted by Manfred Honeck with the Adele arias from Die Fledermaus in November.
In January and February 2011 Ms. Nelsen debuted the role of Marzellina in Fidelio at the Teatro Communale Bolzano and in Ravenna (cond. Gustav Kuhn). In Spring 2011 Ms. Nelsen also performed in a staged production of Bernstein’s Mass with the Neue Oper Wien and the Osterklang Festival in Vienna.
In June 2011 the artist made her UK debut with Garsington Opera to rave reviews as Fiorilla in Rossini’s Turco in Italia. Highlights for 2011/12 include a return to the Semperoper Dresden as Violetta and as the Daughter in Hindemith's Cardillac, as well as Blondchen at the Bayerische Staatsoper for her debut with that theater. In spring 2012 the artist will appear in the leading role of Mama Dolorosa at the prestigious Munich Biennale, and in fall 2011 also makes her debut with the Aalto Theater Essen as Olympia in a new production of Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann and as Sophie in Strauss' Die Rosenkavalier.
In summer 2010 the young artist appeared as a guest at the Third Schloss Laudon Chamber Music Festival in Vienna, where she sang song cycles of composer Walter Arlen, to be issued on CD on the Gramola label. She also appeared in Carmina Burana in Braunschweig. 2009/2010 began with important debuts at Teatro La Fenice as Violetta in 3 performances in the Robert Carsen revival of La Traviata. In October the artist also made a role debut in the new Homoki production of La Traviata at the Semperoper Dresden conducted by Fabio Luisi. Other engagements for the 2009/10 season at the Semperoper Dresden included her debut as Susanna and Blondchen, and at the Vienna Volksoper a revival of Künnike’s Vetter aus Dingsda(Julia de Waart), where the soprano celebrated a major success in 2008/9.
During a two-year ensemble contract in Braunschweig, Germany where Ms. Nelsen appeared in many productions, a turning point in the career of the young soprano occurred with her debut at the Semperoper as Adele in November 2008. She was immediately re-engaged for the following season and also appeared in summer 2009 as Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier alongside Camilla Nylund and Antigone Palpoulkas in a performance conducted by Fabio Luisi.
Ms. Nelsen has appeared in highly prestigious venues including the Kawasaki and Biwako Halls in Japan, and the Volksoper and Musikverein in Vienna. She studied Voice at Texas Tech University and in 2003 won a Fulbright Scholarship to study at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, Austria. She has won multiple prizes in international vocal competitions including Best Soprano and 3rd prize in the International Ferrucio Tagliavini Competition and 1st Prize in the International Nico Dostal Operetta Competition.
Her European debut took place with John Casken’s God’s Liar at the Vienna Klangbogen Festival in 2004. The international press received her premiere with much enthusiasm: "A discovery of the evening, which was offered in the English-language and received with thunderous applause, was the young soprano Rebecca Nelsen. A talented actress who also vocally leaves no wish unfulfilled.” In 2005 the artist celebrated critically-acclaimed premiers as Eurydice in Orfeo by Monteverdi/Chech with the Neue Oper Wien and as Flora in the Klangbogen production of Michael Tippett’s The Knot Garden. Later that year, she had great success as Pamina in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte throughout Japan. In 2006, Ms. Nelsen sang Pamina in Thomas Pernes’ Zauberflöte ‘06 for the Vienna Mozart Year as well as Gretl in Erik Hoksgaard’s Don Juan kommt aus dem Krieg with the Neue Oper Wien and the Angel/Larissa in Richard Dünser’s Radek at the Bregenzer Festspiele. She also sang Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte in Vienna in cooperation with the Vienna Mozart Year.