Lise Davidsen

Lise Davidsen has signed an exclusive recording contract with Decca Classics, it was announced on 15 May 2018. Davidsen releases her debut for the label in early 2019 performing Strauss Four Last Songs and arias from Ariadne auf Naxos and Wagner Tannhäuser.

Davidsen is the first Scandinavian dramatic soprano to sign to Decca since Birgit Nilsson, whose centenary is celebrated this year. She is also the first Norwegian singer to join the label since her compatriot Kirsten Flagstad made her acclaimed late recordings for Decca in the 1950s.

On signing to the label, Davidsen said: “I’m delighted to begin my recording career with Decca – a label which is home to many amazing singers who I admire. I’m looking forward to performing some of my favourite vocal repertoire and sharing my love of music with a wider audience.”

Dr Alexander Buhr, Managing Director of Decca Classics, said: “Lise Davidsen is a remarkable talent. Her astonishing voice, incredible musicianship and commanding stage presence make for truly spine-tingling performances. Decca has a history of nurturing and documenting many of the greatest voices of the last century and we are proud and happy to open a new chapter of that story with Lise.”

The announcement was made at an exclusive Decca event at London's iconic St Pancras Renaissance Hotel where the label also announced the signing of saxophonist Jess Gillam and composer Rebecca Dale. Click here to watch a video of Davidsen performing at the event.

The Edinburgh International Festival announced the programme for this year's edition on 15 March 2018, and as ever there is a strong Intermusica presence at the festival. Highlights include concerts from Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony as part of their first overseas tour in 13 years, a tribute to Thea Musgrave from Martyn Brabbins and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, and Carlos Miguel Prieto and the YOA Youth Orchestra of the Americas, as well as recitals from the Pavel Haas Quartet and Roger Vignoles.

Richard Egarr and the Academy of Ancient Music return to the festival this year for a concert of Vivaldi and Telemann with Nicola Benedetti on 4 August. Egarr leads the ensemble from the harpsichord and is the soloist for Vivaldi's A major Concerto.

Carlos Miguel Prieto brings the Youth Orchestra of the Americas to Edinburgh for a performance with pianist Gabriela Montero on 7 August. Prieto conducts a programme of Chávez Sinfonia india, Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1 and Copland Symphony No.3.

Martyn Brabbins joins forces with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Edinburgh Festival Chorus on 9 August to celebrate the 90th birthday of composer Thea Musgrave. Brabbins conducts the Scottish premiere of Musgrave's Turbulent Landscapes, a journey through six Turner land and seascapes, and Vaughan Williams A Sea Symphony.

Lise Davidsen travels to Edinburgh for her festival debut on 16 August. Davidsen joins Vasily Petrenko and the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra to sing orchestral songs by Strauss, including "Cäcilie" and "Wiegenlied". Davidsen sang the same works with the orchestra in Oslo earlier this season and also recently joined them for Strauss Four Last Songs.

Roger Vignoles returns to Edinburgh, this time with soprano Dorothea Röschmann on 21 August. Vignoles accompanies Röschmann in a programme of Romantic songs by Schubert, Schumann, Beethoven and Wolf.

The Pavel Haas Quartet returns to the festival on 22 August to perform two landmark quartets: Schubert String Quartet No.13 'Rosamunde' and Ravel String Quartet. Shostakovich String Quartet No.7 completes the programme.

James Ehnes reunites with Stephen Osborne on 23 August for a recital at the Queen's Hall. Together they explore a programme of works by Brahms, Prokofiev, Debussy and Ravel. This is their second collaboration of the season after a critically acclaimed performance of Messiaen Quartet for the End of Time at the Southbank Centre's International Chamber Music Series.

Marin Alsop brings the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra to Edinburgh for two concerts celebrating Leonard Bernstein's centenary on 24 and 26 August. The first features three works associated with him as a performer: Stravinsky The Firebird, Gershwin Piano Concerto with Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Schumann Symphony No.2. The second concert opens with birthday tributes to Bernstein from Berio, John Corigliano and John Williams and features three of Bernstein's works: his Serenade performed by Nicola Benedetti, Symphonic Dances from West Side Story and Three Dance Episodes from On the Town.

Soprano Lise Lindstrom joins Daniel Harding and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra to perform Mahler Symphony No.8 on 26 August. The performance also features the Edinburgh Festival Chorus and the NYCoS National Girls Choir.

Lise Davidsen returns to Oslo this month for two performances of Richard Strauss’ Four Last Songs with the Oslo Phiharmonic Orchestra on 14 and 15 March 2018. Also on the programme for the concerts is the composer’s tone poem Tod und Verklärung. Davidsen also sang the Strauss' Op.27 Songs with the Oslo Philharmonic in February.

Davidsen returns to Strauss’ works again this summer when she sings the title role of Ariadne auf Naxos at this year’s Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, her debut at the festival.

Recent highlights for Davidsen include her debut at the Wiener Staatsoper in Ariadne auf Naxos and her Swedish debut in Beethoven’s famous Symphony No.9 with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic.

Lise Davidsen joins the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra on 8 February 2018 to perform Strauss’ Op. 27 songs under the baton of Vasily Petrenko. Davidsen is developing into a noted singer of Strauss, delivering critically acclaimed performances in the title role of Ariadne auf Naxos in debuts at Glyndebourne Festival Opera and the Wiener Staatsoper:

“The discovery of the evening was Lise Davidsen, who achieved an impressive title role in her state debut.”
Wiener Zeitung, November 2017

Elsewhere this month, Davidsen continues her artistic residency with the Bergen Philharmonic when she returns with pianist James Baillieu for an opera recital. She also joins the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra for Beethoven Symphony No.9. Other performances this season include a new production of Ariadne auf Naxos at Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Beethoven Symphony No.9 with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Vier Letzte Lieder with the Copenhagen Philharmonic.

Lise Davidsen continues her artistic residency with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra on 7 December 2017, performing in recital with pianist James Baillieu. Davidsen and Baillieu last performed together for Davidsen's critically acclaimed UK recital debut at Wigmore Hall in May:

“This Rosenblatt Recital brought [Lise Davidsen] to the Wigmore Hall for her UK recital debut...her pianissimo is a thing of dreams, for she has the confidence to stay the vibrato, her soprano so perfectly centred and secure that she can aim for, and achieve, absolute purity of sound…her soprano is not only hugely powerful, gloriously silken and richly glossy, it is also an incredibly ‘dramatic’ voice...by the close of the recital, one could sense how much Davidsen wants to sing, and sing, and her joy was both beguiling and infectious.”
Opera Today, May 2017

Recent highlights include debuts at Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Wiener Staatsoper in the title role of Ariadne auf Naxos and at the Wexford Festival in the title role of Cherubini’s Medea.

Davidsen continues her artistic residency with the Bergen Philharmonic in January when she joins the orchestra and Chief Conductor Edward Gardner to perform Sibelius Luonnotar and Wagner Wesendonck Lieder. Other performances this season include a new production of Ariadne auf Naxos at Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Beethoven Symphony No. 9 with the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra as well as Strauss Op. 27 songs with the Oslo Philharmonic.

Lise Davidsen makes her Wiener Staatsoper debut this month, returning to the title role of Ariadne auf Naxos on 23 November 2017. The production, which is directed by Sven-Eric Bechtolf, is Davidsen's third Ariadne of 2017 and follows her critically-acclaimed Glyndebourne Festival Opera debut as Ariadne:

"It will surely go down as one of those 'I was there' moments... it’s Davidsen who makes the splash: you may banish me to Naxos if she doesn’t become the most wanted Wagnerian soprano of her generation.”
The Times

“The sensation was the Ariadne of Lise Davidsen. The young Norwegian soprano’s voice, silken at the top, rich with deep mezzo colours, pours forth flawlessly as if in one clear, stupendous breath. It’s one of the greatest voices I have heard.”
Observer

Other performances this season include a new production of Ariadne auf Naxos at Festival d’Aix-en-Provence and an artistic residency with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. Other concert engagements include Beethoven Symphony No.9 with the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra as well as Strauss Op.27 songs with the Oslo Philharmonic.

Ariadne auf Naxos plays at the Wiener Staatsoper on 23, 26 and 29 November. Davidsen was recently profiled in the Washington Post - click here to read.

Lise Davidsen makes her latest role and house debut on 19 October 2017, singing the title role in Cherubini's rarely performed Medea at the Wexford Festival. This new production is directed by Fiona Shaw and conducted by Stephen Barlow.

Davidsen's recent debuts include her triumphant appearance at Glyndebourne in the title role of Ariadne auf Naxos as well as Agathe in a new production of Der Freischütz at Opernhaus Zürich, Isabella Das Liebesverbot at Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires, Santuzza Cavalleria Rusticana at Norwegian National Opera and her BBC Proms debut with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.

This season Davidsen makes two house debuts in the title role of Ariadne auf Naxos, at Wiener Staatsoper and Festival d'Aix-en-Provence. She also embarks upon an artistic residency with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. Other concert engagements include Beethoven Symphony No.9 with the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra as well as Strauss Op. 27 songs with the Oslo Philharmonic.

Performances of Medea run until 3 November 2017.

Lise Davidsen has been awarded the Norwegian Critics’ Association Music Award for 2016/17, it was announced on 28 September 2017. She was nominated for her performance in the title role of Richard Strauss Ariadne auf Naxos with the Arctic Philharmonic in March 2017. Announcing the award, Norwegian music critic Hilde Halvorsrød said:

“Lise Davidsen carried the whole show on her shoulders. The interesting thing about Richard Strauss’ Ariadne character is that the text does its best to make fun of her existential longing for a man who will never return, ending in an equally intense longing for death. Strauss writes in a gay group from a parallel story that tries to cheer her up and lets the loose figure of Zerbinetta try to persuade Ariadne to do as herself: just find a new man or two. But the music is always on Ariadne’s side, and Strauss does not put anything in between when he paints her pain. She is standing alone in her own world, faithful to love, and does not bend for anything. That is why the Music Prize Prize for the 2016/17 season is so well deserved by Lise Davidsen.”

Lise is also nominated for the Nordic Council Music Prize, which is awarded in alternate years and recognises outstanding Scandanavian musicians, ensembles and living composers. The winner is announced and the prize awarded in Finlandia Hall, Helsinki, on 1 November.

2017 marked another highly successful summer for Intermusica's artists, who gave critically acclaimed performances at festivals all over Europe. Read a small selection of reviews below.

Brett Dean's Hamlet received its world premiere at Glyndebourne in June and was greeted with universal acclaim. The Sunday Times called it "the operatic event of the year", while in a five star review the Times wrote that “Dean’s skill at creating a supercharged orchestral subtext to each scene is matched by his immense theatricality. Quite apart from his unerring pacing of the story, he also creates at least a dozen moments where sheer sonority alone sends shivers up the spine… The overall impression is of a richly imaginative composer at the top of his game.”

Lise Davidsen made a critically acclaimed UK operatic debut in the title role of Ariadne auf Naxos at Glyndebourne Festival Opera in June. Described as possessing "one of the greatest voices I have ever head" by the Observer, Davidsen's debut was described as "one of those 'I was there' moments" by the Times.

Joshua Weilerstein made an "auspicious" debut at the Proms on 19 July, conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra and his sister Alisa Weilerstein in a programme of Rebel, Berlioz and Pascal Dusapin. Classical Source praised his "admirably prepared and presented" Symphonie fantastique.

Nicholas Collon and his Aurora Orchestra returned to the Proms to perform another symphony from memory on 22 July. This time, they performed Beethoven Symphony No.3 ‘Eroica’, preceded by Strauss Metamorphosen. The Times called it “gripping stuff… an astonishing feat of concentration. With Nicholas Collon favouring speeds ranging from zippy to hair-raising, there was virtuosity all around the band too…an impassioned account of Strauss’s desolate but gorgeous Metamorphosen.”

The Pavel Haas Quartet made a stellar return to the Verbier Festival on 22 July, with Bachtrack praising the quartet for their "old-fashioned virtues of watchfulness, aural alertness and intense concentration... From the micro-perfection of its opening chord to an ethereally feathered final note, this was an Allegro con brio of unfolding joys."

Michel van der Aa was the Composer in Residence at this year's Lucerne Festival, with his works performed throughout the festival. The Luzerner Zeitung praised his "easy handling of current technological possiblities", while the Neue Zurcher Zeitung wrote that his "music theatre of beguiling opulence... might offer a view of the future of opera".

Mark Wigglesworth was joined by pianist Stephen Hough and the BBC Philharmonic at the Royal Albert Hall on 29 July to perform Brahms Piano Concerto No.1, David Sawyer The Greatest Happiness on Earth and Haydn Symphony No.99. The Sunday Times claimed that Wigglesworth demonstrated "the most authoritative conducting, instantly masterly, I’ve witnessed so far at these Proms, Bernard Haitink’s appearance apart. And Wigglesworth seems close to Haitink’s level... One knew all would be right about this account because Wigglesworth’s intensity was unanswerable.”

Sir John Eliot Gardiner had a busy summer, performing twice at the Proms as well as continuing the Monteverdi Trilogy tour at the Salzburg, Edinburgh and Berlin festivals. His Proms performance of Berlioz La damnation de Faust with the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique was described as "thrilling" by the Observer in a five star review, while the Salzburger Nachrichten praised the Monteverdi Trilogy performances at the Salzburg Festival: "The harmony and the symbiotic relationship of the performers and their conductor has reached a degree of perfection, which shows style, form awareness and playful freedom."

John Wilson gave two performances at the BBC Proms this year, with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and his John Wilson Orchestra. This year, Wilson led the JWO in two critically acclaimed performances of Rogers & Hammerstein Oklahoma! on 11 August: "no conductor appreciates the importance of an orchestration’s inner voices like Wilson, or is more adept at caressing a countermelody without letting it get in the way." (Spectator)

Andreas Haefliger returned to the Edinburgh International Festival this year, giving an "inspiringly commanding" solo recital in August: "Haefliger the thinker is also the pianist who held this audience enthralled until they leapt to their feet at the end, cheering." (Herald Scotland)

Also in Edinburgh, Richard Egarr led Iestyn Davies and the Academy of Ancient Music in two performances of Bach and Telemann. The Scotsman praised the performances, which were "delivered with a style and panache that lifted the notes clean off the page with their precisely pointed rhythms."

Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Beyond the Score® was presented at the Proms on 23 August in “an excellent evening of innovation” (Bachtrack), with a a multi-media exploration of the symphony directed by Beyond the Score founder Gerard McBurney presented alongside a performance of Dvorák Symphony No.9 ‘From the New World’ from the Hallé Orchestra and Sir Mark Elder.  

Leonidas Kavakos reunited with Riccardo Chailly on 25 August, as Intermusica brought the conductor and his Filarmonica della Scala to the Proms to perform Brahms and Respighi. Kavakos performed the Brahms Violin Concerto, a performance which was praised for the "the way he made the music breathe and sing in lyrical, expansive paragraphs while remaining continuously alert both to subtleties of meaning and absolute directness of expression." (Guardian)

Kirill Gerstein continued his partnership with Semyon Bychkov on 31 August, joining the conductor and the BBC Symphony Orchestra to perform Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.1:
"[Gerstein] delivered the slow movement with improvisatory freedom and dazzled with crystalline virtuosity in the finale." (Daily Telegraph)

Lise Davidsen joins Edward Gardner and the Bergen Philharmonic in Bergen's City Square on 18 August 2017 for a free open air concert centred on the works of Grieg. The concert also marks the beginning of Davidsen's season as the orchestra's Artist in Residence, during which she gives performances of Wagner, Sibelius and Verdi alongside recitals with James Baillieu. She also joins Gardner and the orchestra for a recording session for Chandos in May 2018.

Davidsen then travels to Ireland for the Wexford Opera Festival, where she sings the title role of Cherubini Medea from 19 October. Elsewhere this season she also makes her debut at Wiener Staatsoper in the title role of Ariadne auf Naxos and performs in concert with the Oslo Philharmonic.

Lise Davidsen makes her BBC Proms debut on 10 August with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of John Storgårds. Davidsen joins the orchestra to perform Sibelius Luonnotar and excerpts from Grieg Peer Gynt.

The concert marks Davidsen's second major UK debut of the summer, following her triumphant appearance as in the title role of Ariadne auf Naxos at Glyndebourne:

"It's one of the greatest voices I have heard"
Observer, June 2017

"...you may banish me to Naxos if she doesn’t become the most wanted Wagnerian soprano of her generation"
Times, June 2017

After appearing at the Royal Albert Hall, Davidsen returns to her native Norway, where she opens the season as the Bergen Philharmonic's Artist in Residence. Davidsen starts her residency with an open air concert in Bergen's City Square with Edward Gardner and the Bergen Philharmonic. The residency, which continues throughout the season, features performances of Wagner and Sibelius as well as recitals with James Baillieu.

Other highlights in the forthcoming season include the title role of Ariadne auf Naxos in company debuts with Wiener Staatsoper and Festival d'Aix en Provence, the title role of Medea in Wexford and numerous recital and concert appearances including Strauss’s Op. 27 Songs and Vier letzte Lieder with the Oslo Philharmonic and Wesendonk Lieder with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra.

Lise Davidsen made her Glyndebourne debut in the title role Ariadne auf Naxos on 25 June to universal acclaim, described as "utterly amazing" and set to be "the most wanted Wagnerian soprano of her generation".

Read the reviews so far:

“It will surely go down as one of those “I was there” moments. The Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen is still only 30. Now she has made her British stage debut in the title role of Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos…vocally she was in another league. So penetrating is the Davidsen instrument that by the end of the run there will be sheep in adjoining Sussex fields who are word-perfect on von Hofmannsthal’s libretto… her voice — impeccably rounded in tone with ringing top notes and a startlingly vibrant lower register — triggered full-body shivers… it’s Davidsen who makes the splash: you may banish me to Naxos if she doesn’t become the most wanted Wagnerian soprano of her generation.”
Times, June 2017

“Lise Davidsen, the inordinately talented young Norwegian lyric dramatic soprano, was magnificent as Ariadne, her journey from abandonment to love transcending the scenic nonsense around her.”
What’s on Stage, June 2017

“In the title role…young Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen surpasses all expectations that her recent competition triumphs have ignited: her voice is a magnificent organ, with stops that can produce great swells of firm tone as well as threads of delicately shimmering silver. Nothing is merely blasted out for cheap effect, and every phrase is shaped with sensitivity. She also emerges as a witty, expressive actress who moves with grace and dignity. What fabulous potential there is here.”
Daily Telegraph, June 2017

“Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen, making her festival debut…[has] a gorgeous bloom at the top matched to a sonorous, mezzo-ish middle and smoky low register: her deep “Totenreich” at the beginning of her main aria was awe-inspiring."
Bachtrack, June 2017

"In the title role, the Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen was utterly amazing…and sang with a voice so pure and so powerful that it had the audience enraptured and enthralled. Already the winner of several prestigious international singing competitions, she seems destined, with the appearance and voice of a Valkyrie, to become one of the greatest Wagnerians."
Daily Express, June 2017

"Davidsen’s gloriously full and shining soprano transforms Ariadne… It’s no effort for Davidsen to swell through Strauss’s elated vocal peaks, her soprano bursting with lustre, but she can hold her huge voice back, too, shaping cool threads of sound to convey Ariadne’s vulnerability."
Opera Today, June 2017

A revival of Katharina Thoma’s 2013 production, Davidsen is joined by Sir Thomas Allen, Erin Morley and Angela Brower with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Cornelius Meister.

Performances of Ariadne auf Naxos run until 27 July. The 2017/18 season sees Davidsen making her debut as Medea by Cherubini at the Wexford Festival whilst Ariadne becomes the vehicle for two major company debuts: Wiener Staatsoper and the Aix-en-Provence Festival.

Photo credit: Robert Workman

Lise Davidsen makes her debut at Glyndebourne Festival Opera on 25 June 2017, performing in the title role in Strauss Ariadne auf Naxos. Conducted by Cornelius Meister, Davidsen joins Sir Thomas Allen, Erin Morley and Angela Brower in the revival of Katharina Thoma’s production.

Davidsen reprises the role after a critically acclaimed performance with the Arctic Opera and Symphony Orchestra:

“Making her much-anticipated debut as Ariadne, Davidsen triumphed. She towered a head above everyone else in the Prologue and proved herself a fine comic actress, but she truly shone in the Opera. From her first pained cry as Ariadne, the voice blossomed into breath-taking beauty, with a creamy bottom register and glowing top. The ecstatic climax of 'Es gibt ein Reich' had my jaw on the floor, and she proved equally rapturous in the final duet.”
Bachtrack, March 2017

Click here to watch Davidsen performing “Es gibt ein Reich” during the run with the Arctic Opera and Symphony Orchestra.

So far this season, Davidsen has made a series of notable role and house debuts: Agathe in a new production of Der Freischütz at Opernhaus Zürich, Isabella Das Liebesverbot at Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires, and Santuzza Cavalleria Rusticana at Norwegian National Opera. This summer she appears at the BBC Proms with John Storgårds and the BBC Philharmonic. Engagements next season include her Wiener Staatsoper and Aix-en-Provence debuts, as well as numerous concert and recital appearances, including a residency with the Bergen Philharmonic.

Performances of Ariadne auf Naxos run until 27 July.

Lise Davidsen’s UK recital debut at the Wigmore Hall has received fantastic reviews from critics, described as “thrilling” with “stunning power and presence”:

"This Rosenblatt recital at Wigmore Hall was something special. A beautifully judged programme – a healthy balance of showcase and substance – punctuated sets of songs by Grieg, Strauss and Sibelius with arias from Andrea Chénier, Tannhäuser and Cherubino’s Medea, among others. Davidsen made it clear in her ingenuous spoken introduction that this was a musical portrait not just of her current voice and self, but also a glimpse into the future."
The Arts Desk

"Ready to take on the world... It is already clear that Davidsen, 30, is set for a career in opera, and that the career will be a big one. The only question is how big. If it is to be commensurate with the size of her voice, it will be huge... There is no need to alert the Royal Opera to her vocal powers. They could probably hear this recital from there"
Financial Times

"If the stunning power, shining colour and absolute ease that she demonstrated in a well-chosen programme of song and opera are anything to judge by, Glyndebourne audiences are in for a tremendous treat this summer"
Opera Today

To book tickets to see Lise Davidsen as Ariadne auf Naxos this summer, visit the Glyndebourne website.

Lise Davidsen is one of the nominees for the Nordic Council Music Prize 2017, it was announced on 26 April 2017. The prize is awarded for musicianship of the highest standard in alternate years to a piece of music by a living composer and to a musician or ensemble. The winner will be announced and the prize awarded in Finlandia Hall, Helsinki, on 1 November.

The first Music Prize was awarded in 1965 and it has been an annual event since 1990. The Nordic Council of Ministers appoints an adjudication committee to select the winner of the Prize, consisting of one member from each of the five Nordic countries. Last year’s winner was Hans Abrahamsen from Denmark for the song cycle “Let Me Tell You”.

The nomination is the latest in a series of awards for Davidsen, following her triumphs at the Operalia and Queen Sonia competitions in 2015. She is also a triple winner at the 2015 Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition in Amsterdam and a recipient of many awards, including the HSBC Aix-en-Provence Laureate, Statoil Talent Bursary Award, Léonie Sonning Music Prize, Danish Singers Award 2014 and the Kirstin Flagstad Award 2015.

Lise Davidsen makes her London recital debut on 9 May 2017 at the Rosenblatt Recital Series at Wigmore Hall. Accompanied by James Baillieu, Davidsen performs songs and arias by Grieg, Sibelius, Giordano, Verdi, Cherubini, Mascagni, Wagner and Strauss.

So far this season, Davidsen has made a series of notable role and house debuts: as Agathe in a new production of Der Freischütz at Opernhaus Zürich, Isabella Das Liebesverbot at Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires and Santuzza Cavalleria Rusticana at Norwegian National Opera. This summer she makes a highly anticipated debut at Glyndebourne Festival Opera in the title role of Ariadne auf Naxos and appears at the BBC Proms with John Storgårds and the BBC Philharmonic.

Engagements next season include her Wiener Staatsoper and Aix-en-Provence debuts as well as numerous concert and recital appearances, including a residency with the Bergen Philharmonic.

The BBC announced the line-up for the 2017 Proms on 20 April 2017, and as ever Intermusica artists and orchestras play a leading role in the festival. Every Prom is broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and on the BBC website, with select concerts broadcast on BBC television live or at a later date.

Simon Halsey’s Proms Youth Choir give the opening concert of the Proms on 14 July, performing John Adams Harmonium alongside the BBC Symphony Chorus and BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Edward Gardner.

Joshua Weilerstein makes his debut at the Proms on 19 July, conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra at 7.30pm the Royal Albert Hall. Weilerstein conducts a programme of Rebel Les élémens – le chaos, Berlioz Symphonie fantastique and Pascal Dusapin’s cello concerto Outscape, for which he is joined by his sister, cellist Alisa Weilerstein.

Nicholas Collon and his Aurora Orchestra return to the Proms to perform another symphony from memory at 7.30pm on 22 July. This time, they perform Beethoven Symphony No.3 ‘Eroica’, preceded by an introduction from Tom Service accompanied by excerpts from Collon and the orchestra. The programme for the concert also includes Strauss Metamorphosen.

John Wilson makes the first of two appearances at this year’s Proms at 6.30pm on 25 July when he performs with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Wilson, the orchestra’s Associate Guest Conductor, leads the orchestra in a programme of Vaughan Williams Symphony No.9 and Holst The Planets.

Christopher Purves also makes two appearances at the Proms this year, with his first coming on 27 July. Purves joins Juanjo Mena, the BBC Philharmonic and the Crouch End Festival Chorus to perform the London premiere of Mark Simpson The Immortal, an oratorio inspired by Victorian séances.

Mark Wigglesworth is joined by pianist Stephen Hough and the BBC Philharmonic at 7.30pm on 29 July to perform Brahms Piano Concerto No.1, David Sawyer The Greatest Happiness on Earth and Haydn Symphony No.99.

Sir James MacMillan’s European Requiem receives its European premiere at the Proms at 7pm on 30 July from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and conductor Xian Zhang, with Jacques Imbrailo performing as the baritone soloist. 

Sir John Eliot Gardiner returns to the Proms on 2 August with the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists, this time for a late night Prom at the Royal Albert Hall at 10.15pm. Gardiner conducts his ensembles in a performance of cantatas by Bach and Schütz.

David Butt Philip joins Kirill Karabits and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra for the first Proms performance of Prokofiev’s cantata Seven, They are Seven at 7.30pm on 7 August.

Sir John Eliot Gardiner makes his second Proms appearance of the year at 7.30pm on 8 August, this time conducting the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique in a performance of Berlioz La damnation du Faust.

Lise Davidsen makes her debut at the Proms at 7.30pm on 10 August with the BBC Philharmonic and John Storgårds. Davidsen joins the orchestra to perform Sibelius Luonnotar and extracts from Grieg Peer Gynt.

John Wilson’s second Proms appearance this year comes on 11 August when his John Wilson Orchestra returns for its annual concert. This year, Wilson leads the orchestra in two performances of Rogers & Hammerstein Oklahoma!, at 2pm and 7.30pm.

Christopher Purves joins the London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Simon Rattle for a performance of Schoenberg Gurrelieder at 7.30pm on 19 August. Also performing are three of Simon Halsey’s choruses – City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus, London Symphony Chorus and Orfeó Català. Halsey also leads a Gurrelieder Proms Extra Sing Day at London Imperial College earlier that day.

Tim Mead returns to the Proms alongside John Butt and the Dunedin Consort for the third concert of the Proms’ Reformation Day at 7.45pm on 20 August. Mead follows last year’s Bach Mass in B minor with Bach St John Passion, singing alongside a cast that also includes Sophie Bevan, Nicholas Mulroy, Matthew Brook and Andrew Tortise.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Beyond the Score® appears at the Proms at 7.30pm on 23 August, with a performance of Dvorák Symphony No.9 ‘From the New World’ given by the Hallé Orchestra and Sir Mark Elder alongside a multi-media exploration of the symphony directed by Beyond the Score founder Gerard McBurney.

Leonidas Kavakos reunites with Riccardo Chailly at 6.30pm on 25 August, as Intermusica bring the conductor and his Filarmonica della Scala to the Proms to perform Brahms and Respighi. Kavakos joins the orchestra for Brahms Violin Concerto, which is followed by Respighi Fountains of Rome and Pines of Rome.

Joélle Harvey returns to the Proms as Glyndebourne’s production of Mozart La clemenza di Tito comes to the Royal Albert Hall at 7pm on 28 August. Harvey takes the role of Servilia, with accompaniment from the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Robin Ticciati.

Intermusica is delighted to bring the Oslo Philharmonic and Vasily Petrenko to the Proms at 7.30pm on 29 August. Petrenko conducts the orchestra in an all-Russian programme of Stravinsky The Firebird (1919 version), Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.4 and Shostakovich Symphony No.12.

Kirill Gerstein continues his partnership with Semyon Bychkov at 7.30pm on 31 August, joining the conductor and the BBC Symphony Orchestra to perform Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.1.

The Freiburg Baroque Orchestra bring an all-Mendelssohn programme to the Proms this year from 1pm on 3 September. Conducted by Pablo Heras-Casado, the orchestra perform Mendelssohn Hebrides Overture, Violin Concerto with Isabelle Faust and Symphony No.5

Ben Johnson joins Sakari Oramo, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and an international cast of soloists for the Last Night of the Proms on 9 September. The Last Night begins from 7.15pm and will be broadcast live on BBC Two, and Johnson sings Kodály Te Deum.

Lise Davidsen travels to Buenos Aires this month to sing her first Isabella in Wagner Das Liebesverbot at Teatro Colon, her debut with the company, from 25 April 2017. Kasper Holten’s new production is conducted by Oliver von Dohnányi.

Davidsen’s run as Isabella is just one of a number of major role and house debuts this season, beginning with Agathe Der Freischütz at Opernhaus Zürich and also including Santuzza Cavalleria Rusticana at Norwegian National Opera and the title role of Ariadne auf Naxos with North Norwegian Opera and Symphony Orchestra, a role that she reprises this summer for her much-anticipated UK debut with Glyndebourne Festival Opera.

Das Liebesverbot runs from 25 April until 2 May.

Ingo Metzmacher and Lise Davidsen have both been nominated for awards at the 2017 International Opera Awards, with both being selected as finalists for their achievements over the 2016 calendar year.

Metzmacher is nominated in the Conductor category. A highlight of 2016 for Metzmacher was Barrie Kosky's new production of Shostakovich The Nose at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Metzmacher’s conducting of this unique score was unanimously praised by the critics, with the Guardian commenting that "Ingo Metzmacher conducts the score with brittle brilliance, every orchestral effect raspingly precise."

Lise Davidsen is nominated in the Young Singer category following a year that included debuts at Oper Frankfurt in the company's Ring Cycle and as Agathe in Der Freischütz at Opernhaus Zürich, where Die Welt praised her "beautiful" and "beguiling voice".

The winners of the 2017 International Opera Awards will be announced on 7 May at the London Coliseum.

Lise Davidsen travels to Amsterdam this month to give her debut performance at the Concertgebouw, singing Strauss Four Last Songs with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Edo de Waart on 29 January 2017. They also perform the piece at the Tivoli Vredenburg concert Hall in Utrecht on 27 January.

Davidsen also sings Four Last Songs in February with the Oslo Philharmonic. Further highlights for Davidsen this season include her debut at this summer’s Glyndebourne Festival Opera in the title role of Ariadne auf Naxos, which she also sings this season with Arctic Opera and the Philharmonic Orchestra. She also makes her role debut as Isabella in Wagner Das Liebesverbot at Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires.

Lise Davidsen makes her role debut as Santuzza in Mascagni Cavalleria rusticana with Norwegian National Opera on 17 December 2016. Performing under the baton of Robert Trevino and directed by Kasper Holten and Paul Curran, Davidsen stars alongside fellow Intermusica artist Marita Sølberg, who plays the role of Nedda.

Santuzza is Davidsen's second role debut of the season. She opened the 2016/17 season with her role debut as Agathe in Weber Der Freischütz with Opernhaus Zürich to great acclaim:

“the soprano Lise Davidsen is wonderful, elegant, and moulded her part perfectly.”
Aargauer Zeitung, September 2016

“Agathe is the vocal surprise of the evening. [...] you will surely find her again in the German Wagnerian repertoire in the not too distant future. This supremely pure Agathe made an impression.”
Online Musik Magazin, September 2016

Cavalleria rusticana continues until 17 January. 

“Lise Davidsen had terrifically strong projection and voice modulation. Her soprano has a silvery gleam, and her passages from high to middle voice were seamless.”
Bachtrack, October 2016

Lise Davidsen makes her debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra on 3 November 2016 in a performance of Verdi Requiem conducted by Edward Gardner at the Royal Festival Hall. Davidsen performs alongside soloists Karen Cargill, René Barbera and Alexander Vinogradov, as well as the Rodolfus Choir and the Philharmonia Voices.

Following her performance in London, Lise travels to Berlin to take part in the 23rd Grand Opera Gala in support of the German Aids Foundation at the Deutsche Oper Berlin on 5 November. Davidsen sings alongside a star line-up that includes Patrizia Ciofi, Gregory Kunde, Edwin Crossley-Mercer and Michael Spyres, whilst William Spaulding conducts the choir and orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin. The proceeds from the charity event will benefit the work of the German AIDS Foundation in Germany and the HOPE Cape Town project in South Africa.

Further engagements this season include Santuzza Cavalleria rusticana at the Norwegian National Opera, as well as the title role of Ariadne auf Naxos with both North Norway Opera and Glyndebourne Festival Opera in 2017.

Lise Davidsen begins the 2016/17 season at Opernhaus Zürich, where she makes her debut as Agathe in Herbert Fritsch's new production of Der Freischütz on 18 September 2016. The role marks Davidsen’s first major debut in a leading role, ahead of a season which includes operatic appearances such as Santuzza Cavalleria Rusticana with Norwegian National Opera in Oslo, Isabelle Das Liebesverbot with Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires and her much anticipated Glyndebourne Festival debut in the title role of Ariadne auf Naxos.

Concert appearances for Davidsen this season include Verdi Requiem with Edward Gardner and the Philharmonia Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall, London; Strauss Four Last Songs with Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Edo de Waart at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam; a Rosenblatt Recital at the Wigmore Hall; and an appearance at the AIDS Gala in Berlin.

Further performances of Der Freischütz continue until 22 October. Click here for full details.

Glyndebourne Festival’s 2017 programme was announced on Tuesday 3 May, and features the world premiere of Brett Dean’s new opera Hamlet and Lise Davidsen’s UK debut in the title role of Ariadne auf Naxos.

Brett Dean’s Hamlet, with a libretto by Matthew Jocelyn based on Shakespeare’s play, receives its world premiere on 11 June. Allan Clayton sings the title role with Sarah Connolly as Gertrude, Barbara Hannigan as Ophelia, Rod Gilfry as Claudius, Kim Begley as Polonius, and Sir John Tomlinson as Ghost of Old Hamlet. Neil Armfield directs and Vladimir Jurowksi conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The opera is a commission by Glyndebourne Festival.

Lise Davidsen makes her UK operatic debut as Ariadne in Ariadne auf Naxos in Katharina Thoma’s production, opening on 25 June. After her wins at the Operalia, Queen Sonja and Belvedere competitions, Davidsen has also been announced as an HSBC Aix en Provence Laureate, and the winner of the Gladsaxe Music Prize 2016 and the Statsoil Bursary Award. Other engagements next season include Agathe in a new production of Der Freischütz in Zurich, Four Last Songs at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam with Edo de Wart, Verdi’a Requiem in London with the Philharmonia and Edward Gardner, and Isabella Das Liebesverbot at Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires.

Full cast details of Glyndebourne Festival 2017 will be announced at a later date. Priority booking for the 2017 festival begins on 1 December, while public booking opens on 5 March. 

Lise Davidsen makes her debut at Oper Frankfurt in the theatre’s upcoming Ring Cycle, beginning with the role of Freia in Das Rheingold on 5 May 2016.

The cycle is conducted by Sebastian Weigle and directed by Vera Nemirova. Davidsen performs as Freia again on 1 July and also sings the Third Norn in Götterdämmerung on 16 May and 17 July.

Davidsen received universal acclaim last summer as the winner of Operalia and Queen Sonja competitions:

“Lise Davidsen, 28, is an extraordinary, distinctive dramatic soprano with a brilliant Wagnerian career ahead of her if her exhilarating performance of ‘Dich Teure Halle’ from Wagner’s Tannhäuser in this final is anything to go by. She has tremendous stature and presence, singing with a radiant tone that has an attractive, fluty purity and a laser’s edge that cuts through an orchestra playing at full tilt.”
Opera Now, September 2015

Next season Davidsen makes her house and role debut as Agathe in a new production of Der Freischutz at Opernhaus Zurich, performs Strauss Vier Laetzte Lieder at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam with Edo de Wart and makes her company debuts with Teatro Colon and Glyndebourne Festival Opera. In the future she makes major company debuts including at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Wiener Staatsoper, Aix en Provence Festivals and Teatro Real, Madrid.

Lise Davidsen returns to her native Norway to perform as part of the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize ceremony on 10 December 2015, the culmination of a week long programme of activities.

This year’s Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet for its contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia. Davidsen will perform just before the award is given to the quartet, in the presence of King Harald V of Norway.

Read more about the events taking place during Nobel Week here. 

Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen have been named as 2015 HSBC Laureate of the Académie of the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, a scheme which supports young artists chosen from amongst the Académie’s most promising vocal talent. Each year, supported by HSBC France, the Festival provides the opportunity for the selection of young singers to perform throughout France and internationally, whilst offering them promotional and recording opportunities.

Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen is highly sought after, following her recent successes at the London’s 2015 Operalia competition (at which she was awarded first prize, the Birgit Nilsson Award and the Audience Prize) and the Queen Sonja International Music Competition, where she won first prize and the Ingrid Bjoner Scholarship for the best performance of Norwegian music. Earlier this week it was announced that she would receive the prestigious Statoil talent scholarship ahead of her Bayerische Staatosper debut on 28 November. Davidsen attended d’Aix-en-Provence Mozart Residency in 2013 and in 2014 returned to work with Waltraud Meier for the residency, A Tribute to Patrice Chèreau.

Lise Davidsen has been announced as the winner of Statoil's talent scholarship. The scholarship’s objective is to open doors for talented musicians. The scholarship is worth NOK 1 million and will be presented at Statoil's Autumn Conference on 23 November 2015.

"Lise Davidsen has become something of a household name in the last six months; rarely has anyone made a bigger entrance on to the Norwegian and international music scene. She has won major singing contests in London and Oslo, while capturing the hearts of audiences. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to hear her sing 'live' have been struck by the power and purity of her voice, her sensitive musicianship and her strong stage presence," says chairman of the awaring jury Leif Ove Andsnes.

Statoil has supported talented classical musicians since 1990. Previous recipients of the classical music scholarship include Ole Edvard Antonsen, Mari Eriksmoen, Christian Ihle Hadland, Vilde Frang Bjærke, and Marianne Thorsen.

Lise Davidsen makes her debut at Bayerische Staatsoper on 28 November 2015 when she taeks the role of Ortlinde in Wagner’s Die Walküre under the baton of Simone Young. The cast also includes Klaus Florian Vogt as Sigemund, Hans-Peter König as Hunding and Thomas Mayedr as Wotan.

Davidsen had a triumphant summer this year, winning the Operalia competition in London, Queen Sonja Competition in Oslo and second place in the Belvedere Competition in Amsterdam.

"Lise Davidsen from Norway blasted everyone out of the water with a thrilling 'Dich, teure Halle' from Tannhäuser. Her performance was admirably direct and succinct."
Opera Now, September 2015

“Davidsen … her voice is unquestionably impressive – solid, even, rounded and shining – and her style refreshingly honest.”
Opera, September 2015

Later in the 2015/16 season, Davidsen continues with the Ring Cycle performances, this time at Frankfurt Opera in summer 2016 where she sings Freia Das Rheingold and Third Norn Götterdämmerung. Further ahead, she makes her debut in leading roles with Opern Zurich, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Den Norkse Opera and Teatro Real.

Further performances of Die Walküre take place on 2 and 5 of October.

Lise Davidsen joins the Bergen Philharmonic in their Anniversary Gala Concerts on 8 and 9 October 2015. One of the world’s oldest orchestras, the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra dates back to 1765 and is celebrating its 250th anniversary in 2015. The concerts are conducted by Music Director Edward Gardner and Andrew Litton, who was at the helm of the orchestra from 2003 until 2015. The line-up also features Leif Ove Andsnes (piano) and Truls Mørk (cello).

The concerts are a welcome return to Bergen for Davidsen, who is an alumna of the city’s Grieg Academy of Music. Later this month Davidsen performs in concert for the Kirsten Flagstad Society and then goes on to make her Bayerische Staatsoper debut as Ortlinde in Die Walküre.

Lise Davidsen finished a triumphant competition run by being crowned winner of The Queen Sonja International Music Competition by Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway in Oslo on 21 Friday 2015. Davidsen collected three prizes in total; the 1st prize (€40,000), the prize for the best performance of Norwegian music (€1,500), and the Ingrid Bjoner Scholarship for the best Norwegian participant (NOK 75,000). Her repertoire was 'Morro ma prima in grazia' from Un ballo in maschera and 'Dich teure Halle' from Tannhäuser.

Davidsen's victory in the competition follows hot on the heels of her success at Placido Domingo’s Operalia, where she won the first prize and was also awarded the Audience Prize and the Birgit Nilsson Prize. Earlier in the season Davidsen also competed in the prestigious Belvedere competition in Amsterdam, where she took home the Second Prize, the Audience Prize and the International Media Prize.

Davidsen received great acclaim from Sophie de Lint, Chair of the competition jury:

"As a member of the jury in a singing competition, one is always hoping to discover the new 'perle rare'. Lise Davidsen definitely is a special talent who will have a major impact on the opera world. The colour of her warm and velvety voice mixed with technical assurance and refined artistry make her absolutely unique among the new generation of singers."

Davidsen’s engagements next season include Freia in a concert performance of Das Rheingold with the Odense Symphony Orchestra and Alexander Vedernikov, as well as two notable house debuts: at Bavarian State Opera as Ortlinde Die Walküre and at Frankfurt Opera for its Ring Cycle in summer 2016 as Freia Das Rheingold and Third Norn Die Götterdämmerung. Looking further ahead, she makes company debuts in leading roles at Opernhaus Zurich, Glyndebourne Festival, Royal Opera House Covent Garden and Teatro Real.

Lise Davidsen, the winner of Opera 2015, makes her role debut as Freia Das Rheingold with the Odense Symfoniorkester on 4 September 2015 in a concert performance at the Carl Nielsen Hall, Odense. The concert, conducted by Alexander Vedernikov, is part of the build up to the Odense Symfoniorkester’s fully staged Ring Cycle performances to celebrate the opening of the Odeon Music and Theatre Hall in 2017. In this performance Davidsen sings alongside Thomas Johannes Mayer as Wotan, Lioba Braun as Fricka and Pablo Hunka as Alberich.

Davidsen’s engagements this season include two notable house debuts: at Bavarian State Opera as Ortlinde Die Walküre and at Frankfurt Opera for its Ring Cycle in summer 2016 as Freia Das Rheingold and Third Norn Die Götterdämmerung. Looking further ahead, she makes company debuts in leading roles at Opernhaus Zurich, Glyndebourne Festival, Royal Opera House Covent Garden and Teatro Real.

Two Intermusica artists have reached the finals of The Queen Sonja International Music Competition on 21 August 2015. Soprano Lise Davidsen and baritone Alexey Lavrov join a line-up of five singers, whittled down from the 42 that made competed in the preliminary rounds.

The finalists are accompanied by the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra on the main stage of the Norwegian opera house, and the finals will be broadcasted live on Norwegian television in the presence of Queen Sonja of Norway.

Lise Davidsen, who won the 2015 Operalia and Belvedere competitions, will sing 'Morrò, ma prima …' from Un ballo in Maschera and 'Dich teure Halle' from Tannhäuser, her winning aria from Operalia. Davidsen's 2015/16 season includes Freia in a concert performance of Das Rheingold with the Odense Symphony Orchestra as well as two notable house debuts, at Bavarian State Opera as Ortlinde Die Walküre and at Frankfurt Opera for its Ring Cycle in summer 2016 where she will sing Freia Das Rheingold and Third Norn Die Götterdämmerung.

Russian baritone Alexey Lavrov will perform ‘Vy mne pisali’ from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and Silvio’s aria ‘E fra quest'ansie’ from Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci – a role he sings this season in Santiago and at the Metropolitan Opera, New York. Other engagements in the forthcoming season include Schaunard La bohème and Malatesta Don Pasquale, both at the Metropolitan Opera.

Fresh from her breakthrough Belvedere Competition success, young dramatic soprano Lise Davidsen was crowned the winner of Plácido Domingo’s Operalia, as well as talking home the Audience Prize and the Birgit Nilsson Award, on Sunday 19 July 2015. In the gala concert, held at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, her ‘Dich, teure Halle, Grüss ich wider’ from Wagner’s Tännhauser won huge acclaim from members of the international jury and the audience alike. She was accompanied by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House with Plácido Domingo conducting, before he hosted the awards ceremony.

Watch her winning performance of ‘Dich, teure Halle, Grüss ich wider’ on Medici.tv, from 1.18.13, here.

Having been selected from nearly 1000 applications to take place in the finals in London before being whittled down to the 11 grand finalists, Davidsen is now part of a small group of Operalia laureates including Sonya Yoncheva, José Cura, Ana Maria Martinez, John Osborn, Joyce DiDonato, Nina Stemme and Rolando Villazon.

Plácido Domingo spoke to Classical Source about his ambitions for the competition before the grand final:

“My purpose in Operalia is to help identify not only the best voices, but also to discover those singers whose personalities, characters and powers of interpretation show that they have the potential to become complete artists. Individuals such as these become tomorrow’s stars.”
Classical Source, July 2015

Davidsen’s engagements next season include Freia in a concert performance of Das Rheingold with the Odense Symphony Orchestra and Alexander Vedernikov, as well as two notable house debuts: at Bavarian State Opera as Ortlinde Die Walküre and at Frankfurt Opera for its Ring Cycle in summer 2016 as Freia Das Rheingold and Third Norn Die Götterdämmerung. Looking further ahead, she will make her debut in leading roles with Glyndebourne Festival and Opern Zurich.

Fresh from winning three prizes at the 2015 International Hans Belvedere Singing Competition in Amsterdam, Lise Davidsen caused a stir last night in the semi-finals of Plácido Domingo Operalia competition at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, qualifying for the Grand Finals on Sunday 19 July.

In Sunday evening's Gala concert, the eleven finalists will perform on the stage of the Royal Opera House, accompanied by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House with Plácido Domingo conducting. The competition finals will bestow two $30,000 first prizes, two $20,000 second prizes and two $10,000 third prizes, with one male and one female singer receiving prizes in each category. In addition, one man and woman will each receive the $15,000 Birgit Nilsson prize for his or her performance of an aria by Richard Strauss or Richard Wagner. Two audience-prize winners, awarded by a poll of those in attendance at the finals concert, will receive watches offered by Rolex, the competition sponsor. Finally, Bertita and Guillermo Martinez from CulturArte de Puerto Rico will bestow the $10,000 CulturArte Prize.

Davidsen will sing her lauded interpretation of Wagner's 'Dich, teure Halle, Grüss ich wider' from Tännhauser.

Lise Davidsen has made a significant impact at the 2015 International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition in Amsterdam, winning the 2nd place prize as well as taking home the Prize of the International Media-Jury and the Audience Prize.

Davidson prevailed against competed against 1,312 singers who had auditioned in 60 cities around the world. Of these, 160 qualified as semi-finalists for the finals in Amsterdam last week, 15 of whom moved onto the grand finale.

Later this summer, Davidsen takes part in the Operalia competition at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and the Queen Sonja Music Competition in Oslo.

Off the competition platform, Davidsen makes two notable house debuts in the 2015/16 season, first at Bavarian State Opera as Ortlinde Die Walküre and then at Frankfurt Opera for its Ring Cycle in summer 2016. Looking further ahead she makes her debut in leading roles with Glyndebourne Festival and Opernhaus Zurich.

We are delighted to announce the signing of exciting young dramatic soprano Lise Davidsen for worldwide management, excluding Scandinavia.

A 2014 graduate of the Opera Academy in Copenhagen, Davidsen has attracted serious attention since the outset of her musical training. She made her Royal Danish Opera in the 2012/13 season as the Dog and Owl The Cunning Little Vixen by Janáček and has returned since to sing Emilia Otello and Rosalinde Der Fledermaus, a role for which she awarded the “Reumert Talent Prize” for 2014. Very recently she sang the title role of Sancta Susanna in Oslo and this month she was awarded the Kirstin Flagstadt Prize.

Next season she will make her house debuts with Bayerische Staatsoper as Ortlinde Die Walküre and Frankfurt Opera in their Ring revival. Future engagements include leading roles with Glyndebourne Festival, Opernhaus Zurich and Den Norske Opera.