Elisa Birkenheier

Soprano Elisa Birkenheier completed her vocal studies under Prof. Rachel Robins at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen. Master classes and lessons with Barbara Bonney, Mario Diaz and Caroline Merz supplemented her training. She gained first stage experience at Theater Koblenz, Theater Dortmund and Theater Bonn and was a finalist in the German National Singing Competition in Berlin, as well as the Bertelsmann Foundation's "Neue Stimmen" competition. She is an Audience Award winner of the Richard Wagner Association Dortmund, a scholarship holder of the Richard Wagner Association Bremen and a former scholarship holder of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation. In addition to her operatic repertoire, Elisa regularly appears in concerts and recitals. Engagements have taken her to the Beethoven Haus in Bonn, Die Glocke in Bremen, Koblenz, Cologne, Düsseldorf and Berlin. She has been an ensemble member at Theater Bremen since 2022/23, where she has sung roles such as Tebaldo in Verdi's "Don Carlo", Minnie Fay in Jerry Herman's "Hello, Dolly!" and Najade in Strauss's "Ariadne auf Naxos".

This season, she graces the Wiesbaden stage as Young Heidi in a new production of Stephen Sondheim's musical "Follies".