Johanna Winkel

German soprano Johanna Winkel began her studies of piano and cello at elementary school. From 2001 on she participated in many concerts and recordings of the Kölner Kammerchor under the direction of Peter Neumann and was a member of the Kammerchor Stuttgart and its associated 16-soloists ensemble (Frieder Bernius). Following her A-levels she studied with Doz Mechthild Böhme and Prof Caroline Thomas at the Detmold Academy of Music, taking part in master-classes with Christa Ludwig, Christina Scheppelmann, the King’s Singers, Ralf Popken and the Akademie für alte Musik Berlin as well as receiving a scholarship from the Richard Wagner Foundation. Johanna Winkel has won several operatic competitions, most notably the international Cantilena Singing Competition in Bayreuth as well as being a semi-finalist in the Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition in Vienna. Additionally she was invited to take part in the 2011 quarterfinals of the OPERALIA Singing Competition in Moscow. On stage, Johanna has worked in historical theatres such as the Markgräfliches Opernhaus in Bayreuth and the Ekhoff Theater in Gotha, roles including Negiorea (L’ Huomo, Andrea Bernasconi), and the title roles in Iphigenie auf Tauris (C. W. Gluck) and Alcina (Georg Friedrich Händel). Other roles include those of Mimi in La Bohéme /G. Puccini and Donna Elvira in Mozart's Don Giovanni, Micaela in Bizet’s Carmen, as well as Rosalinde in Strauss’ Die Fledermaus under the direction of Katharina Thalbach. In 2012 she sang the solo soprano parts in Schönberg's Moses und Aron at the Teatro Real Madrid together with Franz Grundheber. Last season Johanna made her debut as Leonore in Beethoven's Fidelio with great success. Johanna also enjoys a busy career in concert and oratorio where she is in high demand as soloist, not least due to her outstanding vocal technique, enabling her to perform wide ranging repertoire from Renaissance to contemporary music with ease. Johanna has significant experience of working with well known conductors and orchestras, including the SWR Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Sylvain Cambrelain, the Stuttgarter Kammerchor with Frieder Bernius, the international Bachakademie Stuttgart conducted by Jeffrey Tate, Andreas Spering, Concerto Köln, Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and with the Rias Kammerchor Berlin under the direction of Hans-Christoph Rademann. She has been invited to many international festivals, including the Bachfest Leipzig, Rheingau Musikfestival, La Folle Journ?e, Luzern Musikfestival, Schleswig-Holstein Musikfestival, Musikfest Berlin, and Kirkemusikkfestival Oslo. In addition to many radio recordings and live broadcasts (such as Händel's Brockespassion), Johanna recorded Schubert's Lazarus and Die letzten Dinge by Louis Spohr, both with Frieder Bernius. Plans for this season include Beethoven’s Symphony no 9 with the Danish Radio Orchestra Kopenhagen conducted by Adam Fischer.