Mari Eriksmoen

Almost immediately on completion of her vocal studies in Oslo (Norwegian Academy of Music), Paris (Conservatoire National Superieur) and then Copenhagen (Royal Danish Academy of Opera), young Norwegian soprano Mari Eriksmoen found herself with a dream offer to sing Zerbinetta in Theater an der Wien’s production of Ariadne auf Naxos which marked the start of a close relationship with this major theatre. Eriksmoen’s frequent return visits to Vienna have included Olympia (Les contes d’Hoffmann), Euridice (Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo), Teti (Rossini’s Le nozze di Teti e di Peleo) and Rosina (Paisiello’s Il barbiere di Siviglia), and she attracted wide attention and received universal praise for her portrayals of Susanna, Zerlina and Fiordiligi in a cycle of Mozart’s Da Ponte operas together with the late Nikolaus Harnoncourt in performances broadcast throughout Europe on both radio and television.

Other key appearances in recent seasons have included Pamina (Die Zauberflöte) at Festival d’Aix-en-Provence and last season at Opernhaus Zurich under General Music Director Fabio Luisi, Blondchen (Die Entführung aus dem Serail) at Oper Frankfurt, Glyndebourne Festival and at the 2015 BBC Proms, and in a display of repertoire versatility Eriksmoen has also appeared as Waldvogel in Wagner’s Siegfried as part of Daniel Barenboim’s epic Ring Cycles at Teatro alla Scala. Other roles include Fiakermilli (Arabella), Adele (Die Fledermaus), Amore and Euridice (Orfeo), Sandrina (L’infedelta delusa), Soeur Constance (Les Dialogues des Carmélites), and last season she had a major success as La Fée in Damiano Michieletto’s production of Cendrillon at Komische Oper Berlin under Henrik Nanasí.

A confident and versatile concert singer, Eriksmoen is often invited to sing Solveig in Grieg’s Peer Gynt while her wide concert repertoire includes Schumann’s Szenen aus Goethes Faust, Mozart’s Davide penitente and Mass in C minor, Poulenc’s Gloria, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s Mass in B minor, Haydn’s Stabat Mater and Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem. Eriksmoen is a regular guest of the Orchestre de Paris, Münchner Philharmoniker, Oslo Philharmonic and Malmö Sympfoniorkester and Gothenburg Symphony to name but a few, and she works with many eminent conductors including Daniel Harding, Marc Minkowski, Bertrand de Billy, Louis Langrée, Paavo Järvi and Robin Ticciati.

Current season opera highlights include company debuts at both Bayerische Staatsoper and at Savonlinna Opera Festival as Blondchen, and she reprises the role of Zerlina at Theater an der Wien where she also appears this season in Carlus Padrissa‘s staged version of Haydn’s Die Schöpfung conducted by Laurence Equilbey. In concert she appears with Orchestre de Paris under Daniel Harding, with Trondheim Symfoniorkester under Dalia Stasevska and with Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Andrew Davis.

Eriskmoen has recorded Szenen aus Goethes Faust with Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks under Daniel Harding (available on Naxos), Blondchen (Die Entführung aus dem Serail) with the Akademie für alte Musik Berlin and René Jacobs (available on harmonia mundi), and she appears on DVD (Opus Arte) as Blondchen with Glyndebourne conducted by Robin Ticciati.