Biography


Sabrina Kögel

Sabrina Kögel is a native of Karlsruhe and already was an undergraduate with the Institute for Musical Theater at the University of Music in Karlsruhe at the age of 17. After her higher education entrance qualification, she began to study full-time with distinguished singer Christa Lehnert and professionalized her training in master classes with star soprano Dame Gwyneth Jones as well as in classes for musical design with Mitsuko Shirai. Sabrina Kögel is a national laureate of the competition “Jugend musiziert” and was awarded a scholarship by the Richard Wagner Society.

In 2003, the mezzo-sopranist became a member with the Opera Studio of the Baden State Theater in Karsruhe, holding a permanent position with its ensemble from 2004 until 2011. Since 2011, she has been working as a freelance artist.

The young singer has elaborated a large repertoire with specialized parts, such as Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel, Dorabella in Così fan tutte, the Composer in Ariadne auf Naxos, Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier and Charlotte in Werther.

Through international guest appearances, Sabrina Kögel has collaborated with the Zürich Opera House, the Oslo Opera House, the Royal Opera House Copenhagen, the State Theater in Bern, and the Regional Theater of Salzburg. In 2011, the artist was invited by the 2nd International Istanbul Opera Festival. In 2013 and 2013, she attended the Bregenzer Festspiele to sing the part of the 2nd Lady in David Pountney’s production of Die Zauberflöte. Sabrina Kögel sang Waltraut in Die Walküre for the Wagner Festival, the National Theater Mannheim and the State Theater Nürnberg. Her parts of the Composer in Ariadne auf Naxos and Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel brought great success to several Opera Houses, including the Baden State Theater in Karlsruhe and the Saar State Theater in Saarbrücken. As Hänsel, she also sang for the State Theater Cottbus.

In 2014/15, Sabrina Kögel made her debut as Alto performing Andrea Breth in Wolfgang Rihm’s Jakob Lenz, a part which introduced her in 2017 to the Berlin State Opera. After singing Wellgunde for Dresden’s Semperoper under the direction of Christian Thielemann, the mezzo-sopranist appeared in 2016 as Wellgunde at the guest performance of the Saechsische Staatskapelle Dresden in Tokyo, also directed by Christian Thielemann.

In 2017/18, the artist has had several guest appearances at the Semperoper: again directed by Christian Thielemann, she sings in Willy Decker’s Ring production Wellgunde in Rheingold and Götterdämmerung and the part of Grimgerde in Die Walküre. Under the direction of Omer Meir Wellber, she also performs Page in Salome.

In 2018 Sabrina Kögel will appear in the Ring cycle of the Odense Symfonieorkester in Denmark unter the musical direction of Alexander Vedernikov, as Wellgunde in Rheingold and Götterdämmerung and debuting as Siegrune in Walküre.

Sabrina Kögel has worked with renowned maestros, such as Michael Boder, Anthony Bramall, Jaques Delacôte, Dan Ettinger, John Fiore, Daniele Gatti, Mauricio Kagel, Siegfried Köhler, Henrik Nánási, Franck Ollu, Christian Thielemann, Konstantin Trinks, Alexander Vedernikov and Omer Meir Wellber.