Christine Schäfer

Christine Shepherd ( born March 3, 1965 in Frankfurt am Main ) is a German soprano.

Life and artistic work

Christine Schäfer comes from a family of butchers. Your school days she spent with the Ursulines in Königstein im Taunus and Frankfurt Goethe -Gymnasium. Until 1991 she studied classical singing at the Academy of Arts in Berlin. Ingrid figure here was her teacher, she also attended the master class of Arleen Augér, Sena Jurinac and song classes by Aribert Reimann and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Getting attention it attracted in 1988 with a recital at the Festival in Berlin where she sang Aribert Reimann night dreams. Following itself made ​​the soprano, whose voice was deemed too soft for the opera, oratorio singer as a name.

1992 Christine Schaefer received her first opera engagement in Innsbruck. As early as 1993, for an engagement at the Stadttheater Bern, she made her debut in the U.S. as Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier in San Francisco. As one of its outstanding operatic roles applies Lulu by Alban Berg, with whom she appeared at the Salzburg Festival in 1995. There she has since regularly to hear and see. In addition, she was a guest at Glyndebourne, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, in Paris (June 2007 at the Opéra Garnier as Violetta Valery in Christoph Marthaler's production of La Traviata, with Jonas Kaufmann as Alfredo ), Amsterdam, Berlin and Munich, as well as to most important opera houses of the USA.

Since the mid- 1990s, Christine Schäfer's work is documented on numerous recordings. Among other things, she sings Aribert Reimann night dreams and children's songs and Arnold Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire. Was published in 2006 Franz Schubert's Winterreise in a self-production.

In addition to Anna Netrebko, Christine Schäfer were held in 2006 at the Salzburg Festival as Cherubino in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro on. At the Salzburg Festival 2007 she earned for her appearance in a Baroque concert again very positive reviews. The originally planned for this as the " Stabat mater " announced concert stars Anna Netrebko and Elina Garanca had to cancel at short notice. In their place were singing Christine Schäfer and countertenor Andreas Scholl. The default wrote in his review: " Christine Schäfer gave the Lament of Mary ( Stabat Mater by Pergolesi ), with its clear and precise about the layers out voice almost unearthly splendor. "

The artist worked with great conductors of the time such as Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Pierre Boulez, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Sir Simon Rattle and others. You heard how Annette Dasch, Diana Damrau and Dorothea Rosch man to the German female opera stars, " which is currently the best international economic enjoying ".

Since the death of her partner, the photographer and director Oliver Herrmann (1963-2003) Christine Schäfer lives with her two children in Berlin. Her sister is the actress Susanne Schäfer.

Movies

• By Oliver Herrmann: A Night. A life. After Pierrot Lunaire, Op 21 by Arnold Schoenberg, with Christine Schäfer ( soprano) and others. ( Screenwriting, directing, cinematography, editing. ) Eins54 film with ZDF and Arte. Germany 1999.
• By Oliver Herrmann: Dichterliebe. After the song cycle, Op 48 by Robert Schumann, with Christine Schäfer ( soprano), Natasha Easter grain (piano) and Robert Hunger -Bühler. ( Screenwriting, directing, camera work, editing. ) Eins54 film with SFB, Arte and SF DRS. Germany 2000.
• By Oliver Herrmann: Christine Schäfer, a film, Germany 2002 ( music documentary )

Awards

• 2006: Hessian Culture Award
• 2008: Federal Cross of Merit