Biography
Ursula Hesse von den Steinen received her vocal training at Hochschule der Künste Berlin and refined her skills in master classes with Brigitte Fassbaender and Aribert Reimann. From 1999 until 2002, she was a member of the Semperoper in Dresden. From there her path rapidly led her to all the important European stages in Amsterdam, Munich, Berlin, Vienna, Brussels, Barcelona, Toulouse, Glyndebourne, and Paris, singing the roles of the German and Italian repertoire. With a sensational debut as Fricka (Rheingold) in Karlsruhe, Ursula Hesse began her development in the Wagner-fach. Since then she sang Fricka in various Walküre productions, including in Riga, Essen and Nuremberg. In Mannheim she could be seen as Venus (Tannhäuser), followed by Adriano (Rienzi) in Riga. Highlights of the past seasons were and Ortrud (Lohengrin) in Bern, Herodias (Salome) in Klagenfurt, Klytämnestra (Elektra) in Basel, Foreign Princess (Rusalka) and Podtochina (The Nose) at Komische Oper Berlin, Margret (Wozzeck) in Amsterdam, etc. Engagements in season 2018/19 include Matilde (Handel: Lotario) in Bern, Foreign Princess and Ježibaba (Rusalka) in Klagenfurt, Irène (Handel: Theodora) at the Potsdamer Winteroper, Waltraute at a concertante performance of Die Walküre with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Vladimir Jurowski at the Royal Festival Hall in London, and Fricka (Die Walküre) at Teatro di San Carlo in Napoli.
Foto Anna Thorbjönson