About me

VANESSA WALDHART

The Austrian coloratura soprano was EVA KLEINITZ AWARD-winner at the 9th Concorso Lirico Internazionale Portofino (president of the international jury: Dominque Meyer) and finalist at the 9th Int. Renata Tebaldi Competition in San Marino. In 2022 she was nominated as “Newcomer of the Year” in the Yearbook of “Opernwelt” for her singing and acting performance.

Her repertoire includes roles like Queen of the Night in Mozart’s »The Magic Flute« at Edda Moser’s “Festival of the German Language” in Bad Lauchstädt, at National Theater in Sarajevo, Schlosstheater Schönbrunn Vienna, Theater Chemnitz, Opera Halle and Mecklenburg State Theater Schwerin, Olympia in Offenbach’s »Contes d’Hoffmann«, Adele in Strauß‘ »Fledermaus«, Rosina in Rossini’s »Barbiere di Siviglia«, Musetta in Puccini’s »La Bohème«, Oscar in Verdi’s »Un ballo in maschera«, Titania in Britten’s »Midsummer Night’s Dream« at Oper Halle, Fiakermilli in Strauss’ »Arabella« at Aalto-Theater Essen, Konstanze in Mozarts »Entführung aus dem Serail« at Chamber Opera Schloss Rheinsberg, Susanna in Mozart’s »The Marriage of Figaro« and Ännchen in Weber’s »Der Freischütz« at Goethe-Theater Bad Lauchstädt, as well as Vitellia in Gluck’s »La clemenza di Tito« at Markgräfliches Opernhaus Bayreuth at the Gluck Festival and Drusilla and Amore in Monteverdi’s »Incoronazione di Poppea« at the Grange Festival in England.

In 2019 Vanessa Waldhart made her critically acclaimed debut at the Int. Handel Festival Halle as Cleopatra (»Julius Caesar in Ägypten«) directed by Peter Konwitschny. Since that she appeared at Int. Handel Festival Halle as Agilea in Martin G. Bergers production of »Teseo«, as Daughter Zion in Walter Sutcliffe’s scenic production of »Brockes Passion«, as Atalanta in »Serse« under baton of Attilio Cremonesi, as Dorinda in Walter Sutcliffe’s production of »Orlando« and as Poppea in »Agrippina« under baton of Laurence Cummings.

In season 2025/26 she will give her role debuts as Eurydike in Offenbach’s »Orpheus in the Underworld«, Comtesse Stasi in Kálmán’s »Csárdásfürstin«, as well as Armida in Handel’s »Rinaldo« at Int. Handel Festival Halle 2026. Furthermore she will guest at the Ekhof-Festival 2025 as Polyxena in Schweitzer’s same-titled monodrama. 

She has worked with conductors such as René Jacobs, Attilio Cremonesi, Laurence Cummings, Ariane Matiakh, Michael Hofstetter, Christian Curnyn, Tomáš Netopil, David Bates, Philippe Bach, Michael Francis, Werner Erhardt, Alessandro Bonato, Matthias Foremny, Fabrice Bollon, Michael Wendeberg, Proinnsias O’Duinn, Nicola Valentini, Guido Mancusi, Peter Marschik, Christoph-Mathias Mueller, Peter Christian Feigel and José Miguel Esandi as well as with directors like Tobias Kratzer, Anthony Pilavachi, Peter Konwitschny, Isabel Ostermann, Martin G. Berger, Leonard Prinsloo, Beverly Blankenship, Igor Folwill, Patric Seibert-Wolf, Georg Quander, Walter Sutcliffe, Katharina Kastening and Louisa Proske.

In addition to opera she also sings recitals and concerts: With Carl Orff’s »Carmina Burana» she made her debut in the Golden Hall of the Wiener Musikverein, at the Grachtenfestival Amsterdam and in Innsbruck (Tyrol). She gave a recital in the Wiener Konzerthaus and sang the soprano solo in Pergolesi’s «Stabat mater», Handels «Messiah», «Il delirio amoroso» and «Apollo e Dafne», Bach’s «Magnificat in D-Dur», «Johannespassion» and «Weihnachtsoratorium», Eva in Haydn’s «Creation», Mozart’s «Exsultate Jubilate», «Coronation Mass» and «Requiem», Saint-Saëns «Oratorio de Noël», Mahler’s 4th symphony in Austria, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.

Among others Vanessa Waldhart won first prize (2nd section) at the 21. INTERNATIONAL FERRUCCIO TAGLIAVINI – singing competition and received the „Dame Joan Sutherland“-Prize as best Soprano of the whole competition. She is First Prize Winner at „MUSICA JUVENTUTIS“, at the singing competition of “Schlossoper Haldenstein” 2017, won the Gold Prize of “Manhattan Int. Music Competition, Voice” 2018, was finalist of “Online Vocal Competition” 2021 (Opera Tools) and is prizewinner at the “Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg” 2022. Beside that she is a scholarship winner of FOHN-Foundation Vienna 2015 and FEILING-Foundation 2016 and got the SYLFF-Fellowship of the Tokyo-Foundation for her distinguished accomplishments.

Vanessa Waldhart came in touch with music quiet early (singing, piano, piano trio, ballet). While attending classes in high school she started studying Singing at the Tyrolean Conservatory and graduated her Bachelor and Master degrees with Prof. Gabriele Lechner at University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna with distinction. Master classes with Christa Ludwig, Krassimira Stoyaniva, Brigitte Fassbaender, Magreet Honig and Edita Gruberová complete her studies. She also worked with Romelia Lichtenstein and is currently working with Nelly Miricioiu.