Anja Harteros (born 23 July 1972 in Bergneustadt, Germany, to a Greek father and German mother) is a German soprano who studied at the Hochschule für Musik Köln under Liselotte Hammes. She won the 1999 Cardiff Singer of the World competition, becoming the first German singer to do so, which led to a decades-long association with the Bavarian State Opera under director Peter Jonas. Her repertoire progressed from Mozartian roles such as the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro and Donna Anna to heavier Verdi and Wagner parts, including Elisabetta in Don Carlos, Amelia in Un ballo in maschera, and Sieglinde in Die Walküre.

Named Bavarian Kammersängerin in 2007 and twice voted Female Singer of the Year by Opernwelt magazine, Harteros is celebrated for a rich, tonally distinctive soprano voice and a selective, quality-over-quantity approach to her career. Her acclaimed recordings include Verdi’s Requiem under both Antonio Pappano and Daniel Barenboim and Verdi’s Aida opposite Jonas Kaufmann for Warner Classics, and she remains one of the most admired Verdi and Wagner sopranos of her generation.

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anja_Harteros