Biography (read more)
Marlis Petersen was born on 3 February 1968 in Germany and studied at the Stuttgart Conservatory, initially pursuing music education, flute, and dance alongside voice. She made her operatic debut at Staatstheater Nürnberg as Ännchen in Der Freischütz, a role that led to a contract with Deutsche Oper am Rhein and, subsequently, engagements at major international houses.
Petersen has become closely associated with modern and contemporary repertoire, performing in ten different productions of Berg’s Lulu internationally and creating leading roles in world premieres by Hans Werner Henze and Aribert Reimann. She is also noted for her Bach interpretations with conductors such as Ton Koopman and Helmuth Rilling, and made her role debut as the Marschallin in Barrie Kosky’s 2021 production of Der Rosenkavalier.
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