Okka von der Damerau

Okka von der Damerau ranks among the leading mezzo-sopranos of her generation. With her powerful, nuanced voice and clear diction, the Hamburg-born artist consistently finds the authentic tone that connects her with audiences, whether in Wagner and Verdi operas or in songs by Mahler and Schönberg.

In the 2024/25 season, she stars as Fricka in “Rheingold” and “Walküre” at La Scala Milan, Ortrud in “Lohengrin” at the Liceu in Barcelona, Ježibaba (“Rusalka”) as well at the Liceu and at the Munich Opera Festival, and Fricka (“Walküre”) at Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts. On the concert stage, she performs Schönberg’s “Gurrelieder” at La Scala (Riccardo Chailly), Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 in Turin (Aziz Shokhakimov), and Symphony No. 8 with Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw Orchestra (Klaus Mäkelä).

A former ensemble member of the Bavarian State Opera, she triumphed there as Waltraute (“Götterdämmerung”), Erda (“Ring”), Charlotte (“Die Soldaten”), and Azucena (“Il trovatore”). Internationally, she has performed at La Scala, Paris Opera, Vienna State Opera, Semperoper Dresden, Teatro Real Madrid, Naples’ Teatro di San Carlo, the Bayreuth Festival and others.

Recent acclaimed debuts include Brünnhilde (“Walküre”) in Stuttgart and Ariadne (title role) in Munich, alongside her celebrated portrayal of Venus (“Tannhäuser”). One of her signature roles is Brangäne (“Tristan und Isolde”), debuted in 2017 under Simone Young in Munich and later under Kirill Petrenko and Gustavo Dudamel in Paris and Los Angeles.

In concert, she collaborates with the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonics, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony, and Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. Highlights include Mahler’s “Kindertotenlieder” at Salzburg Festival (Daniel Barenboim), Lili Boulanger’s “Psalm CXXX” at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw (Edward Gardner), and Bruckner’s Mass No. 3 at the 2024 Tokyo Spring Festival.
Passionate about lieder, her current program features Brahms, Mahler, Berg, and Wagner’s “Wesendonck-Lieder”, recently acclaimed in Tokyo. Her 2017 recording of Frank Martin’s “Die Weise von Liebe und Tod des Cornets Christoph Rilke” with Philharmonia Zürich (Fabio Luisi) remains a benchmark.

Awards include the Special Jury Prize at Venice’s Wagner Competition (2006) and the Munich Opera Festival Prize (2013).