Oelze, Christiane

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Oelze, Christiane

Oelze, Christiane, German soprano; b. Cologne, Oct. 9, 1963. She studied in Cologne and received vocal instruction from Schwarzkopf. After winning the Hugo Wolf Competition in 1987, she appeared as a concert artist. In 1990 she made her operatic debut in Ottawa as Despina. She sang Constanze in Salzburg and Anne Trulove at the Glyndebourne Festival in 1991, and in 1993 she appeared in London. In 1994 she made her U.S. debut with the Atlanta Sym. Orch. She sang Zerlina at London’s Covent Garden in 1996, and in 1997 she returned to Salzburg as Mitridate. In 1999 she appeared as Mélisande at the Glyndebourne Festival. She has pursued a highly successful career as a soloist with the world’s major orchs. and as a lieder artist. Among her other operatic roles are Pamina, Marzelline, Zdenka in Arabella, and Regina in Mather der Maler.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire