Anne Sofie von Otter

Anne Sofie von Otter was born in Stockholm and studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London with Vera Rosza. She also attended classes in lied interpretation with Geoffrey Parsons in London and Erik Werba in Vienna. Now regarded as one of the finest singers of her generation, the internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano – named Gramophone's "Artist of the Year" in 1996 – works with pre-eminent conductors of the day, has sung with great success at the major opera houses of the world, and is a regular guest at leading festivals. Her roles include Cherubino, Dorabella, Sesto, Tancredi, Cenerentola, Romeo in I Capuleti ed i Montecchi, the Composer in Ariadne aus Naxos, and Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier (under the direction of Carlos Kleiber; released on video by Deutsche Grammophon). For Deutsche Grammophon/Archiv Produktion she has recorded Monteverdi's L'Orfeo and L'incoronazione di Poppea, Handel's Ariodante, Messiah, and Hercules, as well as Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, Mozart's Idomeneo, La clemenza di Tito, and Le nozze di Figaro, Berlioz's La Damnation de Faust, Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxo, and Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress. Anne Sofie von Otter has also achieved great success as a lieder interpreter, not least with Gramophone Award-winning albums of song by Grieg and Chaminade.