Vita

Danish-German soprano Susanne Elmark has appeared for many years at leading opera houses and concert venues around the world.

Her engagements have taken her to Deutsche Oper Berlin, Staatsoper Unter den Linden, the Bavarian State Opera, Hamburg State Opera, Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Teatro Real Madrid, Opernhaus Zürich, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, as well as to opera houses in Oslo, Copenhagen, Frankfurt and Cologne and to the Volksoper Wien. Her repertoire includes roles such as Zerbinetta in ARIADNE AUF NAXOS, the Queen of the Night in DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE, Konstanze in DIE ENTFÜHRUNG AUS DEM SERAIL, Lulu in LULU, Fiakermilli in ARABELLA, Marie in DIE SOLDATEN, Claudia in STILLES MEER, Cordelia in LEAR and Inanna in BABYLON.

Alongside the core operatic and concert repertoire, contemporary music has long played a central role in Susanne Elmark’s artistic work. Numerous works have been written specifically for her, and she has taken part in several world premieres. These include the role of Claudia in Toshio Hosokawa’s STILLES MEER at Hamburg State Opera under Kent Nagano. She performed Hanspeter Kyburz’s STILL AND AGAIN with Ensemble Modern and Ensemble Intercontemporain at festivals in Frankfurt, Geneva and Strasbourg and at the Lucerne Festival. Further appearances include Heinz Holliger’s demanding solo work NOT I at the Lucerne Festival, Morton Feldman’s one-woman opera NEITHER at the Philharmonie Luxembourg, Agnes in WRITTEN ON SKIN at Suntory Hall in Tokyo under Kazushi Ono with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, and Ishmaela in Olga Neuwirth’s THE OUTCAST at the Wiener Konzerthaus and the Philharmonie de Paris.

Marie in Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s DIE SOLDATEN holds a special place in her repertoire: Susanne Elmark has sung the role more often worldwide than any other soprano. Engagements in the part have taken her to opera houses in Zurich and Berlin, to Teatro Real Madrid in Calixto Bieito’s production, to Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires in a staging by Pablo Maritano, and to Nuremberg in a production by Peter Konwitschny.

Her more recent engagements include the Wife in Schnittke’s LIFE WITH AN IDIOT at Opernhaus Zürich and Cordelia in Aribert Reimann’s LEAR at Teatro Real Madrid in 2024, as well as Lady Macbeth in Verdi’s MACBETH at Luzerner Theater.

Susanne Elmark has worked with conductors including Christian Thielemann, Philippe Jordan, Gustavo Dudamel, Kent Nagano, Kazushi Ono, Carlo Rizzi, Gary Bertini, Michael Boder, Sir Colin Davis, Eliahu Inbal, Marek Janowski, Michael Schønwandt and Marcello Viotti.

Her concert repertoire includes Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony under Gustavo Dudamel in Barcelona and Madrid, solo parts in Mozart’s MASS IN C MAJOR and EXSULTATE, JUBILATE, Berg’s LULU SUITE and SEVEN EARLY SONGS, Bach’s ST JOHN PASSION, Pergolesi’s STABAT MATER, Orff’s CARMINA BURANA and Hosokawa’s NACH DEM STURM, written especially for her. She has appeared at major concert venues including the Berlin Philharmonie, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, St Petersburg Philharmonia, Philharmonie Luxembourg and with the Oslo Philharmonic.

Her discography includes Celia in Mozart’s LUCIO SILLA under Ádám Fischer and her solo album CH’IL BEL SOGNO, featuring arias by Verdi, Puccini and Mozart, released by Naxos in 2016.

In addition to her stage career, Susanne Elmark gives masterclasses internationally and works as a vocal coach for opera singers. She has taught at the Bolshoi Theatre, the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory and the Institute of Music, Theatre and Dance in St Petersburg, at the Conservatory of San Sebastián, and at various institutions in Denmark. She also taught for four years at the Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg.

Susanne Elmark also gives lectures and has written extensively on the particular demands of a singing career. Her essay YOU ARE NOT ALONE addresses performance pressure, and she has also written a practical guide to auditions. In 2016, her book DET VAR MED VILJE (“It Was Intentional”) was published in Denmark, reflecting on 25 years on stage, her path to an international career and the challenge of combining family life with a professional career in opera.

2026-08-31

Media

Luzerner Theater | MACBETH

Opernhaus Zürich | DIE SOLDATEN

Oper Köln | BARKOUF

Mozart: Die Hölle Rache

Staatsoper Unter den Linden | BABYLON

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