Waltraud Meier

Biography

Grammy Award winner Waltraud Meier is a German dramatic soprano and mezzo-soprano singer. She is particularly known for her Wagnerian roles as Kundry, Isolde, Ortrud, Venus, Fricka, and Sieglinde, but has also had success in the French and Italian repertoire appearing as Eboli, Amneris, Carmen, and Santuzza. She resides in Munich. Meier has performed in the world's famed opera houses (including La Scala, Covent Garden, Metropolitan Opera, the Vienna State Opera, the Bavarian State Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Colón Theater). She performed Wagner at the Mecca of Wagner performance, the Bayreuth Festspielhaus. She has performed under the batons of conductors including Riccardo Muti, Daniel Barenboim, Claudio Abbado, James Levine, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, and Giuseppe Sinopoli. Waltraud Meier was born in Würzburg, Germany. She sang in various choral groups during her younger years. Upon finishing her secondary education, she began graduate studies in English and Romance Languages while also taking voice lessons. She studied singing with Professor Dietger Jacob. In 1976, she decided to concentrate on a singing career and soon thereafter debuted at the Würzburg Opera as Lola in Cavalleria rusticana. Over the next several years she performed regularly at the opera house in Mannheim (1976–78). She resides in Germany.

Known For

Carmen

as Carmen

The Transformation of the World Into Music

as Self

The Ring Cycle: Gotterdammerung

as Waltraude

Verdi: Don Carlos

as La Princesse Eboli

Strauss R: Elektra

as Klytämnestra

Richard Wagner: Parsifal

as Kundry

Elektra

as Klytämnestra

Tannhäuser

as Venus

Tristan und Isolde

as Isolde

Strauss: Elektra

as Klytaemnestra