Curriculum Vitae
Smits Stefanie
Soprano
The German-Dutch soprano Stefanie Smits studied musik pedagogy at the Staatlichen Hochschule für Musik in Karlsruhe. After finishing her degree, she continued her studies at the Hochschule für Darstellende Kunst und Musik in Frankfurt am Main. Ms. Smits gave her operatic debut at the Heidelberger Schloßfestspielen as Nigella in Telemann's „Der neumodische Liebhaber Damon“ under the direction of Dr. Ulrich Peters, conducted by Professor Michael Schneider. The production was recorded by WDR-Deutschlandradio, and is available under the CPO label.
Stefanie Smits was a prizewinner in the 1997 Maria Callas Grand Prix in Athens, after which she was engaged as Donna Anna in Katharina Thalbach's production of „Don Giovanni“ in Berlin. Following her success as Donna Anna, the norwegian director Per Fosser took notice of the young singer, and engaged Ms. Smits for the title role in Puccini's „Tosca“ at the Norske Opera in Oslo. In 1998 she sang the First Lady in „Zirkus um Zauberflöte“ with an international ensemble of singers and circus artists at the Zirkus Roncalli in Berlin under the direction of George Tabori.
Landestheater Coburg engaged Stefanie Smits as a resident artist in 1999 . She was a finalist in the Concours International de Chant in Toulouse in 2000. In 2001 she recieved the theater prize from the Landestheater Coburg for her interpretation of Elizabeth in „Tannhäuser“, and Ms. Smits sang a gala performance in the same role with Wolfgang Brendel as Wolfram von Eschenbach. She was named an artistic fellow by the Richard Wagner Foundation, performing a concert at the Villa Wahnfried in connection with her fellowship.
Performing a broad repertoire ranging from lyric to dramatic soprano roles, Ms. Smits was a resident artist at the theater in Münster, and has appeared as a guest artist at the theaters in Lübeck, Linz, Kaiserslautern, Regensburg, Bremen, Mainz, and at the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich. In the 2009-2010 season, she returned to Landestheater Coburg as Rosalinde in „Die Fledermaus“ and as the First Lady in „Die Zauberflöte“. In January 2010, she appeared as a soloist at the Philharmonie in Cologne under the direction of Wolfgang Siegenbrink with Hans Sotin and the Bochumer Symphoniker. This collaboration continued in the 2010-2011 concert season with Britten's „War Requiem“ and Mendelssohn´s „Paulus“. Stefanie Smits appears in the 2011-2012 season at Theater Hagen as Rosalinde in „Die Fledermaus“, as well as Sieglinde in Hagen's production of the Wagner/Loriot „Ring an einem Abend“.
Repertoire
1997 Donna Anna in Katharina Thalbachs erster Opernproduktion im Berliner „ E-Werk“
1998 Erste Dame in der Berliner Produktion „ Zirkus um Zauberflöte“ im Circus Roncalli unter
der Regie von George Tabori
Tosca mit dem Ensemble der Norske Opera Oslo in Kristiansand ( Norwegen)
1999- 2006 Festengagement am Landestheater Coburg, sowie Gastauftritte am Landestheater Linz ( Tosca),
Theater Hof ( Agathe), Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern ( Tosca,Agathe), Staatstheater Mainz ( 1.Dame),
Theater Lübeck ( Tosca),
In Coburg gesungene Partien sind ua.: Mimi, Tosca, Agathe, Tatjana, Lisa ( Land des Lächelns),
Rosalinde, Arabella,Feldmarschallin,Ariadne,
Madame Lidoine ( Dialog der Karmeliterinnen)
Marie ( Verkaufte Braut), Donna Anna, Cio-Cio San
2006 Gastvertrag an den Städtischen Bühnen Münster als Vitella ( La Clemenza di Tito)
dadurch Wechsel ins Ensemble der Städtischen Bühnen Münster mit ua. folgenden Partien:
Donna Anna, Leonore( Fidelio)
2007 Gastvertrag am Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in München als Hanna Glawari
2008 Gastverträge als Hanna Glawari am Theater Hagen und als Contessa Almaviva in Coburg
2009-2010 Gastverträge am Landestheater Coburg als Rosalinde und 1.Dame sowie am Theater Hagen als
Josepha Vogelhuber im Weissen Rössl, daneben Konzerttätigkeit ua. in der Kölner Philharmonie
( Brahms-Requiem und War-Requiem von Britten)
2011 Gastverträge am Theater Hagen als Rosalinde und als Sieglinde im „ Ring an einem Abend“