Maria Gessler – soprano artistic CV (short)
Born in Basel, Switzerland, Maria Gessler studied singing with Verena Schweizer at the Music Academy in Basel. Simultaneously she attended baroque performance practice with Rene Jacobs at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. She went on to be a member of the opera studio Basel and attended masterclasses with Edith Mathis, Anna Reynolds, Brigitte Fassbaender, and Margreet Honig. She was twice awarded the Migros-Scholarship in the course of her studies.
Following her studies, Maria Gessler has been engaged as a principal artist in several German opera houses singing a wide variety of lyrical and dramatic soprano roles including the Contessa in Mozart's "Le nozze di Figaro", Hanna Glawari in Lehar's "Lustige Witwe", Nedda in Leoncavallo's "Pagliacci", the Marschallin in Strauss's "Rosenkavalier", and the title role in Puccini's "Tosca", to name but a few.
She has performed as a guest artist in several European opera houses, appearing as Tatjana in Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin" in Wuppertal (Germany), Cio-Cio-San in Puccini's Madama Butterfly in Stettin (Poland), Eva in Wagner's "Meistersinger" under Gustav Kuhn at the Tiroler Festspiele Erl (Austria), the mother in Humperdinck's "Hänsel und Gretel" in Basel (Switzerland) and Beethoven's "Fidelio-Leonore" at the opera-festival in Bad Hersfeld (Germany).
Maria Gessler's operatic work is complimented by a large oratorio repertoire and she has an established reputation as an interpreter of Lied. Her semi-staged recital programmes have received international acclaim. Further she has extended stylistically with her trio "Schmendriks Bande" (voice, clarinet & accordion). In their various programmes with new interpretations of Yiddish and Sefardic songs, so as chansons, jazz standards etc. they invite the audience to colourful musical journeys.
