Angelika Kirchschlager has quickly emerged as one of today’s most sought-after young mezzo-sopranos. Dividing her time between recitals and opera in Europe, North America and the Far East. Ms. Kirchschlager is equally at home on both the concert stage and in opera. She is internationally recognized as one of the foremost interpreters of Richard Strauss and Mozart. Her Mozart repertoire includes the roles of Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte, Sesto in La Clemenza di Tito as well as Idamante in Idomeneo. She is, perhaps, most identified with the title role of Richard Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier. Other key roles in her repertory include Nicklausse in Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Prince Orlovsky in Die Fledermaus, Valencine in The Merry Widow, Sesto in Giulio Cesare, Sophie in Sophie’s Choice and Melisande in Pelleas et Melisande. As a celebrated recitalist and concert performer Ms. Kirchschlager's repertoire reaches from Bach, Berlioz, Brahms, Debussy, Dvorak, Korngold, Mahler, Mendelssohn and Ravel to Rossini, Schubert, Schumann, Weill and Wolf.

The 2006-2007 season will be a season of multiple “debuts” for Angelika Kirchschlager. Over the summer she will perform the world premiere of Heaven is shy of Earth by the noted British composer Julian Anderson at the BBC Proms. The work, commissioned for the BBC Symphony Orchestra, is scored for symphonic orchestra, mezzo-soprano soloist and chorus. Thereafter, Ms. Kirchschlager will debut Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins at the Lucerne Festival with the Vienna Philharmonic. In Autumn the Austrian mezzo-soprano will make her debut with the Washington National Opera re-creating the title role of Nicolas Maw's opera Sophie's Choice whose world premiere in 2002 - at London’s Royal Opera and subsequent productions in Berlin and Vienna - has brought Ms. Kirchschlager international acclaim. These D.C. performances mark the opera’s American premiere.

In October/November Angelika Kirchschlager takes part in the inaugural season of the Liszt Festival in Raiding, Austria, followed by recitals at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, London’s Wigmore Hall, Milan’s Società del Quartetto, Semper Opera Dresden, Danish Radio Concert Hall in Copenhagen and Vienna’s Musikverein. At the Concertgebouw she will offer a second evening of chamber music with her colleagues pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and violist Yuri Bashmet.

For the occasion, the Concertgebouw has commissioned “Ha Hu Baley”, a trio for mezzo-soprano, viola and piano. In between these recitals Ms. Kirchschlager will be the guest soloist with the Royal Flemish Philharmonic in Brussels and Antwerp performing Ravel's Schéhérazade.

Prior to the holidays, Ms. Kirchschlager returns to the United States for a recital tour including Boston, Atlanta, Curacao, New York, Napa Valley, San Francisco and Orange County. Her accompanist shall be Malcolm Martineau

The Austrian mezzo-soprano returns to her home theater, the Vienna State Opera, in January for performances of Idomeneo. She then adds a new role to her repertory -- the title part of Händel’s Ariodante at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris. She later sings the part at London’s Barbican Hall and Madrid’s Teatro Real.

Before returning to the United Sates in Spring 2007 for appearances with the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, she presents her second recital of the season at London’s Wigmore Hall. The season concludes with a return to London’s Royal Opera for a new production of Pelleas et Melisande with Simon Rattle who will, thereafter, conduct more performances of Weill's Seven deadly Sins with Ms. Kirchschlager and the Berlin Philharmonic. In summer 2007, she will perform Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder with the Mozarteum Orchestra at the Salzburg Festival and will also appear in recital at the Tuscan Sun Festival in Cortona, Italy, and in Vilabertrán, Spain.

In 2006-07 Sony/BMG Masterworks will release her newest solo album featuring arias by Händel while TDK will release on DVD the 2003 Salzburg production of Der Rosenkavalier with Ms. Kirchschlager in the title role. Other recent releases include the award-winning recording of Le Nozze di Figaro with René Jacobs on Harmonia Mundi, “First Encounter” – a duo recording with soprano Barbara Bonney on Sony/BMG Masterworks, and “Women’s Lives and Loves” with Felicity Lott on Hyperion. Opus Arte has also released on DVD her highly acclaim role debut as Sesto in Händel's Giulio Cesare filmed at the 2005 Glyndebourne Festival. Furthermore, her discography includes the Sony/BMG releases of Bach arias, 'When night Falls', a collection of classical and popular lullabies as well as her highly acclaimed debut album of Lieder by Alma Mahler, Gustav Mahler and Erich Korngold.

Born in Salzburg, Angelika. Kirchschlager studied piano at the Mozarteum. Upon graduation from the ‘Musisches Gymnasium” in Salzburg, she enrolled at the Vienna Music Academy in 1984 where, in addition to studying voice with Professor Gerhard Kahry and the late Viennese baritone Walter Berry, she also studied percussion. Ms. Kirchschlager resides in Vienna.