Slovenian mezzosoprano Barbara Kozelj has firmly established herself as a charismatic and hugely versatile artist. Equally at home in opera, concert and recital repertoire her performances have brought her to the leading international stages and continue to captivate audiences around the world.
'The vocal star of the show was Barbara Kozelj’s Penelope. This was a noble, dependable portrayal, in which her mellow and controlled singing sounded like a contralto at times, giving natural and soulful expression to the character’s suffering patience.' Classical source
Throughout her operacareer she has distinguished herself in numerous leading opera roles such as Ruggiero (Alcina), Cyrus (Belshazzar), Galatea (Aci, Galatea e Polifemo), Juno (Semele), Orfeo (Orfeo ed Euridice), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Dorabella (Cosi fan tutte), Second and Thrid Lady (Die Zauberflöte), L’Enfant (L'Enfant et les sortilege), Flosshilde (Das Rheingold), Page (Salome), Kasturbai and Mrs. Alexander (Satyagraha) and Néris (Medea). She has performed in opera houses of Leipzig, Essen, Bonn and Amsterdam as also with young opera companies such as Opera2day, St. Moritz Opera Festival and The Ministry of Operatic Affairs.
Her recent OPERA ENGAGEMENTS include Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier) and Mélisande (Pelleas et Mélisande) with Taiwan National Symphony Orchestra and Jun Märkl in Taipei, Brangäne (Tristan und Isolde) at Leipzig Oper, Wagner22 and at Teatro de la Maestranza in Sevilla, Judith (Bluebeard’s Castle) with NJO and Antony Hermus and Penelope (Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria) with the Academy of Ancient Music and Richard Egarr at London’s Barbican Hall and at the Festival Enescu Bucharest.
'Singing with a velvety legato, mezzo-soprano Barbara Kozelj made her every appearance an event.'NRC
'Barbara Kozelj impressed with her powerful, impeccably intonated mezzo-soprano and her committed acting. Rarely is the role of Brangäne performed with such emotional depth and credible interaction. "Die Rufe" was performed with flawless intonation. She delivered the text with such clarity and intensity that it was a true delight. An excellent performance!' Onlinemerker
Barbara is also in great demand as a CONCERT SOLOIST. After her debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and her Carnegie Hall debut her carreer has taken flight. She has given critically acclaimed performances of Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, Das Knaben Wunderhorn, and Kindertotenlieder, Ravel's Shéhérazade, Elgar's Sea pictures, Berlioz' Les Nuit d été, Brahms' Alt-Rhapsodie, Verdi's and Duruflé's Requiem and Rossini's Petite Messe Solenelle. She has been in close collaboration with Iván Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra, has made her BBC Proms debut and joined them on a European tour featuring performances in Budapest, Amsterdam, London, Bruges, Baden-Baden, Berlin and San Sebastian. They also toured throughout the United States performing Mendelssohn A Midsummer Night’s Dream, of which a CD recording has been released on the Channel Classics label.
Her recent highlights include Berg's Sieben frühe Lieder with Trondheim Symphony Orchestra and Respighi's Il Tramonto with Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife conducted by Antony Hermus, Canteloube's Chants d’Auvergne with Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra and Bas Wiegers in Ljubljana, Ligeti's Requiem with Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de Espagna and David Afkham, Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde with Camerata RCO (members of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra) at the Flanders Festival in Ghent, Mozart's C-minor mass and Rossini's Petite messe solenelle with Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne at the Aix-en-Provence Festival de Pâques and Beethoven's Symphony No 9 with the Phion orquestra and Residentie Orchestra.
This season Barbara will be returning to Wigmore hall for the performances of Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, Zemlinsky's 6 Songs to Poems by Maurice Maeterlinck and Schönberg's Pierrot Lunaire with Klangforum Wien and Vimbayi Kaziboni, and to perform Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde with Camerata RCO (members of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra), later this year. Other future concerts include Winterreise with Nino Gvetadze in Amsterdam, Frauenliebe und Leben with Richard Egarr in Namur, Haydn Ariadna a Naxos with Shunske Sato and Mathew Passsion with Phion and Residentie Orchestra.
"Fantastic how she lures you into the night in Berg's 'Warm die Lüfte' and lets you reconcile with the darkness. That little bow in her voice, that final note. Tiefschön." Volkskrant
Her versatility has also attracted the attention of many composers who have written works specifically for her. A song cycle Undefined earth - Five Slovenian Songs has been dedicated to Barbara by Thomas Beijer and they premiered it together at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam. She also premiered an intimate composition Dobro do – Episodes from the life of a singer together with the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra and Gordan Nikolić. This piece is based on her own life story and was written by Max Knigge and set to poetry by Lex Bohlmeijer. She returned to the Concertgebouw as part of the ZaterdagMatinee to perform the worldpremiére of the complete Pessoa Cycle by a Dutch composer Jan van de Putte, together with the Asko|Schönberg ensemble and Reinbert de Leeuw. A CD of that live perfromance has been released in autumn 2016. Another worldpremiére written for Barbara and the Asko Schönberg Ensemble was Oscar Bettisson's opera The light of lesser days. The performance took place at the Muziekgenouw aan 't Ij in Amsterdam and was conducted bu Clark Rundell.
Throughout her career Barbara has collaborated with conductors including Iván Fischer, Jaap van Zweden, Jun Märkl, Henrik Nánási, Stefan Soltesz, Richard Egarr, Neeme Järvi, David Afkham, Paul McCreesh, Kenneth Montgomery, Reinbert de Leeuw, Bas Wiegers, Antony Hermus, Otto Tausk and with orchestras including the Royal Concertgebouw orchestra, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Academy of Ancient Music, Gabrieli Consort and Players, Athen’s State Orchestra, Orquestra Simfonica de Barcelona, Orquesta y coro nacionales de Espagna, St Luke’s orchestra, Slovenian Philharmonic, The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and most of the Dutch orchestras.
“A real discovery are the Sechs Lieder by Victor Ullmann, sung brilliantly and very naturally by mezzo-soprano Barbara Kozelj. A treasure for the concert hall.” Trouw
Barbara has a strong affinity with Lieder, regularly performing recitals with Julius Drake, Richard Egarr, Thomas Beijer, Nino Gvetadze and Phyllis Ferwerda in venues such as Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Wigmore hall, Temple Church London and Slovenian Philharmonic hall. Her CD recordings with the Ebony Band Around Prague and Unheard for Channel Classics were praised by both national and international press.
The foundation for her musical development was established in Slovenia, where she graduated from the Academy of Music in Ljubljana. She later continued her studies and graduated from the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. She was a member of The New Opera Academy and the Dutch Opera Studio. Barbara has been coached by Marcos Bajuk, Irena Baar, Meinard Kraak, Ann Murray, Graciela Araya, Anne Sofie von Otter and continues to study with Sasja Hunnego, who has been her mentor and vocal coach throughout her carreer.
“Wo bist du, Licht!" was thrillingly beautiful due to the fantastic singing of Barbara Kozelj.' Trouw
'The strongest highlight of the show is mezzo-soprano Barbara Kozelj. Her acting is mesmerizingly restrained, her singing superb, and she makes you, if only for a moment, genuinely feel the sorrow of Madame de Touvel's fall to cunning temptation.' NRC
Barbara has a strong affinity with Lieder, regularly performing recitals with Julius Drake, Richard Egarr, Thomas Beijer, Nino Gvetadze and Phyllis Ferwerda in venues such as Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Wigmore hall, Temple Church London and Slovenian Philharmonic hall. Her CD recordings with the Ebony Band Around Prague and Unheard for Channel Classics were praised by both national and international press.
The basis for her musical development was set in Slovenia where she graduated at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, and later at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. She was a member of The New Opera Academy and the Dutch Opera Studio. Barbara has been coached by Marcos Bajuk, Irena Baar, Phyllis Ferwerda, Meinard Kraak, Ann Murray, Graciela Araya, Anne Sofie von Otter and continues to study with Sasja Hunnego throughout her carreer.
“Mezzo-soprano Barbara Kozelj, whose voice has a beautiful liquid gleam, delivered her aria “Können Tränen meiner Wangen” magnificently, poised and stately, yet suffused with emotional immediacy. “Erbarme dich” was profoundly moving.” Bachtrack, 5 star review
'Barbara Kozelj revealed the art of singing that spoke straight to the heart.' De Telegraaf
