VITA
CURRENT CAREER STEPS
Rebecca Blanz is the current first-prize winner of the Concorso Lirico Internazionale “Cloe Elmo”—the first non-Italian to win the competition in its history.
Her 2025–26 season took her, among other places, to the Wagner Festival Week in Leipzig, where she was selected for a master class with Linda Watson; to a return to the Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern for what was already her third production there; and to her house debut at the Theater Heidelberg as part of the 100th anniversary of the Heidelberg Castle Festival.
With her self-initiated project Heimspiel, she brought professional artists back to her hometown of Warendorf—the performances were sold out and received euphoric resonance.
The 2026–27 season will feature her first performance of Britten’s War Requiem as well as Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, both with the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz. At the Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern, she will sing the role of Marianne in Richard Strauss’s *Der Rosenkavalier* under the baton of GMD Daniele Squeo. In early 2027, she will record her first solo album with Andreas Fröschl. In addition, she continues to serve as a guest lecturer at the DJI at the HfM Detmold.
EDUCATION
Rebecca Blanz was born near Cologne (Germany) and began studying singing at the age of 17 at the Center for Highly Gifted Students at the Detmold University of Music. She completed both her bachelor's degree in Detmold and her master's degree at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna with distinction, winning an award at the Federal Singing Competition in Berlin in her very first semester of study and later the Alumni Song Competition at the Detmold University of Music. Her artistic development was shaped by working with personalities such as Helmut Deutsch, Hedwig Fassbender, Gabriele Fontana, Allison Oakes, and Thomas Quasthoff. She also completed a master's degree in musicology at the University of Cologne.
STAGE STATIONS
After completing her studies, Rebecca Blanz made her debut at renowned venues such as the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, where she performed as the First Lady (The Magic Flute) in China. She was a soprano in the international opera studio of the Nationaltheater Mannheim and enjoyed success in roles such as Ortlinde (Die Walküre), Wellgunde (Rheingold & Götterdämmerung), and the 3rd Norn (Götterdämmerung), with which she made her debut in South Korea. In addition to her opera work, she is also active in song and concert singing, with performances in venues such as the Vienna Musikverein, the Rosengarten Mannheim, and the Stadtcasino Basel.
AWARDS AND PUBLICATIONS
Rebecca Blanz has received numerous awards for her exceptional talent. Her honors include scholarships from the German Music Council, the Cusanuswerk, and the Richard Wagner Association of Vienna, and – next to the prizes of the competitions in Germany and Italy – the Hauck-Aufhäuser Foundation Culture Prize in Frankfurt. She has also made a name for herself on recordings, with releases on labels such as NAXOS, cpo, and oehms classics. An article by her about changing the "Fach" and the associated challenges was also published in OPERNMAGAZIN.
PRESS & MEDIA RESPONSE
Rebecca Blanz is regularly praised by the trade press for her vocal expressiveness, artistic presence, and creative depth.
Opernwelt described her performances in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro at the National Theater Mannheim as “short appearances that she turned into showpieces.” IOCO Kultur im Netz highlights the “golden tones of her voluminous soprano” as well as her “flexibility, rich nuances, and clarity of diction.”
The Mainpost writes about her oratorio repertoire: “A moment of silence in the nave, then thunderous applause for this perfect performance.” The Mannheimer Morgen highlights the “heartfelt emotion and vocal color” of her Mahler interpretations, while the Kölner Stadtanzeiger spoke of a “grandezza that leaves one speechless” as early as 2018.
Whether in Strauss' Ariadne, Honegger, Elia, Mendelssohn, or in art songs, Rebecca Blanz impresses with her “glowing soprano,” “haunting emotional depth,” and “an ever-present creative will” (Die Rheinpfalz).
Her core repertoire lies in the German Romantic repertoire, from Mendelssohn to Brahms to Wagner and Richard Strauss. However, she is also open to selected Italian roles and more modern works. Rebecca Blanz has already premiered many works, some of which are dedicated to her. Her versatility and expressiveness are what define her artistic work, combined with her dramatic voice.