Soprano Emma Pearson makes her Opera Australia début as the Queen of the Night. Pearson's fiery coloratura,
stylish phrasing and glamorous stage presence exude star quality, marking her out as a débutante to watch.
The Opera Critic, January 2009
stylish phrasing and glamorous stage presence exude star quality, marking her out as a débutante to watch.
The Opera Critic, January 2009
The star of the show was Emma Pearson as Susanna who created a multi-layered character exuding confidence as through she were born to the role. When she was on stage she seemed to galvanize the rest of the cast, singing with a captivating freshness and liveliness. She combined intense passion, frivolity and a guileless feminism with superb comic timing and a real sense of psychological insight. Her singing of "Deh vieni, non tardar" in the final garden scene was an exquisite and tender summation of romantic love.
National Business Review, June 2010
From shortly after her 25th birthday, Australian soprano Emma Pearson began her contract as a soloist at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden, in Germany. Now in her 6th season for this company, she has performed over 25 roles, including the title role in Alban Berg's Lulu, Königin der Nacht in Die Zauberflöte, Olympia in Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier and Ännchen in Der Freischütz with critical acclaim.
In 2009, Emma performed the demanding title role of Lulu for the official opening of the International Maifestspiel in Wiesbaden, conducted by Marc Piollet and directed by Konstanze Lauterbach. In this same year she made her debut for Opera Australia singing Königin der Nacht at the Sydney Opera House and again in Christchurch, New Zealand for Southern Opera. In 2009 she earned a nomination for her debut at Opera Australia as "Best Female Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera" in the Australian Robert Helpmann Awards. Also in 2009 she was nominated "Singer of the Year" in Germany's OpernWelt magazine for her performances as Lulu.
In the beginning of 2010 Emma performed Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire with Hessisches Staatstheater Kammermusik as well as the main stage productions of Falstaff (Nannetta), and Gianni Schicchi (Lauretta), with great success. She then flew to New Zealand to perform her first Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro along side her husband, Wade Kernot, playing Figaro. The production was directed by Aidan Lang and conducted by Lionel Friend.
In the beginning of the 2010-11 season, Emma returned to Sydney to sing Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier for Opera Australia, conducted by Andrew Litton, with Cheryl Barker as the Marschallin and Catherine Carby as Octavian. After rave reviews the company decided to record the production for Blu ray and DVD release in Australia in 2011. Emma returned to Wiesbaden to perform the same role for Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden, conducted by Marc Piollet, as well as the title role in Rodion Shchedrin's modern opera Lolita, again opening the International Maifestspiele. Emma will sing the role of Sophie again in the U.S.A. for Minnesota Orchestra's Sommerfest, in August 2011.
Also a keen baroque musician, Emma performed the role of Parthenia in Schweitzer's opera Alceste at the 2008 Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele, conducted by Michael Hofstetter. She is a regular performer with Ensemble Mattiacus and KirchenMusik conducted by Christian Pfeifer. In 2008 she was also invited to present a recital of "Haydn and Mozart in Paris" at the Rheingau Musik Festival.
Previous to her work in Germany, Emma performed for NBR New Zealand Opera, in the roles of Fiordiligi in Cosi fan Tutte and Frasquita in their production of Carmen, conducted by Emmanuel Plasson. She has sung Beethoven's 9th Symphony in Tokyo and performed many operettas, musical theatre, oratorio, and chamber recitals in the UK, Germany, Japan and China as well as Australia and New Zealand. In 2011 Emma will perform in the City of London Festival with music ensemble Ruthless Jabiru, singing Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915, conducted by Kelly Lovelady.
Emma completed her formal studies after attaining a Bachelor of Music (Vocal Performance) from the University of Western Australia in 2001, and then two years at the Australian Opera Studio, graduating in 2003 with Honours. As a student of the A.O.S. Emma performed many complete roles under the tuition of Gregory Yurisich, Patricia Price and Anthea Moller. Emma currently works with David Harper, Barbara Bonney and Dame Kiri te Kanawa.
In 2004 Emma won the Australian Singing Competition's prestigious Marianne Mathy Scholarship and the Symphony Australia Young Artist Prize, while she was performing in productions with NBR New Zealand Opera. In the same year she also won the More Than Opera German-Australian Opera Grant and Audience Prize, which lead to her current contract to the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden. In the 2007 Neue Stimmen International Singing Competition, Emma received the 20th Anniversary Prize from the Bertelsmann Stiftung. In 2009 Emma won the Australian Singing competition's Opera Awards, with prizes from Youth Music Foundation Australia, Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust, Royal Over-Seas League and Editorial Resources.
Emma is based in Germany but also spends much of her spare time in Switzerland with her husband, Wade Kernot.
20.05.11
In 2009, Emma performed the demanding title role of Lulu for the official opening of the International Maifestspiel in Wiesbaden, conducted by Marc Piollet and directed by Konstanze Lauterbach. In this same year she made her debut for Opera Australia singing Königin der Nacht at the Sydney Opera House and again in Christchurch, New Zealand for Southern Opera. In 2009 she earned a nomination for her debut at Opera Australia as "Best Female Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera" in the Australian Robert Helpmann Awards. Also in 2009 she was nominated "Singer of the Year" in Germany's OpernWelt magazine for her performances as Lulu.
In the beginning of 2010 Emma performed Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire with Hessisches Staatstheater Kammermusik as well as the main stage productions of Falstaff (Nannetta), and Gianni Schicchi (Lauretta), with great success. She then flew to New Zealand to perform her first Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro along side her husband, Wade Kernot, playing Figaro. The production was directed by Aidan Lang and conducted by Lionel Friend.
In the beginning of the 2010-11 season, Emma returned to Sydney to sing Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier for Opera Australia, conducted by Andrew Litton, with Cheryl Barker as the Marschallin and Catherine Carby as Octavian. After rave reviews the company decided to record the production for Blu ray and DVD release in Australia in 2011. Emma returned to Wiesbaden to perform the same role for Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden, conducted by Marc Piollet, as well as the title role in Rodion Shchedrin's modern opera Lolita, again opening the International Maifestspiele. Emma will sing the role of Sophie again in the U.S.A. for Minnesota Orchestra's Sommerfest, in August 2011.
Also a keen baroque musician, Emma performed the role of Parthenia in Schweitzer's opera Alceste at the 2008 Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele, conducted by Michael Hofstetter. She is a regular performer with Ensemble Mattiacus and KirchenMusik conducted by Christian Pfeifer. In 2008 she was also invited to present a recital of "Haydn and Mozart in Paris" at the Rheingau Musik Festival.
Previous to her work in Germany, Emma performed for NBR New Zealand Opera, in the roles of Fiordiligi in Cosi fan Tutte and Frasquita in their production of Carmen, conducted by Emmanuel Plasson. She has sung Beethoven's 9th Symphony in Tokyo and performed many operettas, musical theatre, oratorio, and chamber recitals in the UK, Germany, Japan and China as well as Australia and New Zealand. In 2011 Emma will perform in the City of London Festival with music ensemble Ruthless Jabiru, singing Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915, conducted by Kelly Lovelady.
Emma completed her formal studies after attaining a Bachelor of Music (Vocal Performance) from the University of Western Australia in 2001, and then two years at the Australian Opera Studio, graduating in 2003 with Honours. As a student of the A.O.S. Emma performed many complete roles under the tuition of Gregory Yurisich, Patricia Price and Anthea Moller. Emma currently works with David Harper, Barbara Bonney and Dame Kiri te Kanawa.
In 2004 Emma won the Australian Singing Competition's prestigious Marianne Mathy Scholarship and the Symphony Australia Young Artist Prize, while she was performing in productions with NBR New Zealand Opera. In the same year she also won the More Than Opera German-Australian Opera Grant and Audience Prize, which lead to her current contract to the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden. In the 2007 Neue Stimmen International Singing Competition, Emma received the 20th Anniversary Prize from the Bertelsmann Stiftung. In 2009 Emma won the Australian Singing competition's Opera Awards, with prizes from Youth Music Foundation Australia, Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust, Royal Over-Seas League and Editorial Resources.
Emma is based in Germany but also spends much of her spare time in Switzerland with her husband, Wade Kernot.
20.05.11
Biography
Emma Pearson
High lyric-coloratura Soprano
High lyric-coloratura Soprano
Photo: Kurt Sneddon