DENIZ UZUN
ABOUT Deniz
ABOUT DENIZ
Deniz Uzun is one of the outstanding mezzo-sopranos of her generation, firmly established on international opera and concert stages. With an exceptionally broad repertoire ranging from Baroque to contemporary works, she combines stylistic confidence with great dramatic intensity. Uzun regularly performs at leading opera houses around the world and collaborates with internationally renowned orchestras in Europe and the USA.
In the operatic field, she excels in key roles across Italian, French, Russian, and German repertoires. Her notable roles include Carmen, Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel), Mère Marie de l’Incarnation (Dialogues des Carmélites), Polina (Pique Dame), Olga (Eugene Onegin), Sonyetka (Lady Macbeth of Mzensk), Isabella (Italiana in Algeri), Ruggiero (Alcina), Ino (Semele), Dido (Dido and Aeneas), Tamiri (Farnace), Una Donna (Intolleranza 1960), Rubria (Nerone), Mrs. Quickly (Falstaff), and Maddalena (Rigoletto). A particular focus of her repertoire is Wagner, where she interprets Fricka in the Ring Cycle, as well as Waltraute and the First Norn in Götterdämmerung, and Erda in Siegfried
Her engagements have taken her to venues such as the Zurich Opera House, the Bavarian State Opera, Opéra de Monte Carlo, Opéra de Marseille, Teatro Massimo, Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, Teatro La Fenice, Teatro Regio di Torino, Teatro Real Madrid, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, and the Festival della Valle d’Itria.
As a concert singer, Deniz Uzun is in high demand internationally, performing major vocal-symphonic works. These include Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Berlioz’s Les Nuits d’été, Dvořák’s Stabat Mater, Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius, Mendelssohn’s Three Sacred Songs, Ravel’s Shéhérazade, and Verdi’s Messa da Requiem. She has collaborated with leading orchestras such as the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig under Franz Welser-Möst, the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Fabio Luisi, and The Cleveland Orchestra, with which she has performed at Carnegie Hall.
From 2016 to 2021, Deniz Uzun was a member of the ensemble at the Zurich Opera House. She also has a close artistic collaboration with the Komische Oper Berlin, where she has performed both as an ensemble member and as a guest.
Throughout her career, Uzun has worked with conductors like Kirill Petrenko, Vladimir Jurowski, Simone Young, Jakub Hrůša, and Gianandrea Noseda, as well as directors such as Robert Carsen, Barrie Kosky, Dmitri Tcherniakov, Calixto Bieito, and Krzysztof Warlikowski.
Born in Mannheim, she studied in Karlsruhe and Mannheim, as well as at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University in Bloomington, USA. Uzun is a laureate of numerous international competitions, including the 1st Prize at the Elizabeth Connell International Singing Competition.
Classical Voice
“Deniz Uzun in the role of Rubria has truly been a discovery — for her technical perfection, vocal impact, finesse of phrasing, and great expressiveness.”
Classical Voice
MUSICAL INFLUENCES
BEYONG THE
opera house
To this day, Deniz remains deeply involved in the genre of Lied. Baroque and folk songs are often combined in her own arrangements — Schubert, Ravel and Saint-Saëns with harp; Bach, Caccini, Bizet, Shostakovich and de Falla alongside folk music from around the world with guitar.
Her career has also been shaped by contemporary music — the 2004 world premiere of Rolf Rudin’s To Infinity, inspired by letters of Vincent van Gogh, and later the works of Aribert Reimann, Wolfgang Rihm and Christian Dachez. In 2017 she performed thirteen songs by Miroslav Srnka, inspired by postcards written by Jurek Becker, in concerts in Munich and at the Salzburg Mozarteum. During the pandemic, Deniz created the concert series “Opera goes Folk” with Yulia Levin at the Opernhaus Zürich.
Since her early youth, Deniz has drawn equally from an eclectic mix of genres and cultures — Kardeş Türküler, Replikas, Air, Radiohead, The Doors and System of a Down — alongside Eastern European folk, Turkish folk poetry, and Yiddish and Sephardic song. Her passion for world music peaked from 2009–2013 through numerous appearances with her international band, Alyuvar.
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