The German-born English lyric mezzo-soprano (and jazz singer), Vanessa Heine, studied at John F. Kennedy Schule Berlin (1983-1990; 1990-1997). She studied voice at Trinity College of Music with Hazel Wood (Class of 2003) where she was a finalist in the Elizabeth Schumann Lieder competition and a soloist in the college opera productions of Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel and Gian Carlo Menott's The Saint of Bleecker Street.
After her studies, Vanessa Heine embarked on a career as a singing teacher and musical director, achieving success in youth theatre with such productions as Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story, Sweet Charity and Annie, to name a few. Later, she has sung sang regularly as a choral singer with the world famous Monteverdi Choir (Director: John Eliot Gardiner), as well as the Gabrieli Consort (Director: Paul McCreesh), Tenebrae (Director: Nigel Short), BBC Singers, Geoffrey Mitchell Choir, Academy of Ancient Music, London Voices (Director: Terry Edwards) and Metro Voices. She has worked with conductors as Sir Colin Davis, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Lorin Maazel, Kent Nagano, András Schiff, Daniel Barenboim and Richard Hickox. In addition she has appeared on various soundtracks including Alice in Wonderland, Prince of Persia, Monsters vs Aliens, Shrek 4 and Clash of the Titans.
As a soloist, Vanessa Heine has been particularly active in the opera and oratorio world. Her oratorio credits include J. Haydn's Nelson Mass and Theresa Mass, W.A. Mozart's Requiem, Maurice Duruflé's Requiem, and a staged version of George Frideric Handel's Messiah. She was a soloist in the world premiere of Stockhausen's Mittwoch aus Licht with the Birmingham Opera Company (August 2012), as well as the world premiere of Die Putzfrauen with the Neuköllner Oper Berlin. She was in the chorus for Georges Bizet's Carmen at the Opéra Comique, conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner and directed by Adrian Noble, and later played the title role in Carmen for Novella Opera to much acclaim. As a jazz singer, she performs in The Jazzabelles with Belinda Evans. She currently lives in London, England. |