Bernadett Fodor was born in Zalaegerszeg in 1982 and grew up in Pápa, where she at first studied to be a biologist. She started her classical voice training at the age of 20, with Veronika Dobi-Kiss in Győr, and then continued them in Vienna, in Gabriele Lechner's course at the Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Wien. Her current mentor is Sylvia Sass. She made her debut on the opera stage in 2008 in India, at Mumbai's NCPA, in the role of Suzuki in Madama Butterfly. In 2010, in Vienna, she won the first Birgit Nilsson Memorial Prize established specifically for young singers. A recurring guest at Oper Frankfurt, she has also appeared in a number of European countries, and at the Bregenz Festival, the Pézenas Enchantée Fesztival on the stage of the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. Between 2013 and 2015 she was a member of the Neue Musiktheater Linz. Her current repertoire embraces around 20 dramatic mezzo-soprano and alto roles, including eight heroines from the Ring, Judit in Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle, Carmen, and Ulrica in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera. She enjoyed a tremendous success with her Frankfurt debut in the latter role in 2013, where the Neue Merker described her as a monumental phenomenon, both vocally and dramatically. Erda from Das Rheingold is another of her especially triumphant roles, earning her a “Goldener Schikaneder” opera award. In Hungary, she made her debut at both the Wagner in Budapest Opera Festival and the Hungarian State Opera as Erda in 2015. Over the course of her career, she has worked together with such renowned conductors as Franz Welser-Möst, Adam Fischer, Sebastian Weigle, Patrick Summers, Roberto Paternostro and Dennis Russel Davies.
Education and training:
János Richter Conservatory, voice teacher: Veronika Dobi-Kiss
Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Wien, voice teacher: Prof. Gabriele Lechner
Master classes:
Sylvia Sass, Dame Gwyneth Jones, Gabriele Lechner
Awards and recognitions:
Jenő Ádám Singing Competition, third place, Schubert special prize (2005)
József Simándy Singing Competition Szeged, second place, Kodály special prize (2006)
Mihály Székely Singing Competition, third place (2006)
Birgit Nilsson Gedächtnispreis zur Förderung Junge OpersängerInnen, Vienna (2010)
Musiktheaterpreis “Goldener Schikaneder”, Vienna (2015)
Principal roles:
G. Puccini: Madama Butterfly – Suzuki
B. Bartók: Bluebeard's Castle - Judit
E. Humperdinck: Hänsel und Gretel – Mother
Menotti: The Medium – Madame Flora
R. Wagner: Die Walküre – Schwertleite, Rossweisse, Fricka
R. Wagner: Colón Ring - Flosshilde
G. Verdi: Un ballo in maschera – Ulrica
W.A. Mozart: The Magic Flute – Third Lady
R. Wagner: Das Rheingold - Erda
R. Wagner: Siegfried – Erda
R. Wagner: Götterdämmerung – Waltraute, First Norn
G. Bizet: Carmen - title role
R. Straus: Der Rosenkavalier – Annina
D. Wagner: Raus aus dem Haus – A+B
Guest appearances and company memberships:
NCPA Mumbai
Oper Frankfurt
Bregenz Festival
Pézenas Enchantée Festival
Neue Musiktheater Linz
Teatro Colón
Müpa Budapest
Hungarian State Opera
