Biography
The 2020/21 season holds a very special highlight for Regula Mühlemann: as a member of the re-built Mozart ensemble, the young soprano can be heard twice this season at the Vienna State Opera: first in the role of Blonde in Die Entführung aus dem Serail in a new production by Hans Neuenfels, followed by Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), a part with which she makes her role and house debut at the Theater Basel earlier in the season. The third role at the Vienna State Opera is another exciting role debut: Adele in Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, which she sings also in the house’s famous New Year’s Eve performance. Regula Mühlemann is also a sought-after concert performer: with the Mozart Week Salzburg she sings Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe under the baton of Robin Ticciati, followed by concerts in Spain with the Balthasar-Neumann-Ensemble under the baton of Thomas Hengelbrock. Further concerts and recitals take Regula Mühlemann to the Gewandhaus Leipzig (Johannes Passion), to the chamber music hall of the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, as well as for recitals with the program of her album Lieder der Heimat to various Swiss concert halls. She also tours with the Basel Chamber Orchestra and performs a program from her second Mozart album Mozart Arias II, which is released in autumn 2020 by Sony Classical, and makes guest appearances in Zurich (Tonhalle), Dresden (Frauenkirche), Lucerne (KKL) and Bern (Casino). With songs by Schubert and Schumann, the artist ends the season with her debut at the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg.
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In February 2020 Regula Mühlemann made her house and role debut at the Vienna State Opera as Adina in Otto Schenk’s legendary production of Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore. In past seasons, the young soprano sang Juliette (Roméo et Juliette) at Theatre Lucerne, as well as the role of Echo (Ariadne auf Naxos) at the Teatro alla Scala in Milano, with Franz Welser-Möst conducting. She gave guest performances as Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel) at the Teatro Regio in Turin, sang Blonde (Die Entführung aus dem Serail) with Teatro San Carlo in Naples and Rosina in Mozart’s La finta semplice at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. She also sang Serpetta in Hans Neuenfels’ new production of la finta giardiniera at the State Opera Berlin, Isolier in Rossini’s Le Comte Ory opposite Ceclia Bartoli at the Theater an der Wien as well as Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro) with the Grand Théâtre de Genève (2018) and the Zurich Opera in 2019.
Regula Mühlemann has also performed several opera roles in concert: Most recently as Susanna in semi-concert performances during the Salzburg Mozart Week under the direction of András Schiff. Before that as Elisa in Il Re pastore (Mozart) with “Les Arts Florissants” under the musical direction of William Christie with concerts in Paris, Barcelona, Vienna and with the Lucerne Festival. As part of the Yehudi Menuhin Festival in Gstaad, she sang Zerlina (Don Giovanni). Furthermore, she sang Marzelline in Beethoven’s Fidelio at the Théatre des Champs-Elysées Paris as well as concert performances of Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, opposite Joyce di Donato and with Rolando Villazón in the title role. The concerts have been recorded and released by Deutsche Grammophon as part of their Mozart Cycle with Yannick Nézet-Séguin. She has also sung Papagena (Die Zauberflöte) and Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro for them as part of this Series.
Regula Mühlemann can be seen in several films: in the feature film “Hunter’s Bride”, based on Weber’s Der Freischütz and in the film adaption of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice. She also can be seen in Bernhard Weber’s documentary “The sound of the voice” from 2018.
On the concert stage, Regula Mühlemann has performed amongst others Mozart’s Great Mass in c-Minor, Lobgesang by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Beethoven’s 9. Symphony. Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots (Mozart) she performed under the baton of Alessandro De Marchi with the Münchner Rundfunkorchester in 2017. Regula Mühlemann was invited to perform Mahler‘s 4. Symphony with the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden under the baton of Mariss Jansons with the Easter Festival Salzburg in 2019. Regula Mühlemann has been working with renowned conductors such as Franz Welser-Möst, Valery Gergiev, Nello Santi, Sir Simon Rattle, Daniel Harding, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Pablo Heras-Casado, Ivor Bolton, Pinchas Steinberg and Gianandrea Noseda and has been a guest of the most prestigious concert halls in Europa. Her US debut was a tour with the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart and Hans-Christoph Rademann in 2017, performing Bach‘s Passions as well as his Mass in h-Minor. That same year, she made her debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Manfred Honeck (Exsultate, jubilate) and sang Haydn’s The Season under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin in Philadelphia. Other highlights are performing The Messiah with the Kammerorchester Basel, The Creation (Haydn) under Ádám Fischer at Budapest’s MÜPA, Schumann’s The Paradise and the Peri with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia under the direction of Daniele Gatti.
Regula Mühlemann is an exclusive recording artist of Sony Classical. Her debut album Mozart Arias (2016) was not only highly acclaimed the critics, but also awarded with the Deutsche Schallplattenkritik (Bestenliste). Her second album Cleopatra (2017) was also very well received („how captivating beautiful does the voice alloyed with gold and silver [sound]”, „the recitals stands out, sweepingly said, due to the musical sequence of pictures as well as the encounter with a vocal and technical giftedness” Jürgen Kesting/Fono Forum). In 2018, Regula Mühlemann was awarded with the OPUS Klassik as „Newcomer of the Year “. In autumn 2019 her third solo album Lieder der Heimat was released with a selection of wonderful songs by Schubert and Swiss composers.
Regula Mühlemann was born in Lucerne and studied at the Conservatory of Lucerne with Prof. Barbara Locher. Her first experiences of the opera stage took place at the Lucerne Theatre and afterwards engagements took her to the Teatro La Fenice in Venice (Despina in Così fan tutte), and then in summer 2012 she made her debut at the Salzburg Festival in von Winter’s opera Das Labyrinth. Regula Mühlemann has received numerous awards and prizes and in 2015, she was Finalist of the “Cardiff Singer of the World Competition”.