The Swiss-Turkish mezzo-soprano Céline Akçağ, born and raised in Zurich, works as a freelancer in Europe and lives in Berlin.

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Her opera appearances range from typical roles in her Fach such as Carmen (G. Bizet), Cherubino and Dorabella (W.A. Mozart), Sesto and Goffredo (G.F. Händel), Hansel (E. Humperdinck) and Nancy (F.v. Flotow), to lesser-known roles such as Boulotte (Barbe-bleue, J. Offenbach), Vanina (L'Ancêtre, C. Saint-Saëns) or Aloès (L'Étoile, E. Chabrier) and world premieres such as "Der Mordfall Halit Yozgat" (Ben Frost).

She has sung at the Zurich Opera House, Landestheater Linz, Theater Ulm, Theater Lüneburg, Prinzregententheater and Cuvilliés-Theater Munich, Apollo Theater Siegen, Markgrafentheater Erlangen, the Hanover State Opera, Komische Oper Berlin, the Baden-Baden Easter Festival, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, the small Berlin Philharmonie, as well as at the Oper im Park Riehen and the Heubühne Zurich.

A particular recent highlight for her was the production with the European Opera Centre as Ciesca (Gianni Schicchi, G. Puccini) with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonics under the direction of Domingo Hindoyan (conducting) and Bernard Rozet (direction), with Sir Bryn Terfel in the title role.

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Concert highlights include the alto roles in 'Das Lied von der Erde' (Mahler) with the Lüneburg Symphony Orchestra, 'Petite messe solennelle' (Rossini) with the Munich Chamber Opera, and 'Missa Solemnis' (Beethoven) at the Tonhalle Zurich. On the CD recording of the baroque ensemble "La Banda" under the direction of Robert Mehlhart, she sang the alto solo of Bach Cantata 147 (Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben).

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Since the beginning of her career, a lively song activity has been part of her everyday life. Her repertoire ranges from Haydn to Reimann, with which she creates thematic programs in various formations.

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The mezzo-soprano was a finalist at the Bundeswettbewerb Gesang in 2022 and at the International Anton Rubinstein Competition in 2021. She is the 2019 and 2020 Migros Kulturprozent study prize winner. In 2019, she won the recognition prize at the Karlsruhe International Competition for 20th and 21st Century Song with Rebeka Stojkoska.

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She completed a Bachelor's degree in opera, concert and pedagogy at the Freiburg i.Br. University of Music (Prof. Dorothea Wirtz), a semester abroad at the Royal Academy of Music (Mary Nelson and Iain Ledingham), a Master's degree in music theater/opera singing at the Theaterakademie August Everding (KS Prof. Andreas Schmidt), the Master of Concert Singing at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Munich (KS Prof. Christiane Iven and Okka von der Damerau), as well as a Postgraduate Liedduo at the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg (Prof. Pauliina Tukiainen).

Master classes with Thomas Hampson, Melanie Diener, Vesselina Kasarova, Ian Bostridge, Alessandro De Marchi, Anne Le Bozec, Prof. Claudia Visca, Prof. Ulrike Sonntag, Tobias Kratzer, Gerd Uecker and Nadine Secunde have expanded her training.