Deborah Polaski

As Brünnhilde in Harry Kupfer’s 1988 staging of Richard Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelung at Bayreuth, Deborah Polaski emerged as one of the most promising dramatic sopranos of her generation. In two consecutive Ring cycles on the Grüner Hügel (with Daniel Barenboim in 1988 and James Levine in 1994), she performed this role more times than any other soprano since the Second World War.

Although she had already appeared in major opera houses such as La Scala, the Bayerische Staatsoper Munich, and the Staatsoper Berlin, it was her Bayreuth debut that brought her international acclaim and invitations to perform at the world’s leading opera houses — including those in Paris, London, New York, Madrid, Barcelona, Vienna, and Salzburg, among others.

Her repertoire includes primarily dramatic soprano roles, such as Wagner’s Isolde, Brünnhilde, Kundry, and Ortrud, as well as Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos and Elektra, Berlioz’s Didon and Cassandre (Les Troyens), Berg’s Marie (Wozzeck), and Janáček’s Kostelnička (Jenůfa). Many of her Wagner performances have also been released on DVD.

In 2003, in recognition of her artistic excellence and contribution to Viennese cultural life, the Austrian government awarded her the prestigious title of Österreichische Kammersängerin (Austrian Kammersänger).

Deborah Polaski resides in Berlin, Germany, and continues to play an active role in the musical world since retiring from the stage in 2015. She is deeply engaged as a teacher and mentor and regularly serves as a jury member at international vocal competitions.