Lise Christensen
Mezzo Soprano
About
Lise hails from Denmark but trained as a singer at The Guildhall School og Music and Drama and at The National Opera Studio in London.
She stayed in the UK for almost 16 years working for companies such as Scottish Opera, Welsh National Opera, English Touring Opera, Longborough Festival Opera, Iford Arts, Mid Wales Opera and Raymond Gubbay Ltd @ The Royal Albert Hall.
Lise has performed with many choral societies and orchestras including The Philharmonia, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Manchester Camerata and The Oxford Philomusica.
She has, since returning to Denmark in 2015, also worked for The Danish National Opera singing the roles of Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, Vlasta in The Passenger and Mercedes in Carmen as well as covering the role of Beppe in L’amico Fritz. Lise returned to Scottish Opera again in early 2018 performing two roles in ‘Opera Sparks’ directed by Olivia Fuchs.
Future plans include a song cycle, ‘Deepest Desire’, by Jake Heggie in Aarhus, Denmark, ‘Hjertelyd’ for The Danish National Opera, Petite Messe Solennelle with Vestjysk Koncertkor and concerts with Southern Jutland Symphony Orchestra.
Full Biography
Born in Denmark, Lise Christensen first studied History and Music at The University of Copenhagen and subsequently singing at The Royal Danish Academy of Music and at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Whilst at the GSMD, Lise won the Schubert Prize, The Crompton Lieder Award and The Philharmonia Chorus’ Prize. She completed her studies at The National Opera Studio in London.
Lise is also a Samling Artist and has taken part in masterclasses with Felicity Palmer, Sarah Walker, Sarah Connolly, Graham Johnson and Malcolm Martineau. In 2014 Lise received a bursary from The Wagner Society (UK) to study with Dame Anne Evans.
Lise is the co-owner and artistic director of Søholm Opera in Denmark.
Roles have included Venus in Tannhäuser (in concert) in Edinburgh (EPOG), Suzuki in Madama Butterfly and Beppe (cover) in L’amico Fritz for The Danish National Opera, Kate Pinkerton (orig. 1904 version) for Raymond Gubbay/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall. Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors in St Pauls Covent Garden under Oliver Gooch, Octavian Der Rosenkavalier (in concert) in Edinburgh (EPOG), Carmen in a Carnival Concert at La Fenice Venice, Rossweisse (cover) for Longborough Festival Opera, Mercedes in Gubbay’s Carmen , BabyO for Scottish Opera, Third Lady Die Zauberflöte for Longborough Festival Opera, Mother in Hänsel und Gretel for Iford Arts, Hippolyta A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Marcellina Le Nozze di Figaro for English Touring Opera, Marcellina(cover) for Scottish Opera Prince Orlovsky Die Fledermaus for London Lyric Opera/The Royal Philhamonic Orchestra and Scottish Opera on Tour, Harpie of War and She in Scottish Opera’s FIVE:15 2009, Olivia and Rosanna in Scottish Opera’s FIVE:15 project Made in Scotland 2008, Cherubino Le nozze di Figaro (cover) for Welsh National Opera, Carmen for Mid Wales Opera, Francesca Zambello’s production of The Little Prince for BBC Wales and Aristeo in Rossi’s Orfeo at St John’s Smith Square conducted by Christian Curnyn.
As an oratorio and concert soloist, Lise’s performances include Beethoven 9th Symphony at The Barbican Hall with The Philharmonia under Christopher Warren-Green and with The Manchester Camerata under Douglas Boyd, a recital at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Serenade to Music in QEH under John Wilson, Rossini Petite Messe Solennelle with The Philharmonia Chorus and Ian Burnside, Third Lady Die Zauberflöte in a concert performance for The Oxford Philomusica and a Gala with Ten Tors Orchestra. Repertoire further includes Bach St. John Passion, Elgar Dream of Gerontius and Music Makers, Handel Messiah and Dixit Dominus, Haydn Theresienmesse, Karl Jenkins Mass for Peace, Mendelssohn Elijah, Mozart Coronation Mass, Mass in C-minor and Requiem, Pergolesi Stabat Mater, Rossini Stabat Mater, Szymanowski Stabat Mater, Vivaldi Gloria and Verdi Requiem.
Recent engagements:
‘Anna’ and ‘Wise Woman’ in Scottish Opera’s ‘Opera Sparks’, Vlasta in Weinberg’s The Passenger for The Danish National Opera and Mercedes in Carmen also for The Danish National Opera.
Future plans:
‘Hjertelyd’ for The Danish National Opera, Rossini Petite Messe Solennelle with Vestjysk Koncertkor, Vivaldi Gloria with Sønderjyllands Symfoniorkester and a recital with Aarhus Sangselskab singing Jake Heggie’s songcycle ‘The Deepest Desire’ .
