“The performance becomes truly magical whenever the wonderful Friederike Harmsen enters: it hardly gets more postdramatic — or more breathtaking and captivating than this.” — Theater pur
“Where words end, music begins.” — E. T. A. Hoffmann
Biography
Mezzo-soprano Friederike Harmsen performs in opera, theatre, and contemporary music theatre with a distinctive voice and a richly nuanced expressive range. Her repertoire spans from Baroque to contemporary music, as well as chanson, musical theatre, and experimental stage forms.
Mezzo-soprano Friederike Harmsen performs in opera, theatre, and contemporary music theatre with a distinctive voice and a richly nuanced expressive range. Her repertoire spans from Baroque to contemporary music, as well as chanson, musical theatre, and experimental stage forms.
From an early age, she was fascinated by the stage — equally drawn to spoken theatre, opera, and dance. This passion led her to Berlin, where she studied at the Berlin University of the Arts and went on to develop an international artistic career.
A central focus of her work lies in contemporary music theatre. She has appeared in numerous world premieres, including at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin, Neuköllner Oper, Zeitgenössische Oper Berlin, Schauspielhaus Wien, and the Steirischer Herbst festival.
A defining artistic collaboration connected her with director Christoph Schlingensief. Together they created several internationally presented productions, including the Fluxus oratorio *Eine Kirche der Angst vor dem Fremden in mir*, the ready-made opera *Mea Culpa*, and *Via Intolleranza II*, which was invited to the Berliner Theatertreffen, Holland Festival, Helsinki Festival, and the festival “Politik im freien Theater”.
In 2012, she made her debut at the Salzburg Festival in Goethe’s *Faust I & II*, a production that was subsequently presented at Thalia Theater Hamburg, Berliner Theatertreffen, and the Festival d’Avignon.
Further engagements have taken her to the Staatsoper Berlin, Staatstheater Braunschweig, Volksbühne Berlin, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, and Schauspielhaus Zürich.
Her repertoire includes works by John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Oscar Strasnoy (*Robinson*), Mischa Spoliansky, Kurt Schwertsik (*The Journey of the Ice Princess*), and Cui (*Puss in Boots*), and she has appeared in productions such as *Songbooks*, *Fake Voices*, and other contemporary music theatre formats.
She collaborates regularly with composers such as Mark Scheibe (Deutschlandsinfonie, Dr. Mabuse with the Filmorchester Babylon), as well as internationally with Girma Yifrashewa (The Silent Hearts, National Theatre Addis Ababa).
She is currently based in Marseille, where she develops new musical projects at the intersection of classical singing, jazz, chanson, and contemporary music theatre, bringing together diverse sonic worlds and cultures.
Speaker
My work as a voice artist is closely connected to my artistic practice.
I work in dubbing, voice-over, and audio formats.
My voice is warm, flexible, and expressive.
My work as a voice artist is closely connected to my artistic practice and increasingly integrated into my current projects. Voice, language, and music come together in interdisciplinary formats that I am currently developing in Marseille.
I work in dubbing, voice-over, audiobook narration, and character voice work.
My voice sits in a warm, flexible mid-range (vocal age around 30–45), combining softness with clarity and presence.
My work as a singer also shapes my vocal work: mezzo-soprano, ranging from opera and concert repertoire to jazz, chanson, and electro-acoustic projects.
I work in German, French, English, Italian, and Russian, and also use various dialects including Berlin, Hamburg, and Swiss German.
My work spans film, television, advertising, documentary, video games, audiobooks, and musical formats.
I trained in vocal performance at the University of the Arts Berlin, complemented by speech and acting training.
My credits include dubbing (Dora and Friends), voice-over (Judgment in Hungary), commercial work (Lamborghini – singing), and productions for Deutschlandradio Kultur, rbb Kulturradio, and ORF.
I have also performed at major theatres and festivals including the Staatsoper Berlin, Salzburg Festival, Burgtheater Vienna, Schauspielhaus Hamburg, Ruhrtriennale, and Holland Festival.
Coach
Every voice is unique — an expression of personality in all its colours and nuances.
It has the power to touch directly and reach others on a deeper level.
In my coaching, I share my experience and create a space where voices can unfold — not primarily to shape a voice, but to discover and develop it together.
I work with singers, actors, and professionals who want to strengthen their voice for performance or public speaking.
Based on classical vocal technique, I guide people of all ages — professionals and amateurs alike — in developing a voice that is freer, more confident, and more expressive.
EN Home 1 Magisch wird die Inszenierung immer dann, wenn die wunderbare Friederike Harmsen eingreift, postdramatischer geht’s nimmer, atemberaubender, faszinierender auch nicht.
Media
Audio
Gallery
EN Home 2 Der Abend entwickelt eine große suggestive Kraft. Die Reden des Terroristenführers werden im Rhythmus der Arien skandiert, unterbrochen und begleitet vom wahrhaft göttlichen Gesang der Sopranistin Friederike Harmsen.
EN Home 3 Wenn in diesem Fest des Chaos und des Provisoriums Friederike Harmsen mit wunderbarem Sopran ein Ave Maria betet, versteht man das Spezielle, das mit dem Helmi einhergeht.