As Bayreuth’s Brunnhilde from 2013 - 2018 from Frank Castorfs Ring cycle, the British Dramatic Soprano Catherine Foster became well known for her interpretation of Brünnhilde along with her other dramatic roles Elektra, Turandot and Isolde across Europe and the world.
In the current season Catherine Foster has so far celebrated sensational successes as Brünnhilde in the concert version of Wagner’s Ring cycle with the Dresden Philharmonic under the baton of Marek Janowski, as well as, as Elektra for her Australian debut at the Victorian Opera in Melbourne earlier this season. In November 2022, Catherine Sang Isolde in Naples with Constantine Trinks, a role which she had already sung to great acclaim in Roland Schwab's new production of Tristan und Isolde at the 2022 Bayreuth Festival. Catherine returns to this year's Bayreuth Festival as Isolde and Brünnhilde in Die Walküre and Götterdämmerung.
In the 2021/22 season, Catherine performed at the Müpa Wagner Days in Budapest where she sang all three Brunnhildes with Adam Fischer conducting. Other festivals she appeared in, in 2022 were the International May Festival in Wiesbaden as well as at the Wagner Days 22 at the Leipzig Opera in the role of Isolde. Earlier in the season Catherine returned to the Hamburg State Opera and the Deutsche Oper Berlin as Elektra.
Along with the aforementioned major dramatic roles Catherine’s repertoire also includes roles such as Färberin in Die Frau ohne Schatten, Senta (Der fliegende Holländer), Abigaille (Nabucco), Leonore (Fidelio), Leonora in La forza del destino and Il trovatore, Elisabetta (Don Carlo), Elisabeth (Tannhäuser) and many more.
Catherine Foster has worked with outstanding conductors such as Kirill Petrenko, Marek Janowski, Adam Fisher, Philippe Auguin, Simone Young, Sir Donald Runnicles, Hartmut Haenchen, Alexander Soddy, Juraj Valcuha, Kent Nagano and Daniel Barenboim.
Following her studies in the UK Catherine began her career in Weimar, Germany in 2001 where she developed quickly into the dramatic repertoire and was soon being asked to sing as guest elsewhere, making her house debut as Kaiserin at the Semperoper Dresden in 2006.
Catherines unwavering commitment to her art shows through in her extraordinary fast development from her first role as Queen of the Night at WNO and ENO in the UK, to her debut as Brunnhilde in the full Ring cycle in summer 2008 in Weimar, which was recorded live to BLU-Ray DVD. Her Brunnhilde in Weimar brought her to international stages such as Hamburg State opera, Helsinki, Shangahi, Riga, Seville and Essen, after which in 2012 Catherine was asked to sing Brünnhilde for the centenary Bayreuth production of their Ring with Kirill Petrenko conducting running from 2013 to 2018.
Catherine quickly went onto other major houses including the opera houses in Berlin, Frankfurt, Tokyo, Washington DC, Budapest, Hamburg, Madrid, Stuttgart, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Helsinki, Shanghai and Riga to name but a few.
In 2014 Catherine was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire for her work as an international singer and in 2018 was awarded the Reginald Goodall award for her devotion to the works of Richard Wagner by the London Wagner society.
The second half of this season is just as exciting and Catherine is thrilled to be making her house debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in March/ April 2023 singing the title role of Puccini’s Turandot, a role she will also be singing at Deutsche Oper am Rhein as well as returning to Deutsche Oper Berlin reprising the role of Elektra there.
Catherine Foster lives in Germany.
Last updated February 2023
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