Often praised for her rich and luscious timbre, South African born Freya Apffelstaedt belongs to a generation of promising young contraltos. After spending the summer of 2021 as a member of the prestigious Young Singers Project of the Salzburger Festspiele, she became a member of the International Opera Studio of the Opernhaus Zurich, where her roles included Grimgerde (Die Walküre), Sœur Mathilde (Dialogues des Carmélites) and Amastre (Serse).

During her studies, her engagements included Hippolyta (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) in the Prinzregententheater München as well as a main role in the newly composed pasticcio liminal space, which was performed as part of the Munich Biennale for New Music.

In addition to her operatic engagements, Ms. Apffelstaedt is a sought-after soloist in concert repertoire. She has appeared in works ranging from Monteverdi‘s Vespro della Beata Vergine and Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and Johannespassion to 20th Century works such as Duruflé‘s Requiem. Her broad repertoire covers all the well-known oratorios to lesser known ones such as Händel’s The Triumph of Time and Truth and Giovanni Simone Mayr’s sacred works. She regularly collaborates with Dr. Franz Hauk and the period ensemble Concerto de Bassus and has frequently appeared as an alto soloist in concerts and CD recordings with them in cooperation with NAXOS.

Ms. Apffelstaedt is a laureate of numerous singing competitions like the DEBUT International Singing competition 2020 (Special Award) and the Federal Singing competition of Germany 2020 (3rd Prize). In 2023, she was a finalist in the Tenor Viñas Contest in Barcelona. Her exceptional musical achievements have been commended with scholarships by the German State and by the Richard Wagner Society of Bayreuth, among others.

Having studied under acclaimed singers Profs. Lars Woldt and Prof. Daniela Sindram, Ms. Apffelstaedt holds a Bachelor’s as well as a Master’s Degree in Voice Performance from the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München.

Last updated: 03/2024