South African-born contralto Freya Apffelstaedt is regarded as one of the promising young artists of her generation on the international operatic and concert stage. Following her participation in the prestigious Young Singers Project of the Salzburger Festspiele in the summer of 2021, she joined the International Opera Studio of the Opernhaus Zürich. During her two seasons there, she appeared as Grimgerde in Die Walküre, Sœur Mathilde in Dialogues des Carmélites, and Amastre in Handel’s Serse, among other roles.

Recent engagements include Schwertleite in Die Walküre at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, as well as the same role at the Wiener Staatsoper and the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, Mrs. Quickly in Verdi’s Falstaff at Theater Bielefeld, the roles of Second Norn and Flosshilde in Götterdämmerung at Bühnen Bern, and Jane Kennedy in the widely acclaimed world premiere of Brett Dean’s Of One Blood at the Bayerische Staatsoper.

Highlights of her 2026/27 season include her house and role debut as the Dryad in Ariadne auf Naxos at La Monnaie / De Munt in Brussels, as well as her house and role debut as the Third Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein. 

Freya Apffelstaedt is also much in demand as a concert singer. She has collaborated with distinguished ensembles including the Basler Münsterkantorei, Zürcher Kammerorchester, Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, and the ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien.

Freya Apffelstaedt is the recipient of numerous awards and prizes. Among these are a Special Prize at the DEBUT International Singing Competition (2020) and Third Prize at the Bundeswettbewerb Gesang (2020). Most recently, she was a finalist in the Tenor Viñas Competition in Barcelona (2023). She has also been supported by several scholarships and grants, including those of the Federal Republic of Germany and the International Richard Wagner Association. She studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich with Prof. Lars Woldt and Prof. Daniela Sindram.

Last updated in June 2026