Lee Abrahmsen
Lee Abrahmsen | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Operatic soprano |
| Years active | 21st century |
| Known for | Opera performances in Australia, including roles in Wagner, Puccini, and Verdi operas |
Lee Abrahmsen is an operatic soprano of Australian-Swedish heritage who lives and works in Australia.
Life and career
Recognized as 'Melbourne's Favourite Soprano,' Lee Abrahmsen has become a highly regarded figure in Australia's opera and concert scenes. Her early professional journey involved lyric soprano roles with companies such as Opera Australia, Melbourne Opera, and Victorian Opera. Among her notable portrayals were Mozart's Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro, Verdi's Violetta in La Traviata, Puccini's Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly, Mimi in La Bohéme, Strauss' Adele in Die Fledermaus, Mozart's Konstanze in Die Entführung der Serail, and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni.
More recently, Abrahmsen has established herself as a prominent interpreter of works by Wagner, Puccini, and Verdi. Her repertoire includes significant roles such as Elisabeth in Wagner's Tannhäuser, Senta in Der fliegende Holländer, Isolde in Tristan und Isolde, Eva in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Freia in Das Rheingold, Sieglinde in Die Walküre, and Brünnhilde in Siegfried (opera). In Puccini’s operas, she has taken on Tosca, Mimi, Manon Lescaut, and Cio-Cio San. Her Verdi roles include Amelia in Un Ballo in Maschera, Violetta, and Desdemona in Otello.
She has earned several Greenroom Award nominations recognizing her as best lead performer for roles such as Isolde (in Tristan und Isolde), the Marschallin (in Der Rosenkavalier), Brünnhilde, Senta, and Valencienne (in The Merry Widow).
Abrahmsen’s career has seen her appear as a soloist and principal artist with distinguished organizations including Opera Australia, Opera Queensland, the Melbourne Symphony, the Sydney Symphony, the Queensland Symphony, Omega Ensemble, Melbourne Opera, Victorian Opera, Geelong Symphony, Iopera, the Edinburgh Festival, and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.
She is married to Stephen Moschner, an Australian oboist and arts administrator, and they have a son together.
Critic Bridget Davies lauded Abrahmsen’s performance as Isolde, highlighting her "powerful soprano voice soaring with rich tonal colour."
Major roles
- Isolde – Tristan und Isolde (Melbourne Opera)
- Brünnhilde – Siegfried (Melbourne Opera)
- Sieglinde – Die Walküre (Melbourne Opera)
- Senta – The Flying Dutchman (Melbourne Opera)
- Eva – Die Meistersinger (Melbourne Opera)
- Die Marschallin – Der Rosenkavalier (Melbourne Opera)
- Countess – Le Nozze di Figaro (Opera Australia)
- Leonora – Fidelio (Melbourne Opera)
- Elisabeth – Tannhäuser (Melbourne Opera)
- Freia – Das Rheingold (Melbourne Opera)
- Cio-Cio San – Madame Butterfly (Melbourne Opera)
- Konstanze – Die Entführung (Melbourne Opera)
- Tosca – Australian Discovery Orchestra
- Donna Anna – Don Giovanni (Opera Queensland)
- Violetta – La Traviata (CoOpera)
Honors
- Herald Sun Aria winner
- Royal Overseas League Award at MOST Opera Awards
- First prize at Acclaim Awards
- Outstanding Female Lead for Isolde in Tristan und Isolde by Opera Chaser
- Multiple Greenroom Award nominations for best female lead including performances as Isolde, Brünnhilde, Senta, Die Marschallin, and Valencienne with Melbourne Opera