Versatillity, musicianship and a crystalline tone are a few of the qualities that have seen the career of Norwegian-born Mari Eriksmoen blossom over the last decade, fostering close collaborations with key orchestras, conductors and directors and with acclaimed appearances on Europe’s premiere opera, concert and recital stages.
Eriksmoen has excelled as Mélisande in Pelléas et Mélisande (Opera Vlaanderen, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg, Teatro de la Maestranza, Sevilla), Pamina in Simon McBurney’s acclaimed staging of Die Zauberflöte (Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Dutch National Opera, Opernhaus Zürich), Marzelline in Fidelio (Opéra Comique), La Fée in Cendrillon (Komische Oper Berlin), Susanna and Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier (Den Norske Opera) and Waldvogel in Daniel Barenboim’s Ring cycles at Teatro alla Scala. Last season, she expanded her repertoire as Gerda in Abrahamsen’s The Snow Queen at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw under Kent Nagano, as Cleopatra in Handel’s Giulio Cesare at Festival international d’Opéra Baroque de Beaune under Ottavio Dantone and as Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Daniel Harding.
Much in demand for the concert stage, Eriksmoen has performed with the Berlin Philharmonic and Ivan Fischer in Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Münich Philharmonic and Paavo Järvi in Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem, Philharmonia Orchestra and Santtu-Matias Rouvali in Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and Jukka-Pekka Saraste in Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and Ed Gardner in Britten’s Les illuminations and Canteloube’s Chants d’Auvergne, and at the 2022 Salzburg Festival with Václav Luks and Collegium 1704 as Isacco in Myslivecek’s rarity Abramo ed Isacco.
In 2022-23, Eriksmoen joins new productions of Don Giovanni at Kilden Performing Arts Centre and Xerxes at Opéra de Rouen, returns to Bergen National Opera as Pamina and sings the title role of Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea with Ensemble i Gemelli at Théâtre des Champs-Elysées and Victoria Hall, Geneva. On the concert stage, she performs with Gewandhausorchester Leipzig in Schumann’s Das Paradies und die Peri under Philippe Herreweghe, Orchestre de Paris in Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 under Klaus Mäkelä at Philharmonie de Paris and Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg and Orff’s Carmina burana under Kazuki Yamada at Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.
Eriksmoen completed her studies in Oslo (Norwegian Academy of Music), Paris (Conservatoire National Superieur) and Copenhagen (Royal Danish Academy of Opera) before beginning her career in 2010 as Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos at Theater an der Wien, conducted by Bertrand de Billy. Those performances marked the start of a regular presence on the historic Vienna stage, returning over the decade as Olympia (Les contes d’Hoffmann), Euridice (Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo), Servilia (La clemenza di Tito), Agilea (Handel’s Teseo) and as Susanna, Zerlina and Fiordiligi in the da Ponte trilogy conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt.
Her discography includes releases of Britten and Canteloube with Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and Edward Gardner (Chandos), Handel and Mozart with Stavanger Symphony Orchestra and Jan Willem de Vriend (Challenge Classics) and her “poised, elegant and persuasive” (The Guardian) debut recital disc with pianist Alphonse Cémin (Alpha). She also appears on Schumann’s Szenen aus Goethes Faust with Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks under Daniel Harding (Naxos) and Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail with Akademie für alte Musik Berlin under René Jacobs (Harmonia Mundi) and Glyndebourne Festival Opera under Robin Ticciati (Opus Arte).
Please note: Biographies are based on information provided to the CSO by the artists or their representatives. More current information may be available on websites of the artists or their management.
