Nikola Hillebrand

German soprano Nikola Hillebrand is among the most sought-after sopranos of her generation. Renowned for the radiant clarity and elegance of her voice, the warmth of her timbre, and the depth and versatility of her interpretations, she has won acclaim from audiences and critics alike. A familiar presence on the world's leading opera stages, she has appeared at the Opéra de Paris, Bavarian State Opera, Hamburg State Opera, Opernhaus Zürich and Semperoper Dresden, where she was an ensemble member from 2020 to 2024. Guest engagements have also taken her to the Glyndebourne, Bregenz and Salzburg Festivals.

Highlights of the 2026/27 season include a residency at the Vienna State Opera, where she reprises many of her signature roles, including Konstanze (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Adele (Die Fledermaus), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Zdenka (Arabella) and Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier), a role with which she made acclaimed debuts at the Vienna and Berlin State Operas earlier this year. In the Fall she reunites with the Staatskapelle Berlin and Christian Thielemann for performances of Der Rosenkavalier in Shanghai. On the concert stage, she appears as soloist in Schumann's Das Paradies und die Peri in Strasbourg, performs Mendelssohn with the Vienna Symphony and Orchestre National de France, and tours Asia with the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Bach's St Matthew Passion.

Further career highlights include Kunigunde in Bernstein's Candide at Theater an der Wien and Agathe in a new production of Weber's Der Freischütz at the 2024 Bregenz Festival. Notable concert engagements earlier this season included Strauss's Frühlingsstimmen-Walzer with the Vienna Philharmonic under Tugan Sokhiev, Bach's Mass in B minor with the Berlin Philharmonic under Raphaël Pichon, Mendelssohn with the Gewandhaus Orchestra under Andris Nelsons, and Orff's Carmina Burana with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle.

Winner of the 2019 Das Lied International Song Competition, Nikola Hillebrand has also established herself as a distinguished recital artist, appearing widely throughout Europe and Asia. In 2026/27 she returns to the United States for her Park Avenue Armory debut with pianist Alexander Fleischer. Her recent recordings include collaborations with Jonas Kaufmann (Sony Classical) and André Schuen (Deutsche Grammophon).