VITA English
KIRSTIN SHARPIN, winner of the International Wagner-Voices Competition in Karlsruhe (Germany), highly praised by the press as "revelation in the Lirico Spinto fach", for her "laser-bright, tireless voice", her "fine lines", her "vocal shadows" and her "passionate and engaging delivery" of her parts., first studied English Literature & Italian at the University of Auckland, before graduating in singing and acting from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland as <Master of Opera> with distinction. Further study followed at the Cardiff International Academy of Voice with Dennis O’Neill, as an Independent Opera Postgraduate Fellow and Samling Artist.
Currently, Mrs Sharpin is coached by famous soprano and teacher Deborah Polaski in Berlin.
Future commitments are seeing, among others, ISOLDE in Wagner’s “Tristan & Isolde” as house-debut at Theater Regensburg and covering the part at the Glyndebourne Festival, where Mrs Sharpin already had covered the part of LEONORE in Beethoven's "Fidelio", that she embodied highly successfully under the baton of Giordano Bellincampi at the Melbourne Opera and the Buxton Festival; as well as in a concert version with Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra under the musical leading of Simon O’Neill.
Commitments of the recent past included her debut as ISOLDE in Wagner’s “Tristan & Isolde” at Theater Nordhausen, and later on under Patrick Hahn at Oper Wuppertal and under Stefan Veselka at Theater Regensburg, and as Cover at the Glyndebourne Festival.
ADA in Wagner's "Die Feen" led her during the <Wagner '22 Festival>, as theatre-debut to the Oper Leipzig; SENTA in Wagner’s “Der Fliegende Holländer” to the Longborough Festival Opera and as cover to the Komische Oper Berlin; she performed the title part of Smetana’s LIBUŠE with the London’s Bloomsbury Theatre, ELETTRA in Mozart’s “Idomeneo” with Blackheath Halls Opera, GERTRUD/MUTTER in Humperdinck’s “Hänsel und Gretel” with Garsington Opera at West Green, the demanding title-role in v. Weber’s EURYANTHE as well as the Wagner-parts of ADA in “Die Feen”, MARIANA in “Das Liebesverbot “ for Chelsea Opera Group and GERHILDE in “Die Walküre” for Saffron Hall Opera. Furthermore, SAMARITANA in "Francesca da Rimini" with Opera Holland Park, HELMWIGE in Wagners “Die Walküre” with St Endellion Festival, DONNA ANNA in Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” and VITELLIA in “La Clemenza di Tito”, as well as the title part in Puccini’s SUOR ANGELICA.
At the RCS, Mrs Sharpin sang TATYANA in Tchaikovsky’s “Jewgenji Onegin”, FIORDILIGI in Mozart’s “Cosí fan tutte”, and NELLA in Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi”, and covered MAGDA in his “La Rondine” for British Youth Opera.
Furthermore, she was a celebrated soloist at symphony concerts "Glaube & Eros" with works by R. Strauss and R. Wagner with the Thüringer Symphoniker. and has made several appearances with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra or the the St. Petersburg State Academy Philharmony, among others under the baton of Martyn Brabbins, Stéphane Denève or Philipp Thomas,
Her concert repertoire ranges from works by Händel to Mahler’s "8th Symphony", Arnold Schoenberg's "Gurrelieder", Verdi's "Requiem" and beyond, including key cycles such as "Vier Letzte Lieder" by Richard Strauss, "Shéhérazade" by Maurice Ravel, "Wesendonck-Lieder" by Richard Wagner and " Nuits d’été" by Hector Berlioz or Bartok's "Three Village Scenes", which she performed under Ilan Volkov with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (also transmitted in Radio3)
Due to Covid, her debut as BRÜNNHILDE in Wagner's "Siegfried" and "Götterdämmerung" with Melbourne Opera unfortunately had to be postponed to a later season, not named yet.
Kirstin Sharpin has competed successfully in a number of international competitions, such as the Kathleen Ferrier- , the Montserrat Caballé- , the Royal Overseas League- , Queen Sonja- , or Veronica Dunne-Voice Competition; was awarded an International Opera Awards Bursary, and is a Britten Pears Scholar, and past recipient of Goodall, Countess of Munster Trust, Miriam Licetteand Sybil Tutton Scholarships.
