"The 30 year old Ursula Prem's Turandot becomes a winner. She is surpassing all expectations as she offers everything requested by this murderous role: enormous volume, extreme heights and never ending powerful energies. She interprets this role not with steel-like forcefulness but with convincing femininity which actually makes Turandot's story believable."

Opernspiegel

Biography

Ursula Prem was born in Nürnberg, and graduated from the local music academy in 1985. Her first operatic appearance was in 1990 in N¸rnberg in the opera Count Mirabeau. In 1991 she was a finalist in the International Bodensee Music Competition in Begrenz, whereupon she signed a three year contract with the Stuttgart Staatsoper, and sang small roles in The Magic Flute, Elektra, Ariadne auf Naxos, and Parsifal, along with Berta in The Barber of Seville and Countess Ceprano in Rigoletto. Subsequently, Ms. Prem moved on to Dessau to sing larger roles such as Leonora in Fidelio, Elsa in Lohengrin, Desdemona in Othello, the Mother in Hansel and Gretel, and Lucrezia in I due Foscari.

Since then, Ms Prem has appeared in Dessau singing the title role in Salome, Madeleine in AndrÈ ChÈnier and Senta in Der fliegende Holl‰nder. She also sang Eva in Der Meistersinger von N¸rnberg as well as Anita in Krenek's Jonny spielt auf at the opera house in Karlsruh. In 1997 she made her debut at the Komische Oper in Berlin singing the title role in Turandot, and appeared as Desdemona in Otello at the opera house in Prague.

Ursula Prem appears quite often in oratorios and frequently gives lieder recitals. Her concert appearances include performances of the St John Passion (Bach), St Paul (Mendelssohn), The Creation (Haydn), Verdi's Requiem, and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

Excerpts from the Press

"... in her aria (third act) her totally balanced voice beautifully expressed enormous longing paired with extreme disappointment."

Killer Nachrichten, July 7, 1997

"...Ursula Prem was most impressive in the stupendous title role. She enunciated clearly and displayed unbelievable power in her mezzo-like voice."

Opernspiel, May 1998

"...Ursula Prem is a new discovery who surpassed all expectations as Turandot. She certainly had all the necessary qualities for this murderous role: enormous volume, colossal power, superb high and low registers and unflagging energy."

Opernglas, May 1998

"...Exquisite color in her soprano and highly dramatic intensity of tone."

Kaiserlantern/L'amore dei tre re
Opernwelt, July 1992

"...Her lower register almost displays the volume of a mezzo and a wonderful metallic timbre, which she beautifully uses in her soprano voice."<

Wagner Concert
Mitteldeutsche Zeitung Halle

"Ursula Prem displays a charmingly colored soprano."

Elsa/Lohengrin
Tagespiegel Berlin
May 29, 1993

"Ursula Prem, a vocal highlight, a beautifully cultured soprano as Elsa."

WDR
1993

"Ursula Prem, exquisite Elsa, her scenes-obvious out of her own intuition-belong to the highlights of the performance."

Elsa/Lohengrin
Opernwelt, July 1995

"Stupendous Ursula Prem sings with unbelievable diction and powerful never ending energies, in her full mezzo-like voice."

Berlin Orpheus
May, 1998

"The 30 year old Ursula Prem's Turandot becomes a winner. She is surpassing all expectations as she offers everything requested by this murderous role: enormous volume, extreme heights and never ending powerful energies. She interprets this role not with steel-like forcefulness but with convincing femininity which actually makes Turandot's story believable."

Opernspiegel

"The evening brought big surprises and outstanding success. The stupendous Ursula Prem impresses enormously as Turandot with a full-mezzo-like voice, unbelievably forceful, with great charisma and incomparable diction."

Turandot/Turandot
October 1998