Biography
Moldova born and Berlin native mezzo-soprano Alexandra Ionis studied at the Berlin Universität der Künste and the Milan Conservatorio di musica Giuseppe Verdi and was a member of the International Opera Studio of the Accademia nazionale di Santa Cecilia, where she was taught by Renata Scotto among others.Already during her studies she took part in Aribert Reimann's opera Melusine/Pythia at the Berlin UdK under Errico Fresis and Frank Hilbrich.
Since then, her love of contemporary and modern music has been demonstrated numerous times, including in Widmann's Babylon and Reimann's Gespenstersonate/Mumie at Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin, Britten's Death in Venice under Donald Runnicles and Graham Vick at Deutsche Oper Berlin, Berg's Wozzeck/Margret at the Palau de les Arts in Valencia under James Gaffigan, in semi-staged performances of Zimmermann’s Die Soldaten/Stolzius' Mutter with the Gürzenich-Orchester Köln and François-Xavier Roth (staging: Calixto Bieito) in Cologne, Hamburg and Paris, as well as the two world premieres Die Schneekönigin (Tischlerei der Deutschen Oper Berlin) and Subotnik (Neuköllner Oper) by the composer Samuel Penderbayne.
In addition, she sang in the world premiere of Péter Eötvös' opera Sleepless at Staatsoper Unter den Linden (with revivals in Geneva and Budapest) and the world premiere of the children’s opera Robin Hood/Nurse (M. dall’Ongaro) at Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari.
Further highlights in recent seasons include her debut at the Bayreuth Festival 2024 as 2nd Norn/Götterdämmerung, Siegrune/Die Walküre (both under Simone Young) and as Mary in the children’s opera Der fliegende Holländer, her Schwertleite/Walküre in the new RING production at Staatsoper Unter den Linden (staging: Dmitri Tcherniakov) under the baton of Christian Thielemann and Thomas Guggeis, the new production Elektra/3rd Magd (director: Philipp Stölzl) with the Berlin Philharmonic under Kirill Petrenko in Baden-Baden and Berlin, 3rd Magd/Elektra at Staatsoper Stuttgart, Roßweiße/Walküre under Stefan Reck at Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari and under Juraj Valčuha at Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Il viaggio a Reims/Maddalena and Il trovatore, both under Giacomo Sagripanti at Deutsche Oper Berlin, Maddalena at the Dresden Semperoper, Annina/Der Rosenkavalier at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin (Simone Young/André Heller), as well as Annina/Rosenkavalier, Ulrica/Un ballo in maschera and Marcellina/Le nozze di Figaro at the Chemnitz Opera House.
Her concert repertoire includes works by Pergolesi, Bach, Rossini, Verdi, Mahler, Schönberg, Shostakovich, Ravel, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev and Rachmaninov.
As of season 2023/24, Ionis is a member of the ensemble at Theater Bielefeld, where she could already be experienced as Anaide in Leoncavallo's Zazà and Mrs Quickly in Verdi's Falstaff, among others.
Projects at her parent house in Bielefeld in the 2024/25 season include her debuts as Judith in Bartók‘s Bluebeard’s Castle, Giulietta&Voice of the Mother in the new production Les contes d’Hoffmann, Katerina (Magdalena) in the new staging of Martinů’s The Greek Passion, and as Queen of Hearts in the new staging of Pierangelo Valtinoni’s Alice in Wonderland.
In addition, she will make her debut as Fricka in Die Walküre in concert with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under Simone Young and return to Deutsche Oper Berlin as Maddalena in Viaggio a Reims.
In the summer of 2025 she will be back at the Bayreuth Festival as 2nd Norn and Siegrune in the RING.
Alexandra Ionis is a scholarship holder of the Richard Wagner Society since 2018.
Management
Artist Manager
Ingunn Sighvatsdóttir
Artist Manager
ingunn@orlob.net
Mobil: +49-173-2 067 821
Repertoire
Repertoire Concert
Bach, J.S. | Christmas Oratorio |
Beethoven | Missa Solemnis |
Symphony no 9 | |
Mahler | Symphony no 3 (alt solo) |
Rossini | Petite messe sollenelle (alt solo) |
Verdi | Messa da Requiem |
Repertoire Opera
Bartók | Bluebeard's Castle | Judith |
Bizet | Carmen | Carmen* |
Britten | Death in Venice | Beggar / 4th alto |
Dall'Ongaro | Robin Hood (UA) | Nutrice |
Donizetti | La Favorite | Léonor de Guzman* |
Leoncavallo | Zazà | Anaide |
Martinu | The Greek Passion | Katerina |
Mascagni | Cavalleria rusticana | Santuzza* |
Mozart | Die Zauberflöte | 3rd Lady |
La clemenza di Tito | Sesto | |
Le nozze di Figaro | Marcellina | |
Offenbach | Les contes d'Hoffmann | Voix de la tombe |
Penderbayne | Die Schneekönigin | Räubertochter, Prinzessin, Lappin |
Reimann | Gespenstersonate | Die Mumie |
Melusine | Pythia | |
Rossini | Il viaggio a Reims | Maddalena |
Saint-Saens | Samson et Dalila | Dalila* |
Strauss | Der Rosenkavalier | Annina |
Die Ägyptische Helena | Elfe | |
Elektra | 3rd Magd | |
Verdi | Aida | Amneris* |
Don Carlo | Eboli | |
Falstaff | Ms. Quickly | |
Il trovatore | Azucena* | |
Inez | ||
Un ballo in maschera | Ulrica | |
Wagner | Der fliegende Holländer | Mary |
Die Walküre | Fricka | |
Rossweisse | ||
Siegrune | ||
Schwertleite | ||
Götterdämmerung | 2nd Norn | |
Tannhäuser | Venus | |
Widmann | Babylon | Septette |
Zimmermann | Die Soldaten | Stolzius‘ Mutter |
*in Vorbereitung
Press
Die Walküre / Sydney Symphony Orchestra /
20.11.2024 / The Daily Telegraph
"Alexandra Ionis was magnificent, her mellifluous tone and acting skills bringing an added dimension to Act 2"
Die Walküre / Sydney Symphony Orchestra /
18.11.2024 / bachtrack.com
"noble tone and expressive singing"
Die Walküre / Sydney Symphony Orchestra /
18.11.2024 / The Sydney Morning Herald
"Alexandra Ionis' Fricka, whose formidably firm contralto voice was leavened with an even velvety finish of burgundy richness"
Die Walküre / Sydney Symphony Orchestra /
18.11.2024 / Australian Book Review
"Alexandra Ionis was an incisive and authoritative Fricka"
Falstaff / Theater Bielefeld /
Juli 2024 / Opernwelt
"Ein Ausbund an Komik und mit grabesdunkel grundiertem Mezzo"
Falstaff / Theater Bielefeld /
02.06.24 / Westfalen-Blatt
"Für besondere Erheiterung sorgt Alexandra Ionis, die ihrer Rolle als vollblutig flirtender Mrs. Quickly mit kraftvoll geführtem Mezzo Nachdruck verleiht."
Die Soldaten / Philharmonie de Paris /
28.01.24 / anaclase.com
"On retrouve le timbre moelleux et riche d'Alexandra Ionis en Mère de Stolzius à gosier fort souple"
Die Soldaten / Elbphilharmonie Hamburg / 24.01.2024 / ioco.de
"überzeugt mit schönem Mezzosopran und gab sich innerhalb des Ensembles darstellerisch spielfreudig"
Die Soldaten / Philharmonie de Paris / 19.01.2024 / classiquenews.com
"impressionnent par leurs graves profonds et leur présence scénique confondante"
Verdi Requiem / Oetkerhalle Bielefeld / 13.11.2023 / Neue Westfälische
"Herausragende Solistin des Abends ist Alexandra Ionis, sie zeigt mit großem Stimmumfang in dynamischer Spanne, was im Belcanto an vokalen Klangfarben möglich ist - das kann man sich nicht besser vorstellen, Chapeau!"
Zazà / Theater Bielefeld / Okt 2023 / operalounge.de
"Mit erdig-markantem Dunkelmezzo macht Alexandra Ionis viel aus der markanten Episodenrolle."
Wozzeck / Palau de les Arts / 30.05.2022 / operaactual.com
"la brillante Margret de Alexandra Ionis"
Wozzeck / Palau de les Arts / 29.05.2022 / operaworld.es
"Destacable también [...] fue la Margret de Alexandra Ionis, interpretada con soltura y atendiendo bien a los matices tanto sórdidos como ligeros que exige este personaje secundario."
Wozzeck / Palau de les Arts / 28.05.2022 / scherzo.es
"la grotescamente caracterizada y bien cantada Margret de Alexandra Ionis"
Wozzeck / Palau de les Arts / 28.05.2022 / tempsarts.cat
"Alexandra Ionis va encarnar una excellent Margret"
Wozzeck / Palau de les Arts / 27.05.2022 / elblogdeatticus.com
"la estupenda Margret de Alexandra Ionis, de fraseo muy expresivo, voz oscura y un sentido teatral bárbaro"
Wozzeck / Palau de les Arts / 27.05.2022 / levante-emv.com
"A tono con el sobresaliente nivel general [...] la vacilona y calentona Margret de Alexandra Ionis."
Die Schneekönigin / Deutsche Oper Berlin / 22.11.19 / morgenpost.de
"an seiner Seite die ebenfalls brillante Alexandra Ionis als Prinzessin, die wiederum kurz danach in einer virtuos lärmenden Räuberszene die einzige Räuberin mit Herz spielen wird"
Un ballo in maschera / Oper Chemnitz / 03.12.17 / mdr.de
"Überzeugend war auch Altistin Alexandra Ionis"
Un ballo in maschera / Oper Chemnitz / 03.12.17 / theaterfoerderverein-chemnitz.de
"Wie leicht oder wie glänzend kommt rüber, was doch so schwer zu singen ist"
Un ballo in maschera / Oper Chemnitz / 02.12.17 / concerti.de
"das Profil eines sehr gut entwickelten Mezzosoprans"
Gespenstersonate / Werkstatt der Staatsoper Berlin / 28.06.17 / badische-zeitung.de
"mit mächtigem Mezzo und enorm fokussiert"
Gespenstersonate / Werkstatt der Staatsoper Berlin / 27.06.17 / anaclase.com
"l'excellente Mumie d'Alexandra Ionis"
Gespenstersonate / Werkstatt der Staatsoper Berlin / 26.06.17 / tagesspiegel.de
"mit bemerkenswerter Stimmkraft und emotionaler Präsenz"
Mahler 3. Sinfonie / Kurhaus Bad Bevensen / 05.01.17 / barftgaans.de
"Makellos die Mezzosopranistin"
Die ägyptische Helena / Deutsche Oper Berlin / 09.04.16 / konzertkritikopernkritikberlin.wordpress.com
"fußflinke und schön singende Solistinnen"
News
Goddess Fricka down under!
It will be a multiple debut for Alexandra Ionis when she takes to the concert stage of the Sydney Opera House this coming weekend.Not only will she be appearing in Australia for the first time, she will also be performing a new role - Fricka, goddess of marriage and wife of Wotan, in Wagner's Die Walküre. The opera will be performed in a concert version with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under chief conductor Simone Young, with whom Ionis already worked in the RING production at the Bayreuth Festival this summer.
In addition to Fricka, Ionis can also be heard as Rossweisse alongside renowned colleagues such as Anja Kampe, Stuart Skelton and Peter Rose.
Concert dates: 15 & 17 November 2024
For more information about the production:
www.sydneysymphony.com/...
Open doors in Bluebeard's castle!
Following her successful debut as Mrs Quickly in Verdi's Falstaff at Theater Bielefeld last summer, her next role at the theatre is now opening a new door for Alexandra Ionis!On 18 October 2024, the young mezzo-soprano will sing Judith in Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle for the first time. The dramatic opera will be performed in a semi-staged version of the Bielefeld ‘Lichtspieloper’ format, directed by Wolfang Nägele and conducted by GMD Alexander Kalajdzic. The title role will be sung by Joshua Bloom.
All performance dates: 18/20 October & 02/05 November 2024
In addition to other roles at Theater Bielefeld, this season Alexandra Ionis can also be seen and heard for the first time as Katerina (Magdalena) in Martinů's The Greek Passion.
Media
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Photo: Simon Pauly
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Download availableWozzeck - Valencia
Palau de les Arts
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Palau de les Arts
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Palau de les Arts
Photo: Miguel Lorenzo and Mikel Ponce/ Les ArtsDie Gespenstersonate-Staatsoper Berlin
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Deutsche Oper Berlin
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Deutsche Oper Berlin
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Deutsche Oper Berlin
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Deutsche Oper Berlin
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Deutsche Oper Berlin
Photo: Lux ArtifexUn ballo in maschera-Theater Chemnitz
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VideoSubotnik
Neuköllner Oper 2022