Svea Schildknecht - Soprano
Svea Schildknecht was born in Heidelberg, Germany. From an early age, she received a broad musical education in singing, piano, violin, dulcian, conducting, music theory, and she sang in many choirs and played in orchestras and ensembles for Ancient Music. As an actress, she was a member of the drama group „Theaterclub Langgarten“ Heidelberg . Later on, she attended pantomime classes in Freiburg. In the German music contest „Jugend musiziert“ she was awarded a first prize in the category piano accompaniment. She took voice lessons with Rosemarie Landmann in Heidelberg.
For studies of music and English at University, she moved to Freiburg im Breisgau. Her singing teacher was Friederike Dästner-Schaarschmidt, she studied lied with Ramón Walter and Hans-Peter Müller, she attended opera class with Gerd Heinz. Private studies with Ingeborg Danz and Beata Heuer-Christen. At Schola Cantorum Basiliensis Svea Schildknecht attended an Advanced Vocal Ensemble Class with Anthony Rooley and Evelyn Tubb. Masterclasses with Ingrid Figur, Edith Wiens, Christoph Prégardien, Charles Spencer, Kurt Widmer, Elisabeth Glauser, the International Händel Academy Karlsruhe, and many more.
Svea Schildknecht sang various world premieres, e.g. by the composers Rudolf Kelterborn, Balz Trümpy, Jürg Wyttenbach, Detlev Müller-Siemens, Matthias Heep, Lukas Langlotz, Beat Gysin, Michel Roth, Daniel Weissberg, Jakob Ullmann, Orm Finnendahl, Otfried Büsing, Dieter Mack, Gualtiero Dazzi, Georges Bloch, and many more, she has worked with conductors as Matthias Pintscher, Jürg Henneberger, Jürg Wyttenbach, Francesc Prat, Geoffroy Jourdain, and many more, and with ensembles like Ensemble Phoenix, Ensemble Mondrian, Ensemble Contrechamps, etc.
In 2012, Svea Schildknecht sang the part of the "coloratura soprano" in the acclaimed production of Claude Vivier's opera rituel de mort "Kopernikus" in Freiburg.
At Theater Rigiblick Zürich Svea Schildknecht sang one of the four leading parts in the music theatre production „Rote Asche“ by Mischa Käser.
As a memeber of the Solistenchor of Experimentalstudio der Heinrich-Strobel-Stiftung des Südwestrundfunks Freiburg Svea Schildknecht sang under Ingo Metzmacher, Kwamé Ryan, Peter Hirsch, and many others. The CD “Luigi Nono: Io, frammento da Prometeo” was awarded „Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik“ in 2004.
Svea Schidlknecht is a founding member of the voice quartet "SoloVoices", which has specialized on the interpretation of contemporary music and has appeared in several productions in Zürich, Basel, St. Gallen, and Bern, with performances of the works of John Cage, Mischa Käser, Matthias Heep, Hans-Peter Frehner, Jean-Jacques Knutti, and many others.
Beside her occupation with contemporary music, Svea Schildknecht sings concerts in oratorio and lied repertoire. She has performed as a soloist with conductors as Helmuth Rilling, Peter Schreier, Roman Kofman, Hermann Max, Fritz Näf, Jürg Wyttenbach, Douglas Boyd, Simon Halsey, Jürg Henneberger, Jan Schultsz, Hans Michael Beuerle, Andreas Schröder, Jörg Endebrock, etc. with orchestras like Musikkollegium Winterthur, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart , Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, Das kleine Konzert, “La Gioconda” Luzern. Song recitals in Frankfurt a.M., Marburg, Stuttgart, Heidelberg, Freiburg, Bad Dürrheim, with pianists as Urs Liska, Carl-Martin Buttgereit, and Barbara Schwab-Sachs.
Svea Schildknecht wrote a musicological treatise on the work for solo voice of Anton Urspruch (1850 – 1907), whose lieder she performs regularly in lied recitals.
As an ensemble singer, she has sung with Basler Madrigalisten, Orlando di Lasso-Ensemble, Rheinische Kantorei, Zürcher Sing-Akademie, Anton-Webern-Chor, Schweizer Kammerchor, Deutscher Kammerchor.
Svea Schildknecht gives lessons as a vocal coach at Domsingschule Freiburg.