BIOGRAPHY

KAREN WIERZBA

Singer.   Singing Teacher.  Conductor.  Accompanist. Clinician

Canadian Karen Wierzba is a diverse musician receiving international acclaim for her remarkable vocal, teaching and conducting skills and her unfailing musicality. She learns difficult music on short notice, has an agile, free voice and sings with enormous expression. This past year Karen earned her master’s degree with the Voice Study Center and spoke at a conference in Copenhagen, Denmark with Dr. Stephen Porges and Dr. Claire Rangon. 

Just after graduating from University of Toronto’s Music Performance program, Karen made her USA debut when she was 23 years old as “Therese” in Les Mamelles de Tiresias by Poulenc under the baton of Seiji Ozawa at the Tanglewood Music Centre. She has sung the title role in “Rodelinda” by Haendel at the Music Academy of the West and “Poppea” in Handel’s Agrippina at Glimmerglass, ”Zerbinetta” in Ariadne auf Naxos at MAW and the Paris National Opera, “Königin der Nacht” from Die Zauberflöte at Opera of Montpellier, Perpignan and Paris, “Gilda” from Rigoletto at the Orchestre de Paris and Spanga Festival and in C. Van Eijk’s Rigoletto film. 

Karen received rave reviews for her interpretation of “Kyojo” in the opera-noh Sumidagawa written by S. Yoshida, performed on the stages of Quimper, Angers-Nantes Opera, Rennes opera and in Paris. She was a flawless “Donna Anna” in Donna Giovanna (adaptation of Mozart’s opera) at the Spanga Opera in the Netherlands. Her voice was featured in the film “Nee en 68″ with Laetita Casta, and was nominated for several cinematic awards. Karen can also be heard in the film “Fièvres” by Hicham Ayouch.

Karen made her debut with the Staatsoper Berlin under Barenboïm singing “Frasquita” in Bizet’s Carmen which she also sang as a last-minute stand in at the Paris Opera with J. Lopez-Cobos. She participated on tour with Barenboim as a “Ritter” and the “1st Blumenmädchen” in Wagner’s Parsifal (directed by Bernd Eichinger). She sang “Rosalinde” in Strauss’s Die Fledermaus at the Opera de Massy, under D. Levi, and she also was featured at the Schiermonnikoog Festival, the Netherlands and in Tokyo in Villa-Lobos’s “Bachianas Brazilieras #5” and Vytautas Barkauskas ”Lune à l’Aube d’Eté”, which was written specially for her, and which she later performed for the radio live, in Tokyo, Japan.

Karen participated in the CFL of the Paris Opera National, singing mainstage roles in Offenbach’s ”Le Mariage aux Lanternes”, Strauss’s ”Die Frau ohne Schatten”, Ravel’s ”L’Enfant et les sortilèges”, Zemlinsky’s “Der Zwerg”, Mozart’s ”Die Entführung”, and ”Nozze di Figaro”, Pintscher’s “L’Espace Dernier”, Strauss’s ”Der Rosenkavalier” as well as Stravinsky’s ”Les Noces” and Thomas’ “Hamlet”.

She has been asked regularly to perform works such as “Vintage Alice” by David del Tredici (Orchestre de Bretagne, Kymi Sinfonietta, Finland) and “Stilla” in Hersant’s Le Chateau des Carpathes (Opera de Quimper and Salle Pleyel, Paris). In 2019 she recorded the Polyphonic Songs of Beethoven on the Warner Label. She recorded “Iris” in Guru by Laurent Petitgirard on Naxos label and « La Vierge » in Jeanne au Bucher by Honneger with Helmut Rilling and the Staatsorchestre Stuttgart. 

She sang Barber’s “Knoxville: Summer of 1915” and Osvaldo Golijov’s “Night of Flying Horses” with the Kymi Sinfonietta and “Alice” in Alice in Wonderland by Unsuk Chin with the Tallinn National Symphony and has also performed Ravel’s “Sheherazade” with the Milwaukee Symphony, and Mozart’s “Mass in C minor”, Beethoven’s “Missa Solemnis” and Mendelssohn’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream” with the Porto Symphony in Portugal, all under the baton of Olari Elts. 

Her repertoire extends to Beethoven’s “9th Symphony” which she sung in Bordeaux under Marc Minkowski, and Dvorak’s “Stabat Mater”, Poulenc’s “Gloria” and Mozart’s “Requiem” in various Parisian venues. Karen sang Britten’s “Les Illuminations” in recital with Spencer Myer in New York for the Brooklyn Art Song foundation at the Brooklyn Historical Society. She performed Dvorak’s “Stabat Mater” and Poulenc’s ”Gloria” with A. Gouillouzo in Paris. More recently, she sang the opening concert with Radio France with a solo by Bartnovski, Szymanowski’s “Stawa Matka” with the Orchestre de Paris, Boccherini’s “Stabat Mater” with members of the Orchestra National de radio France, and the Vaughan Williams ”Sea Symphony” under Marc Korovitch. 

Karen has also sung the following concert/oratorio repertoire: Rosenman’s “Faded Chandeliers” at Alice Tully Hall in New York (Lincoln Centre), Bernstein’s “Mass” and Brahms’ “Ein deutsches Requiem” (Orchestre National d’Île de France), Debussy’s ”La demoiselle elue” (Orchestre de Massy); Mahler’s ”2nd Symphony” (Crous Orchestre de Paris) (Orchestre de L’Île de France), Orff’s ”Carmina Burana” for the 70th anniversary of Radio France’s Choir. Her repertoire extended to Mendelssohn’s “Psalm 42”(Orpheus Choir), Bach’s “St. Matthew” and ”St John” Passion (Amadeus Choir) and Bach’s “Magnificat” (Metamorphose Orchestra), as well as many of Bach’s cantatas in St. Michael’s Cathedral at the University of Toronto. She performed Strauss’ “Brentano Lieder” with the Toronto“s University Orchestra. 

Karen was awarded the Academy of Beaux Arts’ Cino de Duca award for France’s Best Young Artist. She received the AROP prize from the Paris National Opera, and over 75,000$ in council grants and scholarships. Karen won 3rd prize at the Mirjam Helin International Vocal Competition in Helsinki, Finland and was a finalist and public prize winner at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium.

Karen has had the great pleasure of singing on stage under the direction of: D. Barenboim, R. Muti, Sir E. Gardner, S. Ozawa, M. Fischer-Dieskau, M. Minkowski, H. Bicket, D. Levi, J. Conlon, U. Schirmer, R. Behr, L. Rosenmann, J. López Cobos, P. Domingo, K. Ryan, O. Elts, E. Sirotkine, 

Karen’s teachers and coaches include: Marilyn Horne, Alan Smith, Dennis Helmrich, Renata Scotto, Teresa Berganza, Warren Jones, Michelle Wegwart, Mary Morrison, Frank Maus, Janine Reiss, Robert Kettelson, Elizabeth Schwartzkopf, Barbara Bonney, Colline Serreau and Jill Kelman. 

Karen regularly conducts the Ritournelle Choir since 2022, giving 5 performances per year in various repertoire styles. Her first rock venue came at La Cigale this past spring with Thomas de Pourquery, and she also sang with him at the Festival ”Penhoët est une Fête” in Britany, and the famous “Rock en Seine” in Paris. She is a full time employed singer of the Radio France choir since 2009, and teaches regularly from her studio near Paris. Karen will sing in a tour with Radio France with a solo by Bartnievski, and Ernesen’s ”Magnificat”, Vivaldi’s ”Magnificat” under M. Cabanes in Paris with Helios Orchestra. She organizes and performs house concerts with pianist Ieva Jakubenas with whom she recorded Dichterliebe and wrote a scenario.