‚..but the most impressive moments came from Marlene Lichtenberg with her deep, velvet alto voice’

the German magazine OPERNWELT wrote on Marlene Lichtenberg’s debut as ERDA (in Siegfried) at the Cottbus State Theatre. The artist keeps celebrating great successes in this very theatre e.g. as FLOSSHILDE, FRICKA, WALTRAUTE, 1st NORN, as AMNERIS, JEZIBABA ( Rusalka), NIKLAS (Hoffmann’s Erzählungen), ORFEO, HÄNSEL , BRADAMANTE, LEONORE (La Favorita) and CARMEN. In the season 16/17 she also sings EBOLI in ‚Don Carlo’ here.

Marlene Lichtenberg was discovered in 2001 by the conductor Fritz Weisse - founder of the National German Singing Competition - in her home town in South Tyrol (Austria). Subsequently she studied singing at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and the renowned Janacek Music Academy in Brno (Czech Republic). She took master classes with KS Hilde Zadek and Sena Jurinac. Marlene Lichtenberg was musically formed by her first teacher, the successful Czech bass-baritone Richard Novak, by Janina Baechle and Vito Maria Brunetti.
In summer 2007, the attractive singer, whose soprano voice shows a beautiful profound depth, had her opera debut at the Festival d‘Opéra Avenches. Guest performances brought her as MADDALENA (in Rigoletto) to the Teatro Regio di Torino , Besides, as Philippe Boesman’ s JULIE at the Teatro Comunale Bolzano, as as ULRICA to the Kosice State Theatre and Brixen.

In summer 2007 the good-looking artist, whose voice posseses a profound depth, made her opera debut at the Festival d‘Opéra Avenches. Guest performances brought her then as MADDALENA (Rigoletto) to the Teatro Regio di Torino, with the title role in Philippe Boesman’s JULIE to the Teatro Comunale Bolzano and as ULRICA to the Kosice State Theatre and to Brixen.
She enjoyed great succes as CARMEN at the Riga National Opera and at the Liberec Opera, she portrayed the FIRST MAID in Elektra at the Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania and the ZIA PRINCESSA in ‘Suor Angelica’ a.o. in Sirmione and at the Lübeck Theatre. She performed ULRICA in Un ballo in maschera at the Teatro Malatesta di Montefiore Conca, GERTRUDE (in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette) at the Teatro di Pisa and the Teatro Alighieri di Ravenna, the MAID in ‘Titanic’ at the Rostock Popular Theatre and FENENA at the Opera Festival Bad Hersfeld. For this last performance she was awarded the Opera Prize for the best singer of the 2010 Festival.

In summer 2017 she is AMNERIS in Aida in the open air production of the Ulm Theatre and she sings concerts with the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra.

Apart from her numerous opera performances, Marlene Lichtenberg is also a very much sought-after concert soloist. She already performed at the Berlin Philharmonic with the Thomas Boys Choir Leipzig, sang Mozart’s Requiem in Bremen and Bach’s Mass in B-minor at the Beethoven Hall in Bonn. Lately, she inspired the audience of the Brandenburg Summer Concert with Mahler’s 3rd Symphony as an Opening Symphony. Her interpretation of John’s Passion with the Orchestra of the Darmstadt State Theatre could be heard in 2015.
In addition to her ‘native languages’ German and Italian Marlene Lichtenberg is fluent in French and Czech. Her vast repertoire includes not only alto parts like ULRICA, ERDA and EBOLI, but also AMNERIS and her favorite role CARMEN.

An overwhelmingly positive surprise was the role of Erda, spectacularly sung by the young Marlene Lichtenberg, with her beautiful, sonorous voice. Finally there is hope once again for the alto repertoire.
Der neue Merker