The Austrian Mezzo-Soprano, Christa Ratzenboeck, is quickly gaining international recognition for her rich vocal quality and fiery stage presence. She began her career at the opera studio of Zürich Opera and subsequently made her debut at the Salzburg Festival. Other important debuts followed with the opera houses of Basel, Bern Düsseldorf, Prague, Vienna (Theater an der Wien), and Salzbourg (Landestheater). 

From 2001 to 2007 Christa Ratzenboeck was an ensemble member of Austria’s Landestheater Linz where, under the musical direction of Dennis Russell Davies, she essayed a number of important operatic roles; among them, Idamante (“Idomeneo”); Siebel (“Faust”); Dorabella (“Cosi fan tutte”); Cherubino (“Le nozze di Figaro”); Komponist (“Ariadne auf Naxos”). In addition to the well-known repertoire, Christa Ratzenboeck also enjoyed great successes with the modern and operetta repertoire, performing a number of roles, such as Frau M (Hindemith’s “Neues vom Tage”); Kurfürstin (Zeller’s “Der Vogelhändler”); and Gräfin Zedlau (Strauß’ “Wiener Blut”).

Christa Ratzenboeck’s recent engagements include performances at Bilbao’s Teatro Arriaga as Gräfin Kirchstetten in Hans Werner Henze’s “Elegie für junge Liebende,” directed by Pier Luigi Pizzi, the Austrian premiere of Elliott Carter’s “What Next” with Neue Oper Wien, and Gräfin Zedlau in “Wiener Blut” with Lehar Festival Bad Ischl. She has appeared on the concert stages of Vienna, Salzbourg, Budapest, Berlin, and Zagreb under the direction of such conductors as Franz Welser-Möst, Julia Jones, Hans Wallat, Dennis Russell Davies, Sian Edwards, Adam Fischer and Bertrand de Billy.

In 2008, she made her debut at Vienna’s Musikverein in Janáček’s “Diary Of One Who Vanished,” followed by performances at the Bruckner Festival Linz as Wellgunde, Waltraute, and Norne in Wagner’s “Ring des Nibelungen.”

2011 she had an enormous success with the Soprano Part of Ximene in Gouvy´s „Der Cid“ at the State Opera in Saarbrücken.

2011 she did also her America debute at the Chicago Grant park Festival  with Schmid´s Oratory „The book with seven seals“

Christa Ratzenboeck’s upcoming engagements includes a return to Landestheater Linz with “Omama im Apfelbaum, and Rosenkavalier” Stadttheater Baden as Marcellina in “Le nozze di Figaro“ by Mozart, Wagner Festival Wels as Blumenmädchen in “Parsifal,” and as Ilona in Lehár´s „Zigeunerliebe“ to the Lehárfestival in Bad Ischl and to the Jopera Festival Jennersdorf as Gräfin in „Der Wildschütz“ by Lortzing

On the concert stage she will perform Beethoven´s “9th Symphony” in Salzbourg’s Großen Festspielhaus, Liszt´s oratorio „The Legend of holy Elisabeth“

in Linz´s Brucknerhaus as well as a Recital in Zürich with Hugo Wolf´s Italian Songbook.

Ms. Ratzenboeck, a native of Upper Austria, received her training at the Salzburger Mozarteum. She is a past prize winner of “Gradus ad Parnassum,” and was the 1999 winner of the International Mozart Competition in Salzburg.