Biography
The Czech mezzosoprano Lucie Hilscherová (b. 1979) obtained the Master degree in Solo singing (with Mgr. Romana Feiferlíková, Ph. D.), as well as in Psychology and in Music Teaching at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen. In 2000, an Erasmus scholarship enabled her to study singing with Prof. Ursula Schönhals at the College of Humanities of Chemnitz University (Germany).
She regularly attends master classes where her teachers have included Helen Donath, Hedwig Fassbender, Gabriela Beňačková, Dagmar Pecková, Zlatica Livorová, Marta Infante, Magdalena Hájossyová or Kristina Beck-Kukavcić. Thanks to her participation in the Bachakademie Stuttgart, led by Helmuth Rilling, she performed the alto part in Bach's Christmas Oratorio (Bach Collegium Stuttgart, Stiftskirche Stuttgart) and then in Schumann's Faust Scenes (Stuttgart Musikfest, cond. Helmuth Rilling).
She has received a number of awards and prizes:
2012 - 3rd prize in the „Musica Sacra“ International Competition in Roma
2009 - 3rd prize in the concert category in the Cantilena Competition Bayreuth
2008 - Dvořák International Singing Competition in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic
- 1st prize in the song category
- The Czech Radio Prize for the best interpretation of a work written after 1950
- The Sharon Chmel Resch scholarship travel award
- The prize of J. K. Tyl Theatre Pilsen0
- Josef Hercl´s prize for the best interpretation of baroque sacred music
- Prize of music publisher Editio Bärenreiter Prague
Lucie Hilscherová has been a guest singer of the National Theatre in Prague, the National Maravian-Silesian Theatre, the DJKT Theatre in Pilsen, the Silesian Theater in Opava, the State Theater in Košice and the Nationaltheater Mannheim (Quickly in Falstaff, Panna Róza in The Secret, Mère Marie de l'Incarnation in Dialogues des Carmélites, Badessa in Suor Angelica, Emilie in Otello, Martha in Jolanta, Frau Reich in The Merry Wives od Windsor, Berta in Barbiere di Siviglia, Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro, Third Dame in The Magic Flute etc.
As Háta in Smetana's The Bartered Bride she made her debut by the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra (2010, Suntory Hall in Tokyo - cond. Leoš Svárovský) and by the BBC Symphony Orchestra (2011, Barbican Hall in London - cond. Jiří Bělohlávek). This performance was broadcast by the BBC and recorded by Harmonia Mundi.
Besides opera parts, her musical activities also cover concerts. She realizes a wide musical spectrum, ranging from baroque to contemporary music. Her concert engagements include mezzosoprano/alto parts f.e. in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Mattheus Passion, Händel’s Messiah, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and Missa solemnis, Rossini’s Stabat Mater and Petite Messe Solennelle, Dvořák’s Stabat Mater, Saint Ludmila and Requiem, Verdi’s Requiem, Mahler’s The Song of the Earth and Symphony No. 2, Stravinskij‘s Les Noces, Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky or Berio’s Folk Songs.
Lucie Hilscherová has worked with conductors such as Helmuth Rilling, David Porcelijn, Alexander Vedernikov, Libor Pešek, Jiří Bělohlávek, Tomáš Netopil, Petr Vronský or Leoš Svárovský and with orchestras such as BBC Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Orchestra of Poznań Philharmonic, Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Prague Symphony Orchestra, PKF-Prague Philharmonia, Brno Philharmonic, Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra or Collegium 1704.
She sang at Musikfest Stuttgart, Beethovenfest Bonn, Prague Spring, Easter Festival of Sacred Music Brno, Smetana's Litomyšl and Peter Dvorský International Music Festival.
