Lena Sutor-Wernich
Voice type: Mezzosoprano, Contralto
Vita
Lena Sutor-Wernich is one of the most versatile singers of her generation. Her repertoire encompasses major contralto and mezzo-soprano roles, ranging from Baroque opera and the Classical and Romantic repertoire to contemporary works and interdisciplinary music theatre projects.
Since the 2019/20 season, Lena Sutor-Wernich has been a member of the solo ensemble of Staatstheater Darmstadt. Her roles there have included Orphée in Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice, Bradamante in Handel’s Alcina, Angelina in Rossini’s La Cenerentola, Dulcinée in Massenet’s Don Quichotte, Olga in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, Hänsel in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel, Geneviève in Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande, and the Muse/Nicklausse in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann. In the 2026/27 season, she will sing there the roles of Lola in Cavalleria rusticana, Bersi in Andrea Chénier, Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, and Auntie in Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes
Guest engagements have taken her to Opernhaus Zürich, where she appeared as the Second Norn in Wagner’s Götterdämmerung, to Staatsoper Stuttgart, the Schwetzingen Festival, and the International Handel Festival Göttingen. There, as well as at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, she performed the role of Lichas in Handel’s Hercules in 2023 and sang the title role in Solomon in 2025, both under the musical direction of George Petrou. She has also collaborated with conductors and directors including Gianandrea Noseda, Daniel Cohen, Alessandro Quarta, Achim Freyer, Andreas Homoki, Mariame Clément, Nicola Raab, Dirk Schmeding and Nina Russi.
As a concert singer, Lena Sutor-Wernich is equally in demand. Her extensive repertoire includes the major oratorios and concert works by Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Mahler and Elgar. Over several years, she participated in the complete performance cycle of Johann Sebastian Bach’s vocal works at Stuttgart’s Stiftskirche under the direction of Kay Johannsen.
Born and raised in Heidelberg, Lena Sutor-Wernich studied Opera and Concert Singing as well as Vocal Pedagogy at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg with Prof. Angela Nick and was a member of the Lied class of Prof. Hans-Peter Müller. She received further artistic inspiration through collaborations with distinguished musicians including Ann Hallenberg, Sonia Prina, René Jacobs, Hedwig Fassbender and Kurt Widmer, before complementing her musical training with studies in Eurythmy.
Alongside her operatic and concert career, Lena Sutor-Wernich develops her own artistic projects. She co-created the music theatre production The Thinking Heart, based on the diaries of Etty Hillesum, which has been performed in Germany, Luxembourg and Switzerland. During the pandemic, she also initiated the concert series Coronaden, bringing live music to public spaces and social institutions.
Opera, concert performance and original music theatre projects form the core of Lena Sutor-Wernich’s artistic work. She has a particular interest in works and productions that combine musical excellence with a compelling artistic and dramatic message.
Last update: 21.08.2026
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