About

Winner of the 2024 Opus Klassik New Talent of the Year award, mezzo soprano Valerie Eickhoff is quickly establishing herself as an artist of intense musicality and brilliant vocalism. Ms. Eickhoff joins Semperoper Dresden in the 2024 - 2025 season as a featured ensemble member with roles including Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Stephano in a new production of Romeo et Juliette, Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel, and Nicoletta in Die Liebe zu den drei Orangen. She also returns to Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen to sing Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. She also returns to Bayerische Staatsoper to sing Cléone in a new production of Faure’s Pénélope. Concert work includes Bach’s Matthew Passion with the Gewanfhauseorchester in Leipzig and a repeat appearance with the Adelphi Quartet at Schloss Ettlingen.

The 2023 - 2024 season saw several important house and role debuts including as Ramiro in La finta giardiniera with Theater an der Wien and as Driade in Ariadne auf Naxos. Second Bridesmaid in Le nozze di Figaro, and Blümenmädchen in Parsifal with the Bayerische Staatsoper. She also returned to Deutsche Oper am Rhein as a guest artist to debut the roles of Angelina in Cenerentola and Marylou in Märchen im Grand Hotel. Concert work included Poem de l’amour et de mer with the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, Des Knaben Wunderhorn with the Orchestra della Toscana Italy, and a concert of Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder and Respighi’s Il Tramonto with the Kurpfälzisches Kammerorchestra in Mannheim, Germany. Ms. Eickhoff also recorded the complete Hans Eisler Hollywood Songbook with pianist Eric Schneider this season, which was released on the Ars Production label.

Operatic highlights include house debut with Royal Danish Opera as Mercédès in Barrie Kosky’s production of Carmen her house debut at the Tiroler Festspiele Erl as Die Stallmagd in Humperdinck’s Königskinder, her role debuts as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel, Cherubino in Le nozze Figaro, Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel, Uli in the world premiere of Das fliegende Klassenszimmer, and Lucienne in Die tote Stadt, Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana, Ronja in Ronja Räubertochter, and Diane in Barrie Kosky’s production of Offenbach’s Orphee aux Enfers at Deutsche Oper am Rhein, as well as appearanes as Annina in La Traviata, Sandman in Hansel und Gretel,  a shepherd in L'Enfant et les Sortilèges, and Kate Pinkerton  in Madama Butterfly. As a member of the Niederrhein Opera Studio her roles included Second Lady in Die Zauberflöte, Fjodor in Boris Godunov, and Cupido Orpheus in der Unterwelt. Additional operatic highlights include Prince Orlovsky in Die Fledermaus, Lisetta in Haydn's Il mondo della luna, Angelina in Rossini's La Cenerentola. On the conert and recital stages Ms. Eickhoff has been presented in recital by Schumannfest Düsseldorf, and in a benefit concert with the Sinfonieorchester der Camerata Louis Spohr.

Honors and awards include appearing as a semifinalist at the 2020 Glyndebourne Opera Cup and in the 2019 Neue Stimmen Competition, as well as receiving scholarships from the Wagner Association Düsseldorf, Yehudi Menuhin Foundation “Live Music Now”, Horst and Gretl Will Foundation, and the Werner Richard Dr Carl Dörken Foundation.

Ms. Eickhoff is winner of the 2022 Südwestrundfunk Junge Opernstars competition and holds degrees from Robert Schumann University where she graduated with honors and participated in masterclasses with Brigitte Fassbaender, Bernarda Fink, Eric Schneider, Hans Eijsackers and Luca Quintavalle.

Events

Watch

Repertoire