Soprano Chen Reiss has established a strongly acclaimed and distinctive career, enchanting audiences with “one of the most perfect Strauss voices one could wish for” (Classical Source), “a voice of silver brightness and clarity” (Bachtrack) with “immaculately produced and enticing tone matched by superb musicianship” (Opera News, USA).
Born in Israel, she came to prominence as a member of the ensemble of the Bavarian State Opera under the music directorship of Zubin Mehta and was subsequently resident artist at the Vienna State Opera. She has also performed at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Teatro alla Scala, Semperoper Dresden, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Netherlands Opera, Wiener Festwochen, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Opera Company of Philadelphia and the Israeli Opera, in leading roles ranging from Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Ilia (Idomeneo), and the title role in Janacek’s The Cunning Little Vixen, to Gilda (Rigoletto), Adina (L’elisir d’amore), Aennchen (Der Freischutz), Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier) and Zdenka (Arabella). Her repertoire also encompasses the title role in Cavalli’s La Calisto (Teatro alla Scala, Milan), Ginevra (Ariodante) (Royal Opera House Covent Garden), Mozart’s Zaide (Teatro dell’Opera di Roma), Donna Anna and Contessa (Le nozze di Figaro), Anne Trulove (The Rakes’s Progress), Liu (Turandot), Rosalinde (Die Fledermaus) and the title role in Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea.
Highlights of the 2024/25 season include her stage debut as Mozart’s Contessa at Welsh National Opera, the title role of Schumann’s Genoveva in at the Köln Philharmonie, signature repertoire including Strauss Four Last Songs with the Israel Philharmonic, Mahler‘s 2nd symphony at the Palau de la Musica de Valencia, her debut in Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony with Tarmo Pentokoski and the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, and collaborations with conductors including Christoph Eschenbach, Zubin Mehta, Ivor Bolton, Lahav Shani, Alain Altinoglu and Kristiina Poska, in repertoire ranging from concertarias by Mozart and Beethoven, tothe orchestral songs of Strauss, Schreker and Korngold.
Recent highlights include the position of Artist in Residence at the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, performing a range of repertoire from Mozart and Lehar to Bergand Korngold, an appearance as featured soloist in the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra’s Christmas Day concert, rejoining conductor Klaus Mäkeläto sing music by Fanny Hensel and Felix Mendelssohn, and her debuts in Beethoven’s Missa Solemn is with the Wiener Akademie and Le Cercle d'Harmonie at the Philharmonie de Paris and the Festival de Paquesin Aix en Provence, Strauss’s Four Last Songs, Mahler’s Das Klagende Lied at the Leipzig Gewandhaus Mahler Festival, and Dvorak’s Stabat Mater.
She has appeared in signature repertoire including Mahler’s Second and Fourth symphonies with the Munich Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel, Berg’s Sieben fruhe lieder with the SWR Symphonieorchester Stuttgart under Vasily Petrenko, and Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate with the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington DC under the baton of Simone Young. She debuted with the Berlin Radio Symphony under Vladimir Jurowski (Haydn Die Jahreszeiten), the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia under Antonio Pappano (Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem), the Berlin Philharmonic under Semyon Bychkov (Mahler Symphony No.4) and the Filarmonica della Scala (Mozart arias with Zubin Mehta). With the Vienna Philharmonic she was the guest soloist at a gala concert for the 30th anniversary celebrations of Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, and with the Orchestre National de France she took part in the 2019 Bastille Day ‘Concert de Paris’, televised live from Paris’s iconic Eiffel Tower. In December 2014 Chen Reiss was invited to sing for Pope Francis during the Christmas Mass, which was broadcast worldwide. Accompanied by the Berlin Philharmonic and Sir Simon Rattle, she sang the soundtrack to Tom Tykwer’s film “Perfume: the Story of a Murderer”.
Recent recordings include Mendelssohn’s ‘Lobgesang’ with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich and Paavo Jarvi (Alpha Classics), Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with the Czech Philharmonic and Semyon Bychkov (Pentatone), Schreker’s ‘Vom ewigen leben’ with Christoph Eschenbach and the Konzerthausorchester Berlin. (for Deutsche Grammophon), a disc of orchestral lieder and scenas of Fanny Hensel and Felix Mendelssohn with the Jewish Chamber Orchestra of Munich, and ‘Immortal Beloved’ a recording of Beethoven arias and scenas with the Academy of Ancient Music for Onyx Classics. She has recorded a wide range of recital repertoire as well as roles in complete recordings of Die Fledermaus (Capriccio), Don Giovanni and Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem (Helicon) and Lehar's Das Fürstenkind (CPO), and DVD releases of Fauré’s Requiem with Orchestre de Paris conducted by Paavo Järvi, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. 2025 will see the release of ‘Das Jüdische Wien’, featuring songs by Korngold, Zemlinsky, and Josefine Winter with the Jewish Chamber Orchestra of Munich.
Chen Reiss is passionate about sharing her knowledge with the next generation of singers and musicians. She is a guest professor at Munich’s Hochschule für Musik und Theater, and regularly gives masterclasses for institutions such as the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music, the Schlossakademie Hamburg, Triomphede l’Art in Brussels and the Masterclass Media Foundation. In 2022 she founded the association Sourire Music, dedicated to supporting and promoting young musicians by offering them training and performance opportunities. In 2023 she established the Holistic Voice Academy—a special training programme for singers addressing their vocal, physical and mental well-being.
