Soprano
Serbian-born soprano Jelena Widmann completed her Master’s degrees in Vocal Performance and Concert Singing with distinction at the Graz University of Music and Performing Arts (KUG), studying under Martin Klietmann, Joseph Breinl, and Robert Heimann.
She further refined her artistry through masterclasses with renowned musicians such as Vladimir Chernov, Angelika Kirchschlager, Marjana Lipovšek, Dagmar Livorová, and Michèle Crider. She is a scholarship recipient of the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz and a prizewinner at the International Singing Competition of Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg.
Jelena gained her first stage experience in productions at KUG, performing as Scolatella II in Henze’s Il Re Cervo and as Papagena in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. She went on to portray key roles such as the Fox in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen, Lauretta in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Dafne in Fux’s Dafne in Lauro, Corilla in Donizetti’s Viva la Mamma, and Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. Guest engagements led her to operetta productions across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, where she performed as Adele in Die Fledermaus and Hortense in Der Opernball. At the Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg festival, she took on the role of Elisabeth in Nestroy’s operatic parody Tannhäuser.
As a concert soloist, Jelena Widmann has performed Orff’s Carmina Burana, Stravinsky’s Les Noces, and Schumann’s Requiem für Mignon at the Wiener Musikverein (as part of the Wiener Festwochen). She has also sung Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 and Martin’s Requiem at the Musikverein für Steiermark. She has been featured in numerous New Year’s concert tours, performing with the Tonkünstler Orchestra of Lower Austria at the Festspielhaus St. Pölten and the Vienna Musikverein, as well as touring across Styria with the Salonorchester Walzerperlen.
In recent years, she has expanded her extensive concert repertoire, which spans from Baroque to contemporary music. She has performed Bach’s St. John Passion, Christmas Oratorio, Magnificat, Mass in B Minor, and various cantatas, as well as Händel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem, Haydn’s The Creation and The Seasons, Dvořák’s Te Deum (recorded for CD and DVD), Honegger’s King David, Graun’s Der Tod Jesu, and Górecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs. She is a frequent soloist in sacred music performances in Styria and Carinthia, with works including Mozart’s Coronation Mass, Beethoven’s Mass in C major, and Haydn’s Paukenmesse and Nelson Mass.
Jelena Widmann is also passionate about art song, regularly performing in recital series across Austria and Germany. Additionally, she showcases her versatility in popular music and musical theatre, frequently appearing as a guest soloist with wind orchestras throughout Styria.
Alongside her performing career, she is dedicated to teaching and vocal coaching. She has worked as a vocal coach for the Styrian State Youth Choir Cantanima and the Carinthian State Youth Choir, and for many years, she has been the vocal instructor for the Graz Boys’ Choir (Grazer Kapellknaben).