American soprano Robin Johannsen came to Europe as a young artist with the Deutsche Oper Berlin and joined the company soon after as a soloist. Her roles there included Susanna Le nozze di Figaro, Norina Don Pasquale, OscarUn ballo in maschera, and Soeur Constance Les dialogues des Carmélites. After two more years with Oper Leipzig (Gretel, Marzelline, Blonde, Susanna, and Pamina), she began her freelance career with a special affinity for the Baroque and Classical repertoires.
Robin has appeared at Theater an der Wien, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Athens’ Megaron, Staatsoper Berlin, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Hamburgische Staatsoper, Semperoper Dresden, Teatro Regio Torino, Staatsoper Stuttgart, Oper Frankfurt, Vlaamse Opera, Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Komische Oper Berlin, and Bayreuth Festival, where roles have included Venere/Giuturna Amor vien dal destino, title role Almira, Marzelline Beethoven’s Leonore, Konstanze Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Fiordiligi Così fan tutte, the title role of Telemann’s Emma und Eginhard, Leocasta Vivaldi’s Il giustino, and Adina L’elisir d’amore.
She has a close working relationship with René Jacobs and the Freiburger Barockorchester and is a frequent guest with the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, La Cetra Basel, the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart, Concerto Köln, Kammerakademie Potsdam, La Folia Barockorchester, and Belgium’s B’Rock. She has also collaborated with conductors such as Jonathan Cohen, Marin Alsop, Robin Ticciati, Teodor Currentzis, Ottavio Dantone, Antonello Manacorda, Andrea Marcon, Alessandro De Marchi, Raphaël Pichon, Jérémie Rhorer, Thomas Hengelbrock, David Afkham, Philippe Herreweghe, Attilio Cremonesi, Kevin John Edusei, Christian Thielemann, Stefan Gottfried, Manfred Honeck, Daniel Reuss, Ton Koopman, Nicholas McGegan, Hans-Christoph Rademann, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Philippe Jordan, and Giulio Prandi.
Robin’s numerous concert engagements have included performances with the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Dresden Philharmonic, OSESP São Paolo, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Ensemble Pygmalion, Academy of Ancient Music, RIAS Kammerchor, Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, NDR Hannover, Helsinki Philharmonic, Singapore Symphony, and Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España as well as at the Berliner Philharmonie, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Essen Philharmonie, Gasteig Munich, Konzerthaus Berlin, Lucerne Festival, Paris Philharmonie, the Vatican, Salzburg’s Mozarteum and Groβes Festspielhaus, Tonhalle Zürich, Elbphilharmonie, the Wiener Musikverein, Festival d’Ambronay, and Santa Cecilia in Rome.
In the United States, Robin has appeared with the Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Dallas, and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestras as well as with the Handel & Haydn Society, Musica Angelica, and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. She has also performed at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Philadelphia Kimmel Center, Carnegie Hall, Cincinnati Music Hall, and the Oregon Bach Festival.
Her discography includes recent additions of Mozart in Milan: Exsultate jubilate (Arcana) with Carlo Vistoli and Giulio Prandi, Bach’s B Minor Mass under René Jacobs (harmonia mundi), Telemann’s Miriways with Akamus (Pentatone), Beethoven’s Leonore with FBO and René Jacobs (harmonia mundi), a DVD of the Berliner Staatsoper’s King Arthur with Akamus (Naxos), Telemann Cantatas with Concerto Melante (dhm/Sony), the title role in Vinci’s Didone Abbandonata with the Lautten Compagney (dhm/Sony), Neopolitan arias in Napoli galante with Andreas Küppers (Perfect Noise), and Handel’s Parnasso in festa with Andrea Marcon and La Cetra Basel (Pentatone). She was awarded an Edison Classical Music Award for her performance as Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail under René Jacobs for Harmonia Mundi. In May 2014, Sony Classical (dhm) released Robin’s first solo disc, “In dolce amore,” a world premiere recording of baroque arias and cantatas by Antonio Caldara, conducted by Alessandro De Marchi.
Recent and future highlights include a new production of Vivaldi’s Il Giustino at the Berliner Staatsoper under René Jacobs, Haydn’s Schöpfung with Philippe Herreweghe and the Concertgebouworkest, Messiah with Dresdner Philharmonie under H.C. Rademann, performances with Boston’s Handel & Haydn Society under Jonathan Cohen, a solo concert with the Freiburger Barockorchester under Kristian Bezuidenhout, Bach Cantatas under Ton Koopman at the Leipzig Bach Festival, and a staged production of Graupner’sDido, Königin von Carthago at the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music under Andrea Marcon. Robin is also looking forward to debuts with the Orchestre des Champs-Elysées, with the National Symphony Orchestra under Laurence Equilbey (Kennedy Center - Messiah), and with Les Violons du Roy under Jonathan Cohen (Montreal and Quebec) in Vivaldi’s La Sena festeggiante.