Lise Davidsen is a Norwegian lyric dramatic soprano singer who, at a young age, has already made operatic debuts at Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, Bayreuth and Glyndebourne.
Davidsen was born in Stokke in Norway in 1987, and began her music studies as a guitarist and singer in a range of genres. She studied music, specialising in singing, at the Grieg Academy of Music in Bergen, before moving to Copenhagen for a Masters at the Royal Opera Academy.
In 2015, Davidsen won the acclaimed Operalia and Queen Sonja singing competitions.
She has performed prestigious operatic roles at the Met, Royal Opera House, Wagner’s own concert hall in Bayreuth, Glyndebourne, the Aix-en-Provence Festival, Bayerische State Opera, Wigmore Hall and the Barbican in London, and at Vienna State Opera and Zurich Opera House, as well as on many other notable stages around the world.
She was soon signed to Decca Classics, and in 2018 released her debut solo recording on the label, which includes works by Strauss and Wagner, performed with the Philharmonic Orchestra (Classic FM’s Orchestra on Tour) and conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen.
Davidsen has been described as having a “once-in-a-generation voice” by Opera Magazine, and Gramophone said: “It’s been a long time since a singer has generated as much buzz.”
Davidsen released her second studio album with Decca in February 2021, and it features works by Beethoven, Wagner and Verdi. Davidsen is accompanied by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Sir Mark Elder on the disc.
Did you know?
Lise Davidsen is the first Scandinavian artist to sign with Decca Classics since the great Birgit Nilsson (1918-2005), and the first Norwegian singer to join the label since opera royalty Kirsten Flagstad (1895-1962).
