Magdalena Hinterdobler (born 1986) is a German operatic
soprano
A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...
, based at the
Oper Frankfurt
The Oper Frankfurt (Frankfurt Opera) is a German opera company based in Frankfurt.
Opera in Frankfurt am Main has a long tradition, with many world premieres such as Franz Schreker's ''Der ferne Klang'' in 1912, ''Fennimore and Gerda, Fennimore ...
, where she has performed leading roles including Eva in Wagner's ''
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
(; "The Master-Singers of Nuremberg"), WWV 96, is a music drama, or opera, in three acts, by Richard Wagner. It is the longest opera commonly performed, taking nearly four and a half hours, not counting two breaks between acts, and is traditio ...
'', Elisabetta in Verdi's ''
Don Carlo
''Don Carlos'' is an 1867 five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French-language libretto by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle, based on the 1787 play '' Don Karlos, Infant von Spanien'' (''Don Carlos, Infante of Spain'') by Fried ...
'' and Grete in Zemlinsky's ''
Der Traumgörge
''Der Traumgörge'' (''Görge the Dreamer''), Op. 11, is an opera in two acts and an epilogue by Austrian composer Alexander Zemlinsky. The libretto was written by Leo Feld based on the fairy tale by Richard von Volkmann and the poem "Der arm ...
''. She appeared as Anna in the world premiere of
Gerd Kühr's ''Paradiese'' at the Leipzig Opera in 2021, and as Chrysothemis in ''
Elektra'' by Richard Strauss at the
Tyrolean State Theatre in 2023.
Early life and career
Hinterdobler was born in
Straubing
Straubing (; Central Bavarian: ''Strauwing'') is an independent city in Lower Bavaria, southern Germany. It is seat of the Districts of Germany, district of Straubing-Bogen. Annually in August the Gäubodenvolksfest, the second largest fair in Ba ...
, Bavaria, in 1986.
She attended a
gymnasium focused on music and was a member of its chamber choir, conducted by Gerold Huber, the father of the pianist
Gerold Huber,
a notable ''
lied
In the Western classical music tradition, ( , ; , ; ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German and Dutch, but among English and French speakers, is often used interchangea ...
'' accompanist with whom she later performed.
She began voice lessons at age 14.
Hinterdobler took part in
oratorio
An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble.
Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...
performances with the choir, with tours to Italy, and in opera productions, performing demanding roles as a soloist.
She enrolled at the
University of Music and Theatre Munich in 2002
as a young student while still going to school, in the class of .
She achieved first prize at
Jugend musiziert
''Jugend musiziert'' is a music competition for children and adolescents in Germany on regional, federal and national level.
''Jugend musiziert'' in Germany
In Germany, the nationwide competition refers to young adults up to 20 years and for t ...
in 2002
and second prize at the
Bundeswettbewerb Gesang in Berlin in 2004.
She studied voice University of Music and Theatre Munich together with several former members of the
Tölzer Knabenchor
The Tölzer Knabenchor (Tölz Boys' Choir) is a world-famous Boys' choir, boys' choir named after the Upper Bavarian district town of Bad Tölz and based in Unterföhring near Bavarias capital Munich. Also associated with the choir is the Men's ch ...
, and said later in an interview that they brought a spirit of teamwork to the class.
She performed with the
Munich Chamber Orchestra
The Munich Chamber Orchestra (, or MKO) is a German chamber orchestra based in Munich. Its primary concert venue is the Prinzregententheater, Munich. The MKO also gives concerts in Munich at such venues as the Pinakothek der Moderne and the ', an ...
conducted by
Christoph Poppen
Christoph Poppen (born 9 March 1956) is a German conductor, violinist and academic teacher.
Career
Poppen was born in Münster. As a violinist, he was awarded first prize in the Kocian Violin Competition age 14. He studied the violin with Kur ...
at age 17, and sang regularly with the Augsburger Kammerorchester and the Niederbayerisches Kammerorchester. She was a soloist in Bach's
Mass in B minor with the
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE) is a British period instrument orchestra. The OAE is a resident orchestra of the Southbank Centre, London, associate orchestra at Glyndebourne Festival Opera Artistic Associate at Kings Place, and ...
as part of the 2008 Landsberger Bachtage.
From 2008 Hinterdobler also studied at the
Bayerische Theaterakademie August Everding
The Bayerische Theaterakademie August Everding (Bavarian Theatre Academy August Everding) at the Prinzregententheater in Munich, was founded by August Everding in 1993. The academy offers theatrical students eight different programs and through th ...
,
voice with
Andreas Schmidt, and with
Helmut Deutsch.
She made her debut at the
Prinzregententheater
The Prinzregententheater, or, as it was called in its first decades, the Prinz-Regenten-Theater, in English the Prince Regent Theatre, is a concert hall and opera house on Prinzregentenplatz in the Bavarian capital of Munich, Germany.
Building ...
with the academy in 2008 as Pepi Pleiniger in ''
Wiener Blut'' by Johann Strauss,
and appeared there in Mozart's ''
La finta giardiniera
' ("The Pretend Garden-Girl"), Köchel catalogue, K. 196, is an Italian-language opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart wrote it in Munich in January 1775 when he was 18 years old and it received its first performance on 13 January at the in M ...
'' in another student project.
She performed the role of Semele in the Munich premiere of Hasse's ''
Didone abbandonata'' in 2011, in a collaboration of the academy and the Musikhochschule conducted by
Michael Hofstetter
Michael Hofstetter (born 6 September 1961) is a German conductor and academic. He was chief conductor of the festival Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele from 2005 to 2012, and has been Generalmusikdirektor of Gießen since. He has worked internationa ...
and recorded live.
In 2014 she starred as Midili Hanum in Leo Fall's ''
Die Rose von Stambul'' at the Prinzregententheater; when a CD recording of one of the performances was released in 2022, ''
Fanfare
A fanfare (or fanfarade or flourish) is a short musical flourish which is typically played by trumpets (including fanfare trumpets), French horns or other brass instruments, often accompanied by percussion. It is a "brief improvised introdu ...
'' called her "the best singer in the cast".
Leipzig Opera

Hinterdobler became a member of the ensemble of the
Leipzig Opera
The Leipzig Opera () is an opera house and opera company located at the Augustusplatz and the Inner City Ring Road at its east side in Leipzig's district Mitte, Germany.
History
Performances of opera in Leipzig trace back to Singspiel perfo ...
in 2014 and remained with the company until 2022.
She appeared there in title role of Dvořák's ''
Rusalka
In Slavic folklore, the rusalka (plural: rusalki; , plural: русалки; , plural: ''rusałki'') is a female entity, often malicious toward mankind and frequently associated with water. It has counterparts in other parts of Europe, such as th ...
'', as Micaëla in Bizet's ''
Carmen
''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...
'', and in some Mozart roles.
In 2016 she performed as Zemina in Wagner's early opera ''
Die Feen
''Die Feen'' (, ''The Fairies'') is an opera in three acts by Richard Wagner. The German libretto was written by the composer after Carlo Gozzi's '' La donna serpente''. ''Die Feen'' was Wagner's first completed opera, but remained unperformed in ...
''.
She portrayed Ännchen in Weber's ''
Der Freischütz
' (Friedrich Wilhelm Jähns, J. 277, Opus number, Op. 77 ''The Marksman'' or ''The Freeshooter'') is a German List of operas by Carl Maria von Weber, opera with spoken dialogue in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Johann Fried ...
'' in 2017, and a reviewer described her aria as a "delicious account".
In the 2018/19 season she appeared in new productions of 's opera for children ''Schneewittchen'' and in the title role of Smetana's ''
The Bartered Bride
''The Bartered Bride'' (, ''The Sold Bride'') is a comic opera in three acts by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana, to a libretto by Karel Sabina. The work is generally regarded as a major contribution towards the development of Czech music. It ...
''; and performed in revivals, including as Susanna in Mozart's ''
Le nozze di Figaro
''The Marriage of Figaro'' (, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienna ...
'', Gretel in Humperdinck's ''
Hänsel und Gretel
"Hansel and Gretel" (; ) is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 as part of ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' (KHM 15).
Hansel and Gretel are siblings who are abandoned in a forest and fall into the hands of a witch ...
'', and Líu in Puccini's ''
Turandot
''Turandot'' ( ; see #Origin and pronunciation of the name, below) is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to a libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni. Puccini left the opera unfinished at the time of his death in 1924; it ...
''.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she took part in a concert version of ''Der Ring an einem Abend'', a short version of Wagner's ''
Der Ring des Nibelungen
(''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the . The compo ...
'' by
Loriot, conducted by
Ulf Schirmer
Ulf Schirmer (born 1959) is a German conductor and opera house administrator.
Biography
Born in Eschenhausen, Lower Saxony, Schirmer studied at the Bremen Conservatory, and also at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, with György Lig ...
in 2021; she performed as Ortlinde in ''
Die Walküre
(; ''The Valkyrie''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 86B, is the second of the four epic poetry, epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Literary cycle, cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). It was ...
'' and as Gutrune in ''
Götterdämmerung
' (; ''Twilight of the Gods''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 86D, is the last of the four epic poetry, epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Literary cycle, cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). I ...
'' in the
live-stream
Livestreaming, live-streaming, or live streaming is the streaming of video or audio in real time or near real time. While often referred to simply as ''streaming'', the real-time nature of livestreaming differentiates it from other non-live ...
.
She took part in the world premiere of
Gerd Kühr's ''Paradiese'' as Anna in July 2021, also conducted by Schirmer; a reviewer from the ''
Süddeutsche Zeitung
The ''Süddeutsche Zeitung'' (; ), published in Munich, Bavaria, is one of the largest and most influential daily newspapers in Germany. The tone of ''SZ'' is mainly described as centre-left, liberal, social-liberal, progressive-liberal, and ...
'' commented that she filled "the
Prenzlauer Berg
Prenzlauer Berg () is a Boroughs and localities of Berlin, locality of Berlin, forming the southerly and most urban district of the borough of Pankow. From its founding in 1920 until 2001, Prenzlauer Berg was a district of Berlin in its own right ...
bourgeois idyll with her colorful, sensual soprano as an erotic elemental force".
Oper Frankfurt

Hinterdobler appeared at the
Oper Frankfurt
The Oper Frankfurt (Frankfurt Opera) is a German opera company based in Frankfurt.
Opera in Frankfurt am Main has a long tradition, with many world premieres such as Franz Schreker's ''Der ferne Klang'' in 1912, ''Fennimore and Gerda, Fennimore ...
as Eva in a production of Wagner's ''
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
(; "The Master-Singers of Nuremberg"), WWV 96, is a music drama, or opera, in three acts, by Richard Wagner. It is the longest opera commonly performed, taking nearly four and a half hours, not counting two breaks between acts, and is traditio ...
'' in 2022, directed by
Johannes Erath
Johannes Erath (born 1975) is a German opera director.
Career
Erath was born in 1975 in Rottweil. First he studied violin with Rainer Küchl at der University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna and with Hansheinz Schneeberger in Freiburg. He ...
and conducted by
Sebastian Weigle.
''
Orpheus
In Greek mythology, Orpheus (; , classical pronunciation: ) was a Thracians, Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet. He was also a renowned Ancient Greek poetry, poet and, according to legend, travelled with Jason and the Argonauts in se ...
'' magazine reviewed her performance as "full of soprano sunshine above all the other voices".
A reviewer wrote that her "urgent soprano voice" magnificently made Eva a main character.
Another reviewer noted that she portrayed the confident Eva with a large, luminous voice, as well as "sparkling charm and unabashed defiance", but hoped for more nuanced
phrasing.
She became a member of the company in 2023
and appeared there as Elisabetta in a revival of Verdi's ''
Don Carlo
''Don Carlos'' is an 1867 five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French-language libretto by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle, based on the 1787 play '' Don Karlos, Infant von Spanien'' (''Don Carlos, Infante of Spain'') by Fried ...
''; a reviewer described her voice was "eminently lyrical ... with an impeccable line", and noted her dramatic expression.
She performed the role of Chrysothemis in ''
Elektra'' by Richard Strauss first at the
Tyrolean State Theatre in 2023, and a reviewer from the ''Online Merker'' wrote that she portrayed her character "gloriously, with a luminous soprano, good vocal expression and also a multi-faceted and emotionally committed performance".
She then also appeared as Chrysothemis in Frankfurt.
Hinterdobler appeared as Grete in Zemlinsky's ''
Der Traumgörge
''Der Traumgörge'' (''Görge the Dreamer''), Op. 11, is an opera in two acts and an epilogue by Austrian composer Alexander Zemlinsky. The libretto was written by Leo Feld based on the fairy tale by Richard von Volkmann and the poem "Der arm ...
'' in Frankfurt in 2024, directed by
Tilmann Köhler and conducted by
Markus Poschner
Markus Poschner (born 1 February 1971) is a German conductor and pianist.
Biography
Born in Munich, Poschner studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich with Hermann Michael. His mentors and supporters included Sir Roger Norri ...
.
Reviewer Curtis Rogers, writing for ''The Classical Source'', noted that she took a "bold, sassy approach to the role".
Writing in ''
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
The (; ''FAZ''; "Frankfurt General Newspaper") is a German newspaper founded in 1949. It is published daily in Frankfurt and is considered a newspaper of record for Germany. Its Sunday edition is the ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung'' ( ...
'' Jan Brachmann described her singing as "fresh, beautiful and with exemplary diction".
She performed a recital at the Oper Frankfurt of Hugo Wolf's ''
Italienisches Liederbuch
(English: Italian songbook) is a collection of translations of anonymous Italian poems and folk songs into German by Paul Heyse (18301914). It was first published in 1860.
In 1892, the composer Hugo Wolf (18601903) published a collection of 22 ...
'' on 28 May 2024, with tenor
Magnus Dietrich and the music director
Thomas Guggeis
Thomas Guggeis (born 1993) is a German conductor and pianist. He is ''Generalmusikdirektor'' of the Oper Frankfurt.
Life and career
Born in Dachau, Bavaria, Guggeis studied conducting at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München and the Mi ...
as the pianist, and a reviewer from ''
Frankfurter Rundschau
The ''Frankfurter Rundschau'' (''FR'') is a German daily newspaper, based in Frankfurt am Main. The ''Rundschaus editorial stance is social liberal. It holds that "independence, social justice and fairness" underlie its journalism. In Post-wa ...
'' described her voice as full of character and dark timbre, noting that both singers interpreted the many moods of the almost 50 songs with excellent diction and theatrical expression, sometimes changing from line to line.
Recordings
Among Hinterdobler's recordings is Leo Fall's operetta ''
Die Dollarprinzessin
' is an operetta by Leo Fall. The German libretto was by Alfred Maria Willner and Fritz Grünbaum after the comedy by Emerich von Gatti and Thilo Friedrich Wilhelm von Trotha.
Performance history
It was first performed at the Theater an der Wi ...
'' live from the
Prinzregententheater
The Prinzregententheater, or, as it was called in its first decades, the Prinz-Regenten-Theater, in English the Prince Regent Theatre, is a concert hall and opera house on Prinzregentenplatz in the Bavarian capital of Munich, Germany.
Building ...
in Munich in 2012, with
Ulf Schirmer
Ulf Schirmer (born 1959) is a German conductor and opera house administrator.
Biography
Born in Eschenhausen, Lower Saxony, Schirmer studied at the Bremen Conservatory, and also at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, with György Lig ...
conducting the
Munich Radio Orchestra
The Munich Radio Orchestra (German: ''Münchner Rundfunkorchester'') is a German symphony broadcast orchestra based in Munich. It is one of the two orchestras affiliated with the Bavarian Radio (Bayerischer Rundfunk), the other being the Bavaria ...
,
and according to a reviewer from
Gramophone
A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration waveforms are recorded as corresponding physic ...
it is the only complete recording of the work.
Another reviewer noted that the singers were "all well up to the task", and that she in the role of Daisy sang and acted "with great character", adding, "Things do seem to come to life whenever she is in the picture".
Similarly, she appeared as Bertha in a recording of Max Bruch's rarely played opera ''
Die Loreley'' live from Munich, conducted by .
References
External links
*
*
Magdalena Hinterdobler / sopranoOperabase
Magdalena Hinterdobler(management) Hartmut Haase
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hinterdobler, Magdalena
Living people
1986 births
German operatic sopranos
21st-century German women opera singers
People from Straubing
University of Music and Theatre Munich alumni