Biography
The young Czech mezzosoprano/contralto Lucie Hilscherová (b. 1979) obtained the Master degree in Solo singing (with Mgr. Romana Feiferlíková, Ph. D.), as well as in Psychology and in Music Teaching at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen. In 2000, an Erasmus scholarship enabled her to study singing with Prof. Ursula Schönhals at the College of Humanities of Chemnitz University (Germany).
She regularly attends master classes where her teachers have included Helen Donath, Hedwig Fassbender, Gabriela Beňačková, Dagmar Pecková, Marta Infante, Zlatica Livorová, Magdalena Hájossyová or Kristina Beck-Kukavcić.
She has received a number of awards and prizes:
2009 - 3rd prize in the concert category in the Cantilena Competition Bayreuth
2009 - Finalist in the „Musica Sacra“ International Competition in Roma
2008 - Dvořák International Singing Competition in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic
1st prize in the song category
Finalist in the opera category
The Sharon Chmel Resch scholarship travel award in honor of Miroslav Panský
The prize of J. K. Tyl Theatre Pilsen
The Czech Radio Praha Prize for the best interpretation of a work by a Czech composer (after 1950)
Josef Hercl´s prize for the best interpretation of baroque music
Prize of music publisher Editio Bärenreiter Prague
2006 - “Pilsner Orfeus” Award for representing the town of Pilsen in classical music
2001, 2006 - 1st prize in the Singing Competition of Teaching Faculties in the Czech Republic
2001 - 3rd prize in the Janáček International Singing Competition in Brno, Czech Republic
2001 - special prize of the President of the University of West Bohemia for the best student of the University
Lucie Hilscherová has been a guest singer of the State Opera Prague, where she has created Berta (Rossini: Barbiere di Siviglia), Annina (Verdi:
She has been also collaborated by the Chamber Opera Prague as Berta (Rossini: Barbiere di Siviglia) and by the Ensemble Opera Diversa as Dóra (Kyas: Pickelhering).
In the National Theatre in Prague, she has been singing the role of Háta (Smetana: The Bartered Bride). With the same role she made her debut by the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra (July 2010, Suntory Hall in Tokyo - cond. Leoš Svárovský) and by the BBC Symphony Orchestra (Mai 2011, Barbican Hall in London - cond. Jiří Bělohlávek)
Besides opera parts, her musical activities also cover concerts. She realizes a wide musical spectrum, ranging from baroque to contemporary music. Her concert engagements include mezzosoprano/alto parts in Vivaldi’s Nisi Dominus and Stabat Mater, Pergolesi‘s Stabat Mater, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and B-minor Mass, Händel’s Messiah, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and Missa solemnis, Haydn’s Stabat Mater, Rossini’s Stabat Mater and Petite Messe Solennelle, Dvořák’s Stabat Mater and Requiem or Martinů’s Bouquet of Flowers.
She has worked with conductors such as Helmuth Rilling, Jiří Bělohlávek, Stefan Weiler, Kaspar Zehnder, Till Aly, Petr Vronský, Leoš Svárovský, Petr Fiala or Jakub Klecker and with orchestras such as BBC Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Prague Philharmonia, Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra of South Bohemia, Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice or Czech Chamber Soloists etc.
The highlights of the 2010/2011 season:
§ Háta in the Smetana’s Bartered Bride (BBC Symphony Orchestra, cond. Jiří Bělohlávek - Barbican Hall, London)
§ Háta in the Smetana’s Bartered Bride (Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, cond. Leoš Svárovský - Suntory Hall, Tokyo)
§ Mrs. Reich in the Nicolai’s The Merry Wives of Windsor (DJKT Theatre in Pilsen, cond. Ivan Pařík)
§ Third Dame in the Mozart’s Magic Flute (DJKT Theatre in Pilsen, cond. Jiří Štrunc)
§ Berta in the Rossini’s Barbiere di Siviglia (Tour of Germany, Switzerland, France - Chamber Opera Prague, cond. Norbert Baxa)
§ Schumann’s Scenes from Goethe’s Faust (Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, cond. Helmuth Rilling - Liederhalle, Stuttgart and Beethovenhalle, Bonn)
§ Rossini’s Stabat Mater (Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Petr Vronský - Easter Festival of Sacred Music Brno)
§ Stravinskij’s Les Noces - version for soloists, choir, four pianos and drums (cond. Roman Válek - Smetana’s Litomyšl Festival)
Some of the concert engagement in the 2011/2012 season:
§ Händel’s Messiah (Slovak Chamber Orchestra, cond. Leit. Ewald Danel - St. Vincent-Kirche, Bratislava, Slovakia)
§ Rossini’s Stabat Mater von Rosini (Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Petr Fiala - St. Wenceslas Music Festival, Czech Rep.)
§ Massenet’s Marie-Magdeleine (Janáček Philharmonic Orch. Ostrava, cond. Leoš Svárovský, Ostrava, Czech Rep.)
§ Massenet’s Marie-Magdeleine (Martinů Philharmonic Orch. Zlín, cond. Stanislav Vavřínek, Zlín, Czech Rep.)
§ Massenet’s Marie-Magdeleine (Brno Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Petr Fiala - Brucknerhaus Linz, Austria)
§ Dvořák’s Stabat Mater (Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Zdeněk Mácal, Poznan, Polen)
§ Dvořák’s Stabat Mater (Europa Voce, cond. Till Aly - Eglise St. Honoré d’Eylau, Paris)
§ Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass (Czech National Symphony Orchestra, cond. Libor Pešek - The Municipal House Prague, Czech Rep.)