KS Dalia Schaechter

Israeli-born mezzo-soprano KS Dalia Schaechter has lived and worked in Cologne since 1995, where she has become an established figure in the music scene. After studying at the Munich University of Music, she was engaged by the Vienna State Opera Studio (1988 to 1990). She soon came to the attention of Claudio Abbado, under whose baton she performed in various concerts. Dalia Schaechter has appeared at the Vienna State Opera, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Théâtre de Châtelet in Paris, and the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, as well as at the Salzburg Festival and the Bayreuth Festival.

At the Cologne Opera, she developed her dramatic skills and performed a wide range of roles. Here she could be heard as Lady Macbeth in Verdi's „Macbeth,“ Josefa Miranda in Peter Eötvös' „Love and Other Demons,“ Amneris in „Aida,“ Preziosilla in „La forza del destino,“ Klytämnestra in „Elektra,“ and as Fricka and Waltraute in Richard Wagner's „Der Ring des Nibelungen,“ to name but a few. She also performed the latter two roles as part of the Cologne Opera's guest performance in China at the Shanghai Grand Theatre.

Guest engagements have taken her to Bologna, Palermo, the Bavarian State Opera in Munich (Herodias in „Salome“), Tel Aviv, Wiesbaden, and Saarbrücken, among other places. At the 2017 Bregenz Festival, she sang in the world premiere of „To the Lighthouse“ by Zesses Siglias. In early 2018, she appeared in Valencia as Auntie in Benjamin Britten's „Peter Grimes“. She also appeared at the Nuremberg State Theater as Azucena in „Il trovatore“.

In addition to her work on the opera stage, Dalia Schaechter has been involved with folk songs for many years. With her recital series „A Liedele in Yiddish – a Klezmer evening with soup chicken,“ „Songs and Liedele – a dialogue between Yiddish and German folk songs,“ and the multicultural evening „Strangers among strangers,“ she enjoyed particular success with Cologne audiences and earned high praise for this socially relevant commitment. In 2023, she created the musical revue „Warsaw – New York – Tel Aviv“ at the Theater am Bauturm.

Most recently, she appeared at the Cologne Opera as Herodias in „Salome,“ the witch Jezibaba in „Rusalka,“ Emma Jones in „Street Scene,“ Queen Gertrude in the German premiere of Brett Dean's „Hamlet,“ Lea/Rachel in the world premiere of „Mazeltov, Rachel'e,“ and Brigitta in Korngold's „Die tote Stadt.“ , Witch Jezibaba in „Rusalka“, Gingerbread Witch in „Hänsel und Gretel“, and Cat Behemoth in York Höller's „The Master and Margarita“, as well as in the Vienna evening „Im Prater blüh'n wieder die Bäume“.

Since the 2022.23 season, she has been associated with the Cologne Opera in roles such as Hécube in „Les Troyens“, Mary in „Der fliegende Holländer“, Klytämnestra in „Elektra“, and Auntie in „Peter Grimes“, as well as appearances in the world premieres of „The Strangers“ and „INES“. Dalia Schaechter has also appeared at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden as the sacristan in „Jenůfa“ and as Herodias in „Salome“ at the Zurich Opera House. She sings Kabanicha in „Katya Kabanova“ at the Theater Bielefeld and the Staatstheater Kassel. She will be a guest at the Berlin State Opera in January 2025 as Nell in György Kurtág's „Fin de Partie.“ She will also celebrate her 30th anniversary as a member of the ensemble at the Cologne Opera in 2025.

Dalia Schaechter has been a Kammersängerin of the City of Cologne since 2008.