The main focus of Marlis Petersen’s repertoire is the field of classical colorature, however she has also made a name for her self as an interpreter of contemporary music. After studying at the Conservatory in Stuttgart and with Sylvia Geszty, she supplemented her training in the specialized areas of opera, new music and dance. She began her career as a member of the ensemble of the City Stage of Nuremberg, where she sang parts such as Ännchen, Blonde, Adele, Oscar (“Ballo in maschera”), Rosina, Lulu and Königin der Nacht. Already at this time, guest performances took Marlis Petersen to the opera houses of Berlin, Bremen, Düsseldorf, Hanover, Munich and Frankfurt. At the beginning of the season  1998/99 she was engaged at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, where she debuted as Susanna in “Le Nozze di Figaro” and sang, in the following order, in Donizetti’s Daughter of the Regiment, Sophie, Norina, the Cunning Vixen, Viola (in Manfred Trojahn’s  “As you like It”), Konstanze and Ophélie (“Hamlet” by Ambroise Thomas).

Marlis Petersen gave her debut at the Vienna State Opera with Lulu. This central role in her repertoire she also sang in Peter Konwitschny’s much admired staging in Hamburg, at the Chicago Lyric Opera und in a new production in Athens, where she also appeared as Donna Clara in “Der Zwerg” by Zemlinsky and as Thais (Massenet). She met with acclaim as Zerbinetta at  Covent Garden London; at the Bregenz Festival she appeared as Oscar; in Geneva she was the Nightingale in “The Birds” by Walter Braunfels; at the Opéra Bastille in Paris, at the Metropolitan Opera New York and at the Chicago Lyric Opera she was Adele in Strauss’ “Fledermaus”. The Salzburg Festival engaged Marlis Petersen for Mozart’s “Re Pastore” (Elisa) and “Figaro” (Susanna); as Konstanze she was a guest at Théâtre de la Monnaie and at the Festival of Aix-en-Provence; in Haydn’s “Orlando Paladino” she sang at the State Opera Berlin. At the Munich Opera Festival 2008, she gave her debut as Zdenka (“Arabella”) at the Bavarian State Opera. Among the most important world premieres in which Marlis Petersen participated are Hans Werner Henze’s “Phaedra” in Berlin and Brussels, Manfred Trojahn’s “La Grande Magia” at the Semper Opera in Dresden and, just recently with enormous success the title role of Aribert Reimann’s “Medea” at the Vienna State Opera.

In concert, the soprano works closely with Helmuth Rilling and the International Bach Academy Stuttgart, as well as with René Jacobs. In addition she has given concerts with the orchestras of RAI Turin (“The Creation” under Jeffrey Tate), Santa Cecilia in Rome, as well as with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Opera appearances will take Marlis Petersen to Los Angeles (Susanna), Graz (debut as Traviata), Brussels (Marguerite in the “Huguenots”), as well as Aix-en-Provence and Madrid (Donna Anna).