Marie‑Luise Dressen Mezzo-soprano

Marie-Luise Dressen was born in Torgau, Germany and studied music at the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Academy in Leipzig with Elvira Dressen, Christa Ludwig, Brigitte Fassbaender and Rudolf Piernay. 

In 2008, she made her debut in the role of Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier at the Theater Vorpommern—a role she would again perform in Malmö in 2011. From 2008 to 2011, she was a member of the troupe of the Gera / Altenburg Theatre (Theater und Philharmonie Thüringen) where she tackled numerous first-time roles including the Composer (Ariadne auf Naxos), Romeo (I Capuleti e i Montecchi), Orlovsky (Die Fledermaus) and Nele (Braunfels’ Ulenspeiger). 

She then joined the troupe of the Lucerne Opera, during which time she sang the role of Hippolyta (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), and the title roles of Orlando and La Cenerentola. Her other roles there included Sesto (La Clemenza di Tito), Ruggiero (Alcina), the Composer, Adalgisa (Norma), Valencienne (Die Lustige Witwe), Eliza (My Fair Lady), and Mercédès (Carmen). She performed in the world premiere productions of La Fura dels Baus’ Cantos de Sirena and Simon Wills’ The Stolen Smells. She has made guest appearances in Basle (Peter Ruzika’s Hölderlin), Kassel, Coburg and the Leipzig Gewandhaus (Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel). 

In 2017, she played Octavian in Ruse, Bulgaria, and she joined the troupe of the Kassel Staatstheater where she sang the role of Baba the Turk in The Rake’ s Progress. She was named “Best Rising Artist” by Opernwelt magazine in 2013 and 2014.

Projects: Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel) and Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) in Kassel.