Deniz Uzun

Deniz Uzun gave her first concert at the tender age of 6. Born in Mannheim and supported from an early age, her performances regularly took place both on the operatic stage and at concert events in Germany and abroad. At 16, she attended the Precollege of the University of Music in Karlsruhe, before completing her song and concert studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Mannheim under the guidance of Prof. Snezana Stamenković. The mezzo-soprano has been working with Oylun Erdayi on her vocal development since 2013. Throughout her college years, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and a fellowship from the Georgina Joshi Foundation enabled her to study at the Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana. There she received an Artistic Diploma under the guidance of Prof. Carol Vaness in 2015. She celebrated her first successes with the role of „Isabella“ in L’Italiana in Algeri and „Ruggiero“ in Alcina.
Deniz was given a further insight into the professional world at the „Internationale Meistersinger Akademie" in Nuremberg, led by Edith Wiens. Furthermore, during her studies she was regularly engaged by the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, first in the Young Artist program together with the Berliner Philharmonie in the production Cendrillon, later in the new production of Rolando Villazon‘s La Traviata and in the title role in L'Italiana in Algeri for children. She was chosen to become a member of the opera studio at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich and her acting talents soon became recognized. The interpretation of „Florence Pike“ in a new production of Albert Herring was described in a review by the Süddeutsche Zeitung as follows: „Uzun [...] has an already obvious presence. One always pays attention to her. Hearing her, her alto voice is almost a phenomenon, concise, clear and of a volume that you don't associate with such a slim body.“

As a former member of the Zurich Opera House (2016-21) Deniz has flourished in roles such as „Hänsel“ in Hänsel und Gretel, „L’Enfant" in L'Enfant et les Sortilèges, „Ronja“ in Ronja the Robber's Daughter, „Jacob“ in Gold, „Lucilla“ in Scala di Sieta, „Zelim“ in Vivaldi's rarely performed opera La Verita in Cimento, as well as „Sonyetka“ in Lady Macbeth von Mzensk, „Page“ in Salome and „Krista“ in Vec Makropulos. Another highlight was her role as „Ino“ in a Robert Carsen production of Semele, musically led by William Christie, with Cecilia Bartoli in the title role. Guest engagements led her to the Tel Aviv Opera, Cyprus Symphony Orchestra, the Jūrmala Festival in Latvia, to concert performances with Fabio Luisi with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and to the Salzburg Festival 2020 and 2021 where Deniz portrayed the „Third Maid“ in Elektra under the baton of Franz Welser-Möst. During the pandemic, Deniz held three song evenings titled "Opera goes folk" at the Zurich Opera House, accompanied by Yulia Levin, as a substitute for her canceled role debuts as "Olga" in Eugene Onegin and "Bradamante" in Alcina.

In the 2021/2022 season, Deniz made her debut at three houses, taking on title roles in Dido and Aeneas at Teatro Massimo Palermo, and Carmen at the Landestheater Salzburg, as well as "Olga" in Eugene Onegin at the Komische Oper Berlin. In a semi-staged version, Deniz sang the title role in Zanetto (Mascagni) in Zurich and Lugano, and for the first time in France she sang "Isaura" in Tancredi at the 40th Festival International d'opéra baroque et romantique in Beaune under the baton of Jérémie Rohrer.

The following season 22/23 she joined the ensemble of Komische Oper Berlin and received recognition from the press as „Una Donna“ in Intolleranza 1960: „..through her expressive approach to this role, Deniz Uzun uncovers traces of the bel canto tradition..“ written by Neue Musikzeitung. Later Deniz gave her role and house debut as „Orlofsky“ in Die Fledermaus at Teatro Carlo Felice and returned to Opernhaus Zürich to debut as „Luigia“ in Viva La Mamma alongside Ambrogio Maestri, followed by her first Wagner role at Müpa Budapest as „Waltraute“ in Götterdämmerung under the baton of Ádám Fischer. Passionate in the Lied- and concert genre Deniz performed recently a French, English and German recital at the revived Festival Capuchos 2023 in Portugal alongside pianist David Santos where she received huge recognition from the Scherzo Magazine for her „impeccable French, without the slightest hint of a German accent, this singer, whom we did not know, acts as a revelation: at ease in all registers, she knows how to put her very homogeneous voice, with a beautiful round and dark timbre, at the service of expression, fine and sensitive … as a result, it is on an opera stage that we dream of hearing her now.“

Highlight of all seasons has been so far 23/24 where Deniz returned to the Dallas Symphony as „Fricka“ and „Waltraute“ in the Ring Cycle with Fabio Luisi - the first semi staged concert version in US history -, as well as to the celebrated Barrie Kosky production of Eugene Onegin as „Olga“ at Komische Oper Berlin. Deniz proudly made her role and house debut at the season opening of Teatro Lirico di Cagliari where she sang „Rubria“ in Boito’s rarely performed opera Nerone under the baton of Francesco Cilluffo. In concert she has been seen and heard at the Berlin Philharmonic in Dvorak’s Stabat Mater, later on with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra in Mendelssohn’s Drei geistliche Gesänge conducted by Martyn Brabbins, with the German State Philharmonic Rhineland-Palatinate as „Angel“ in Dream of Gerontius at BASF Feierabendhaus and with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchester in Verdi’s Messa da Requiem under the baton of Franz Welser-Möst, next to today’s most acclaimed soprano Asmik Grigorian.

Deniz is very much looking forward to the 2024/2025 season, which begins with Ravel’s Shéhérazade in Budapest with the MÁV Orchestra musically led by Robert Farkas. The season continues with a return to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, where Deniz will revisit the Ring Cycle portraying „Fricka“ and „Waltraute“, followed by her prestigious debut with the Orchestra Sinfonia di Milano in Verdi’s Messa da Requiem conducted by Michele Gamba. Role and house debuts, such as portraying „Polina“ in Pique Dame at Teatro Regio di Torino, „Mère Marie de L’Incarnation“ in Dialogues des Carmelites at Teatro la Fenice, and „Maddalena“ in Rigoletto as well as „Flora“ in La Traviata at the Tiroler Festspiele Erl, will enrich Deniz's already impressive repertoire.

Uzun has received awards in several national and international Competitions. Most recently she won the first prize at the Elizabeth Connel 2022 International Singing Competition and in 2021 the Éva Marton Prize at the 4th Edition of the Eva Marton International Singing Competition as well as the Elena Obraszova Prize at the Tenor Viñas Competition in Barcelona, Spain. In 2018 Deniz won three special prizes at the Belvedere Competition and in 2015 she was in the Grand Finals of the Metropolitan National Council Auditions in New York City - having become the first Turkish-born participant in the finals of the competition, she was awarded the „Best Young Singer“ Prize in Istanbul by the Semiha Berksoy Foundation in 2016 and the „Leyla Gencer Prize (Golden Orphée)“ by the Académie Nationale du Disque Lyrique in Paris.

Throughout the course of her career Deniz has worked with conductors such as Nello Santi, Simone Young, Oksana Lyniv, Kirill Petrenko, Vladimir Jurowski, Jakup Hrůša, Vasily Petrenko, Markus Poschner, Gianandrea Noseda, Gabriele Ferro, James Gaffigan, Patrick Lange, Adrian Kelly, Gabriel Feltz, as well as with directors Barrie Kosky, Calixto Bieito, Robert Carsen, Andreas Homoki, Dmitri Tcherniakov, Krzysztof Warlikowski, Marco Štorman, Andrea Bernard, Fabio Ceresa, Nina Russi and Marie-Ève Signeyrole.