Soprano Chen Reiss has established a distinctive international career, praised for “one of the most perfect Strauss voices one could wish for” (Classical Source), “a voice of silver brightness and clarity” (Bachtrack), and “immaculately produced and enticing tone matched by superb musicianship” (Opera News).
She first came to prominence as a member of the ensemble of the Bavarian State Opera under Zubin Mehta and later as a resident artist at the Vienna State Opera. She has appeared at leading houses including Teatro alla Scala, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and Semperoper Dresden, in repertoire ranging from Mozart and Handel to Strauss, Janáček, Verdi and Monteverdi. Roles have included Pamina, Ilia, Contessa, Zaide, Gilda, Liu, Adina, Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier, Zdenka in Arabella, Ginevra in Ariodante and the title roles in The Cunning Little Vixen, Calisto and L’incoronazione di Poppea.
Highlights of the 2026/27 season include Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 at the Tsinandali Festival under Rafael Payare and with the hr-Sinfonieorchester under Philippe Jordan; Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with the Hong Kong Philharmonic under Tarmo Peltokoski; and performances with the Israel Philharmonic under Lahav Shani and Peltokoski in Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, Sibelius’ Luonnotar and Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915. She also sings Strauss’ Four Last Songs with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, Berg’s Sieben frühe Lieder in Japan, and Ben-Haim’s Pan with the Munich Philharmonic.
Beethoven is a major focus of the season. Reiss joins the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Klaus Mäkelä for the Missa Solemnis in Amsterdam, Brussels and Baden-Baden, performs the work with the Beethoven Orchester Bonn and the Munich Philharmonic, and sings Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne under Renaud Capuçon and with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Mäkelä. Recital appearances include the Tonhalle Zürich with Sharon Kam and performances of her “Wien 1900” programme in London and Austria.
Recent highlights include Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel, including an Asian tour; Carmina Burana and Korngold orchestral songs under Dennis Russel Davies in Brno; Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the Orchestre de Paris under Klaus Mäkelä; Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem with the London Symphony Orchestra under Manfred Honeck; Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with the Rotterdam Philharmonic and Lahav Shani; and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra’s Christmas concert under Mäkelä. She has also appeared at the Leipzig Gewandhaus Mahler Festival and performed Dvořák’s Stabat Mater with Christoph Eschenbach.
Reiss has worked with many of the world’s leading orchestras and conductors. She has appeared with the Berlin Philharmonic under Semyon Bychkov, the Munich Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel, the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia under Antonio Pappano, the Filarmonica della Scala under Zubin Mehta, the Vienna Philharmonic and the Orchestre National de France. She also sang the soundtrack to Tom Tykwer’s film Perfume: The Story of a Murderer with the Berlin Philharmonic and Sir Simon Rattle, and in 2014 was invited to sing for Pope Francis during the Christmas Mass at the Vatican.
Her discography includes Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with the Czech Philharmonic and Semyon Bychkov for Pentatone, Schreker’s Vom ewigen Leben with Christoph Eschenbach and the Konzerthausorchester Berlin for Deutsche Grammophon, Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich and Paavo Järvi, Immortal Beloved with the Academy of Ancient Music, and orchestral songs by Fanny Hensel and Felix Mendelssohn with the Jewish Chamber Orchestra of Munich. Her recent releases also include Mahler Lieder and Das Jüdische Wien.
Alongside her performing career, Chen Reiss is committed to the development of young singers. She is a guest professor at Munich’s Hochschule für Musik und Theater and regularly gives international masterclasses. She is the founder of Sourire Music, supporting young musicians through training and performance opportunities, and of the Holistic Voice Academy, dedicated to the vocal, physical and mental well-being of singers.
Chen Reiss is represented worldwide by Tanja Dorn at Dorn Music.
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September 2026
