Named “Emerging Opera Singer of the Year” by “Opernwelt” magazine and first-prize winner at the renowned NEUE STIMMEN Competition in 2019, Anna El-Khashem was born in St. Petersburg, Russia and completed her musical studies at the State Conservatory in her native city. She made her international debut at the Bregenz Festival in 2016 as Bastienne in Mozart’s “Bastien und Bastienne” and Soprano Solo in C. M. v. Weber´s “Jubelmesse”.
El-Khashem was subsequently invited to join the Opera Studio of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, and in 2017 she became a member of the company. She appeared in many new productions in Munich, singing, among other roles, Barbarina in “Le Nozze di Figaro”, the Mermaid in “Oberon”, Esmeralda in “Die Verkaufte Braut”, Inès in “La Favorite”, Ksenia in “Boris Godunov”, Suor Genovieffa in “Suor Angelica“ and Coryphée in “Alceste”.
She sang under the baton of many of today’s leading conductors, including Kirill Petrenko, Gustavo Dudamel, Constantinos Carydis, Ivor Bolton, Giacomo Sagripanti, Bertrand de Billy, Simone Young, Philippe Jordan and Riccardo Minasi.
In August 2019, Anna El-Khashem sang her first Susanna in “Le Nozze di Figaro” at the New Generation Festival in Florence. She then joined the ensemble of the State Theater in Wiesbaden, where her roles included Pamina in “Die Zauberflöte”, Gretel in “Hänsel und Gretel”, 1st niece in “Peter Grimes”, the soprano in a staged version of “St. Matthew Passion”, Susanna in “Le Nozze di Figaro” and Woglinde in “Das Rheingold” and “Götterdämmerung”. In the season 2021/2022 she sang, among other roles, Sophie in a new production of Massenet’s “Werther”.
Anna El-Khashem made her house and role debut at Opéra de Paris (Opéra Garnier) in June 2021 as Servilia in Mozart‘s opera “La Clemenza di Tito”, returning to Paris as Susanna in a new production of “Le Nozze di Figaro” in January 2022 and made her role debut as Zerlina in “Don Giovanni” on stage of Opéra Bastille in February 2022.
In July 2022 she performed for the first time at the Verbier Festival singing Zerlina in W. A. Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” and presenting a solo recital alongside Semion Skigin (piano).
Anna successfully debuted at the Zurich Opera House in a concert under the baton of Maestro Riccardo Minasi in April 2022. In the following season 2022/23 she returned to Zurich and made her role debut as Flavia Gemmira in a new production of Cavalli’s “Eliogabalo” directed by C. Bieito.
In March 2023 she gave her debut with the Vienna State Opera during their guest performance at Opéra de Monte-Carlo singing Susanna in W. A. Mozart‘s “Le Nozze di Figaro” under the baton of Maestro Philippe Jordan. She also performed for the first time at the Tonhalle Zürich with G. F. Händel‘s oratorio “Alexander‘s Feast” (conductor-Riccardo Minasi) and sang at Philharmonie de Paris and Festival de Pâques d‘Aix-en-Provence performing J. S. Bach‘s “Matthäus-Passion” together with Les Talens Lyriques under the baton of Maestro Christophe Rousset.
In the current season 2023/24, among other projects, the soprano is set to return to the Zurich Opera House making her role debut as Clarine/Thalie in a new production of J.-P. Rameau‘s “Platée”, to perform for the first time at the Dutch National Opera as Marzelline in L. van Beethoven‘s “Fidelio” and to give her debut at the Salzburg Festival as Zerlina in W. A. Mozart’s “Don Giovanni”.
In addition to her first-prize award at Neue Stimmen in 2019, Anna El-Khashem won the International Mozart Competition in Salzburg in February of 2018 and received a special prize for the best interpretation of a work by Mozart. In the same year she was awarded the Trude Eipperle-Rieger-Preis. She was also the first-prize winner at the Elena Obraztsova International Competition and the first-prize winner at the Zara Dolukhanova International Art Song Competition in Kaliningrad.
