BIOGRAPHY
New Zealand-born mezzo-soprano Bianca Andrew is currently a member of the Ensemble of Oper Frankfurt, where in 2023/24 she makes role debuts as Sesto in a new production of Giulio Cesare in Egitto directed by Nadja Loschky, as the Page in Barrie Kosky’s celebrated production of Salome, and where she can be heard reprising the roles of Dimitri in Fedora, Tebaldo in Don Carlo and the Tsarina in Christof Loy’s award-winning production of Christmas Eve. Bianca also appears this season at the Tiroler Festspiele in Erl, singing Fricka in Das Rheingold and Die Walküre, directed by Brigitte Fassbaender.
Recent seasons have included several notable debuts for Bianca; in 2022/23 she sang the role of Angelina in La Cenerentola at Oper Frankfurt and Staatsoper Stuttgart, followed by the title roles in Hänsel und Gretel and Xerxes, as well as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly in Frankfurt. Bianca created the role of Aurelia to great acclaim in the premiere of Vito Zuraj’s opera Blühen, directed by Brigitte Fassbaender, which was awarded ‘World Premiere of the Year’ for 2023 by Opernwelt.
“In all the years I’ve been in the theater, and that’s 62 now, I’ve rarely witnessed an acting performance like this.”
In the 2021/22 season, Bianca returned to her native New Zealand to sing Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro with NZ Opera, followed by debuts as Adalgisa in Norma, the Tsarina in Rimsky-Korsakov’s Christmas Eve and Preziosilla in La forza del destino for Oper Frankfurt. Bianca’s earlier roles for Frankfurt include Tebaldo in Don Carlo, Zweite Magd in Daphne, Mercédès in Carmen and Enrichetta di Francia in I Puritani while she was still a member of the Opernstudio. During this time, she also performed at the 2018 Bregenzer Festspiele as Bernardo in Goldschmidt’s Beatrice Cenci, and at the 2019 Garsington Opera festival as Flamel in Offenbach’s Fantasio, for which she was presented with the coveted Leonard Ingrams Award for her performance of the title role.
Bianca began her operatic career as an Emerging Artist with New Zealand Opera and in undergraduate vocal studies at the New Zealand School of Music with Margaret Medlyn. She later received a scholarship to study at London’s prestigious Guildhall School of Music & Drama under the tutelage of Yvonne Kenny, where her roles included Händel’s Radamisto and Philomène in Martinu’s Alexandre bis. Bianca was the winner of the Song Prize in the 2016 Kathleen Ferrier Awards in London and in 2021 won the Anny Schlemm Prize in Frankfurt. Throughout her studies and career, Bianca has been generously supported and mentored by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation.
SPONSORS & SUPPORTERS
Bianca gratefully acknowledges Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation who have provided her with significant mentoring and financial support.
Bianca extends her thanks also to the organisations below who have generously supported her during her musical education and training.
