Biography

With ease and vision, Franziska Heinzen oscillates between song podium, opera stage and orchestra concert – as well as festival management and voice teaching. She finds inspiration in the loneliness of pulsating big cities, and strength under the sun of the Swiss Alps.

Performances: In addition to a special affinity for song, Swiss soprano Franziska devotes herself to the great soprano parts of the oratorio as well as to music theater in its entire spectrum from baroque to contemporary music. Enveloped and carried by the orchestral sound, she touches e. g. with authentic interpretations of chamber music works by Dieter Schnebel at the Würzburg Mozart Festival, Mozart’s Mass in C minor and Haydn’s Seasons with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Berg’s Seven Early Songs with the Northwestern Philharmonic, with various works by Bach with the Basel Baroque Orchestra or with Isabel Mundry’s “Nicht ich” with the ensemble recherche Freiburg.

Art song: Fascinated by the dense interweaving of music and poetry, curious about a broad stylistic spectrum and artistically liberated by her own program concept, she passionately dedicates herself to art songs. Joint recitals with the pianist Benjamin Mead led them e.g. to the Schubertiada Vilabertran and the Schumann Festival Düsseldorf. Her debut album featuring the Les Six group of composers was highly praised by the specialist press, and the recording with songs by 24 female composers from the Romantic period to the present day was nominated for an Opus Classic. The duo will expand this journey of discovery in 2023 with the CD “Lieder us um Tal” with recordings of works by 13 Swiss song composers.

Rhonefestival: In 2018, Franziska realized her passion for art song, her interest in designing concert formats that combine on multiple levels, and her goal of renewing the traditional concert format in terms of content and form through the founding of the Rhonefestival in the Valais/Switzerland.

Horizons: In addition to her career as a performer, Franziska is passionate about education and outreach through art, holding a masters degree in music pedagogy from the music University of Zurich, a masters degree in art history from the University of Düsseldorf as well as an MBA International Business by the EU Business School Geneva. Since 2021, she has been involved with the association Les Concerts du Cœur, which organizes professional concerts in social institutions. Additionally, she teaches solo singing of the youth choir at the Maîtrise de la Cathédrale Sion.

Education: Franziska holds degrees with honours from the music universities of Zurich and Düsseldorf (M.A. in pedagogy and performance, Solo Diploma). She completed her vocal art by participating in masterclasses with renowned musicians across numerous disciplines, including vocal coaches Hedwig Fassbender, Krisztina Laki, Renée Morloc, Christiane Iven, Konrad Jarnot and Marie Vassiliou as well as Wolfram Rieger, Ulrich Eisenlohr, Malcolm Martineau and Hartmut Höll.

Prizes: In 2017, Franziska was awarded the cultural endowment award by the Canton of Valais, and as a Lied duo, she received the first prize at the international Lied competition Lied Rhein-Ruhr, as well as a second prize at the French competition “Les saisons de la voix” and a second prize at the “Sieghardt Rometsch Chamber Music Competition”. In addition, the duo was awarded the cultural endowment award of Düsseldorf. Franziska is a Britten Pears Young Artist and a scholarship holder of the Richard Wagner Association Dortmund, the Madeleine Dubuis Foundation, and MusikPro.