"Proud, vulnerable, and powerfully expressive – a spectacular role debut."
(Süddeutsche Zeitung, October 20, 2024, on Sophie Rennert as Carmen at the Gärtnerplatztheater)

Austrian mezzo-soprano Sophie Rennert is among the most distinguished singers of her generation. A true child of a musical family, she began her training at an early age: after violin and piano lessons, she received her first voice instruction at the age of twelve from her mother, soprano Sigrid Rennert. She went on to study at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna under Karlheinz Hanser and Charles Spencer, and gained further inspiration from masterclasses with Brigitte Fassbaender, Ann Murray, and Helmut Deutsch.

Rennert’s extensive operatic repertoire reflects her remarkable versatility, including roles such as Carmen, Dorabella, Donna Elvira, Cherubino, Ruggiero, Nicklausse, Orlofsky, Rosina, Hänsel, Angelina, and Charlotte. She has appeared at the Theater an der Wien (Das Paradies und die Peri), the Nationaltheater Mannheim (Giulio Cesare, Hippolyte et Aricie), the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music (Juditha Triumphans), and in Utrecht (Das Paradies und die Peri).

She enjoys a particularly close relationship with the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg and Hohenems, one of the most prestigious festivals for song and chamber music, where she is a regular guest, captivating audiences with her deeply expressive interpretations of the Lied repertoire.

In the concert hall, her repertoire ranges from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and Mozart’s Requiem to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and the symphonies of Gustav Mahler. Her performances span baroque roles such as Irene (Vivaldi’s Tamerlano) and Piacere (Handel’s Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno), as well as contemporary works like Eötvös’ Angels in America, in which she portrayed Harper Pitt.

Rennert collaborates with pianists such as Joseph Middleton, Graham Johnson, and Helmut Deutsch, and with conductors including David Afkham, Ivor Bolton, Semyon Bychkov, Ottavio Dantone, Ádám Fischer, Philippe Jordan, Joanna Mallwitz, Jordi Savall, and Andreas Spering. She has performed with orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic, the Orquesta Nacional de España, and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

Her discography includes Leopold Mozart’s Missa Solemnis (Bayerische Kammerphilharmonie), Handel’s Lotario (Göttingen), Brahms Lieder with Graham Johnson (Hyperion), Vivaldi’s Tamerlano (Accademia Bizantina under Ottavio Dantone), and the album Von den Göttern weiß ich nichts, featuring contemporary vocal works by Uli Rennert.

Sophie Rennert has received numerous awards, including distinctions from the International Mozart Competition Salzburg and both the Second Prize and Audience Prize at the 7th International Cesti Competition for Baroque Singing (Innsbruck, 2016). In the 2017/18 season, she was selected for the “Great Talents” programme of the Vienna Konzerthaus