CHRISTINA HERRESTHAL

MEZZO-SOPRANO

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REVIEWS

““...whose dark timbre suited the baroque works as much as the colors of the chamber ensemble.”
— Turun Sanomat

“…particularly her sustained tones were performed with impressive musicality and nuance” — Seismograf

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Christina Herresthal is a Swedish-Norwegian mezzo-soprano and recipient of the prestigious Léonie Sonning Talent Prize, acclaimed for her dark timbre, musical sensitivity and striking stage presence. Critics have praised her “expressive intensity” (Turun Sanomat), “musical nuance” (Seismograf), and “chilling stage presence” (Glam Adelaide). Her artistic profile spans opera, Baroque repertoire, chamber music and contemporary creation, with a particular affinity for Nordic and newly commissioned works.

Highlights of recent seasons include her Australian debut as Lilly/Student 2 in Innocence at the Adelaide Festival and State Opera South Australia with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra under Clément Mao-Takacs, as well as her debut with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra in Rued Langgaard’s Sfærenes Musik conducted by Fabio Luisi. Other recent engagements include appearances with The Finnish Baroque Orchestra at the Turku Music Festival, Bach’s St John Passion with Orkester Nord, and Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with The Danish Sinfonietta.

In 2026, she makes her role debut as Despina in Così fan tutte at the historic Bourla Theatre in Antwerp.

A dedicated advocate for contemporary music, Herresthal has collaborated with composers including Kaija Saariaho, Missy Mazzoli, Per Nørgård and Anna Berg. She maintains a close artistic collaboration with composer Maya Miro Johnson and regularly commissions and performs new works with her ensemble Hehku. In 2025 she released her debut EP Sånger från Aftonland with LAWO Classics, later nominated for Spellemannprisen.

Her operatic repertoire includes works by Claudio Monteverdi, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Per Nørgård, alongside numerous contemporary world premieres. She has appeared with ensembles and organisations including Concerto Copenhagen, Arctic Philharmonic, Ensemble MidtVest and Nordic Baroque.

• REPERTOIRE

  OPERA

  Mozart
  Despina — Così fan tutte

  Saariaho
  Lilly / Student 2 — Innocence

  Nørgård
  Ishara — Gilgamesh

  Peters
  Johanna / The Eye — Three Amputators

  Fogh Vindelev
  Hologrammet

  Purcell
  Second Woman / First Witch — Dido and Aeneas

  CONCERT & ORATORIO

  Bach — St John Passion, Christmas Oratorio I-III

  Langgaard — Sfærernes Musik

  Nørgård — Songs from Evening Land

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