Barbara Hannigan

Last updated

Barbara Hannigan
CM
Barbarahannigan.jpg
Barbara Hannigan, 2024
Born8 May 1971 (1971-05-08) (age 54)
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Occupations
Years active1988–present
Website barbarahannigan.com

Barbara Hannigan CM (born 8 May 1971) [1] is a Canadian soprano and conductor known for her performances of contemporary classical music. [2] In 2025, she received the Polar Music Prize. [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Hannigan is from Waverley, Nova Scotia. [2] She moved to Toronto at the age of 17. [4]

She graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Music degree in 1993 and a Master of Music degree in 1998. [5] [6] She continued her studies at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, [7] the Steans Institute for Young Artists at the Ravinia Festival, [8] and the Centre d'arts Orford. [9] She also studied for one year at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. [7]

Career

Hannigan is known for her performances of contemporary music. She sang her first world premiere at the age of 17. [10] As of 2023, she has premiered approximately 85 contemporary compositions. [10] These include Written on Skin by George Benjamin (2017); [11] La plus forte by Gerald Barry (2007); [12] let me tell you by Hans Abrahamsen; [13] Split the Lark (2022) and [ citation needed ]Star Catcher (2022) [14] by John Zorn;[ citation needed ] and Je ne suis pas une fable à conter (2023) by Golfam Khayam. [15]

Hannigan is noted for her performances of György Ligeti's Mysteries of the Macabre (a concert version of a scene from his opera Le Grand Macabre ); in 2011 she began to conduct the work in addition to singing the vocal part. [16] Her work in contemporary opera has included singing in the premieres of Louis Andriessen's Writing to Vermeer , [17] Gerald Barry's The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant [18] and The Importance of Being Earnest , [19] Jan van de Putte's Wet Snow,[ citation needed ] and Kris Defoort's House of the Sleeping Beauties.[ citation needed ] She has worked with choreographer Sasha Waltz on productions of Toshio Hosokawa's Matsukaze and Pascal Dusapin's Passion. [20] [21] Hannigan received critical acclaim for her performance in Alban Berg's Lulu , which included dancing en pointe. [22] In 2014, Hannigan sang the role of Marie in Bernd Alois Zimmermann's opera Die Soldaten at the Bavarian State Opera. [23] For her performance as Marie, she won the 2015 Der Faust award. [24] [25]

Hannigan regularly performs in concert as both a soprano and conductor. [26] She has worked with the Berlin Philharmonic, [27] Munich Philharmonic, [28] London Symphony Orchestra, [29] Toronto Symphony Orchestra, [30] Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France, [31] Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, [32] Prague Philharmonic,[ citation needed ] Mahler Chamber Orchestra, [33] Avanti! Chamber Orchestra, [34] Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, [35] Britten Sinfonia, [36] Gulbenkian Orchestra, [37] Cleveland Orchestra, [38] Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, [39] Copenhagen Philharmonic, [40] Montreal Symphony Orchestra, [41] and Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne. [42] She won the 2014 Ovatie award for her performance as soprano and conductor at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam with the Ludwig Orchestra. [43]

In 2019, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (GSO) named Hannigan its principal guest conductor. [44] In December 2023, the GSO announced that her contract has been extended until the 2027–2028 season. [45] She was the Première Artiste Invitée of the Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France for three seasons starting in 2022. [46] Hannigan first guest-conducted the Iceland Symphony Orchestra in 2022. [47] In May 2024, the Iceland Symphony Orchestra named her its next chief conductor and artistic director, for a three-year term beginning in 2026. [48] She is also the Associate Artist of the London Symphony Orchestra [49] and principal guest conductor of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne. [50]

She is a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. [51] In 2026 she was named a recipient of the National Arts Centre Award. [52]

Honors and awards

Positions held

Recordings

DVDs

Personal life

Hannigan was married to Dutch theatre director Gijs de Lange  [ nl ] until 2015. [97] [98] Since 2017, she has lived in Paris. [99] From 2015 to 2024,[ citation needed ] she was in a relationship with French actor Mathieu Amalric. [100]

References

  1. ↑ "Die Sopranistin Barbara Hannigan im Interview ohne Worte". Süddeutsche.de (in German). 8 March 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  2. 1 2 Ivan Hewett (25 September 2011). "Barbara Hannigan: 'You must go all the way'". The Telegraph . Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  3. 1 2 "Barbara Hannigan". Polar Music Prize. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  4. ↑ King, Betty Nygaard (28 July 2016). "Barbara Hannigan". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  5. ↑ "Alumna Barbara Hannigan to lead Iceland Symphony Orchestra". U of T Music. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  6. ↑ Macdonald, Cynthia (10 June 2004). "Barbara Hannigan". U of T Magazine. University of Toronto. Archived from the original on 30 September 2018.
  7. 1 2 Bua, Jane; Seibert, Brian; Shaw, Helen; Pearce, Sheldon; Brody, Richard; Wilson, Jennifer (6 December 2024). "The Vibrant Abandon of Barbara Hannigan". The New Yorker. ISSN   0028-792X . Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  8. ↑ Grant, Taylor (5 February 2019). "Conductor and soprano Barbara Hannigan awarded Denmark's €100,000 Léonie Sonning prize". MusicalAmerica.com. Retrieved 26 February 2026– via Symphony.org.
  9. ↑ "L'Opéra, Une Expérience Libératrice" (PDF). Revue L'Opéra. No. 32. 2023.
  10. 1 2 Game, Daisy (27 February 2023). "Visions of Heaven: in conversation with conductor Barbara Hannigan". The Bath Magazine. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  11. ↑ Ashley, Tim (15 January 2017). "Written on Skin review – Hannigan is spellbinding in parable of beauty and violence". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  12. ↑ "La Plus Forte". Schott Music. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  13. ↑ McCarthy, James (20 December 2013). "Soprano of our time: Barbara Hannigan". Gramophone. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  14. ↑ "Barbara Hannigan in the World Premiere of John Zorn's »Star Catcher«". Lausitz Festival. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  15. ↑ "Barbara Hannigan donne vie à 'Je ne suis pas une fable à conter' de Golfam Khayam". France Musique (in French). 20 October 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  16. ↑ Apthorp, Shirley (23 September 2011). "In the premiere league" . Financial Times . Archived from the original on 26 September 2011.
  17. ↑ Trochimczyk, Maja (10 May 2002). "Writing to Vermeer: A View of a 'Filmic' Opera". In Trochimczyk, Maja (ed.). Music of Louis Andriessen. Routledge. doi:10.4324/9780203823118. ISBN   978-0-429-23735-5.
  18. ↑ Service, Tom (16 September 2005). "'The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 19 February 2014.
  19. ↑ Clements, Andrew (27 April 2012). "The Importance of Being Earnest – review". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 November 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  20. ↑ Hannigan, Barbara (December 2014). "Creative moves" (PDF). Opera Canada. pp. 22–26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 September 2015.
  21. ↑ "Barbara Hannigan". Opéra national de Paris. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  22. ↑ Loomis, George (23 October 2012). "One 'Lulu' Has Little New to Say, While Another Can Do No Wrong" . The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 18 December 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  23. ↑ "Die Soldaten". Bayerische Staatsoper (in German). Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  24. ↑ "Der Faust 2015". Deutscher Bühnenverein (in German). Archived from the original on 25 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  25. ↑ "Barbara Hannigan wins 2015 DER FAUST Award". HarrisonParrott. 16 November 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  26. ↑ Oestreich, James R. (19 August 2014). "Barbara Hannigan Sings and Conducts at the Lucerne Festival" . The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2 April 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  27. ↑ "Andris Nelsons and Barbara Hannigan". Digital Concert Hall. 21 December 2013. Archived from the original on 15 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  28. ↑ Rundfunk, Bayerischer (24 January 2025). "Barbara Hannigan in München: Multitasking auf der Bühne". BR-Klassik (in German). Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  29. ↑ Bridle, Marc (September 2023). "From Darkness to Light: Barbara Hannigan opens the LSO's new season at the Barbican". Opera Today. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  30. ↑ Crawford, Trish (5 October 2015). "Barbara Hannigan to sing while conducting in TSO gig". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  31. ↑ "Barbara Hannigan à la tête de l'Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France". France Musique (in French). 26 October 2017. Archived from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  32. ↑ "Barbara Hannigan and Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in the world premiere of The White Book". Mynewsdesk (in Swedish). 9 January 2026. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  33. ↑ Batschelet, Sarah (18 August 2014). "Barbara Hannigan: What the Hell is Going On?". bachtrack.com. Archived from the original on 5 April 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  34. ↑ Everett-Green, Robert (27 February 2015). "Soprano Barbara Hannigan and a career built on fearless performances". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 4 April 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  35. ↑ Frantellizzi, Sabine (7 April 2024). "Roma, Barbara Hannigan direttrice e soprano all'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia". La Musica Classica in Italia. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  36. ↑ Anderson, Colin (6 May 2015). "Barbara Hannigan conducts and sings with the Britten Sinfonia – Haydn (La Passione), Mozart (Idomeneo, La clemenza di Tito) and Stravinsky (The Rake's Progress, Pulcinella)". The Classical Source. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  37. ↑ Service, Tom (14 March 2013). "Hannigan: 'Where's the crazy stuff?'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  38. ↑ Lewis, Zachary (9 February 2026). "Barbara Hannigan conducts Crumb, Gershwin and more with Cleveland Orchestra this weekend". Cleveland.com. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  39. ↑ "Barbara Hannigan". Festival Ravel. 20 May 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  40. ↑ "Hannigan og Zarathustra". Copenhagen Phil (in Danish). Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  41. ↑ "Back-to-back nights with the great Barbara Hannigan". The Montrealer. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  42. ↑ "Barbara Hannigan et l'Orchestre de chambre de Lausanne célèbrent la musique iranienne". RTS (in French). 6 March 2025. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  43. ↑ "LUDWIG wint De Ovatie 2014". Concertgebouw. 20 July 2014. Archived from the original on 6 April 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  44. 1 2 "Barbara Hannigan". Göteborgs Symfoniker. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  45. ↑ "Barbara Hannigan förlänger samarbetet med Göteborgs Symfoniker till 2028". Göteborgs Symfoniker (in Swedish). 22 December 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  46. ↑ Lopez, Louis-Valentin (4 April 2022). "Barbara Hannigan nommée 'Première artiste invitée' de l'Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France". France Musique (in French). Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  47. ↑ "Barbara Hannigan ráðin aðalhljómsveitarstjóri og listrænn stjórnandi Sinfóníuhljómsveitar Íslands" (Press release). Iceland Symphony Orchestra. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  48. ↑ Hernández, Javier C. (15 May 2024). "Barbara Hannigan, Daring Singer and Maestro, to Lead Iceland Symphony". The New York Times. Vol. 173, no. 60158. p. C6. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  49. 1 2 "Barbara Hannigan". London Symphony Orchestra. 11 February 2026. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  50. 1 2 "Barbara Hannigan". Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne – OCL (in French). Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  51. ↑ "Ledamöter". Kungl. Musikaliska Akademien (in Swedish). Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  52. 1 2 Thompson, Nicole (12 February 2026). "Barbara Hannigan, James Cameron win Governor General's Performing Arts Awards". Times Colonist. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  53. ↑ "Barbara Hannigan survole les prix de la critique". Diapason Mag. 24 June 2013. Archived from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  54. ↑ Merschmeier, Michael (17 January 2017). "Kritikerumfragen Opernwelt". Der Theaterverlag (in German). Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  55. ↑ "Olympians, jurists, researchers among 113 new appointments to Order of Canada". CBC News . Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 30 June 2016. Archived from the original on 2 July 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  56. ↑ "Governor General Announces 113 New Appointments to the Order of Canada Français". Newswire Canada . 30 June 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  57. ↑ "Canada Gazette, Part I, Volume 150, Number 28: GOVERNMENT HOUSE". Government of Canada . 9 July 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  58. ↑ "Barbara Hannigan | Artist". GRAMMY.com. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  59. ↑ "Ehrenpreise 2018". Schallplattenkritik (in German). Archived from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  60. ↑ "A mathematician, a logician, a soloist and an Italian avant-gardist are awarded the Rolf Schock Prizes 2018". The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. 15 March 2018. Archived from the original on 15 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  61. ↑ "Barbara Hannigan awarded the Léonie Sonning music prize 2020". Léonie Sonnings Musikpris. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  62. ↑ "Barbara Hannigan erhält Preis der Dresdner Musikfestspiele". Radiodresden.de (in German). 10 March 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  63. ↑ "Barbara Hannigan". Maison de la radio et de la Musique (in French). Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  64. ↑ "Gramophone Classical Music Awards 2022". Gramophone. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  65. ↑ Fonseca-Wollheim, Corinna da (2025). "Artist of the Year: Barbara Hannigan". MusicalAmerica. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  66. ↑ "Barbara Hannigan, première artiste invitée à l'Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France". Diapason (in French). 3 October 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  67. ↑ "Barbara Hannigan appointed Reinbert de Leeuw Professor of Music". Royal Academy of Music. 1 June 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  68. ↑ "Barbara Hannigan appointed Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra". Iceland Symphony Orchestra. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  69. ↑ Smith, Steve (29 June 2008). "Classical Recordings: Of Minimalism, Avant-Garde and Beethoven's Sonatas". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  70. ↑ Bartley, Wendalyn (30 January 2015). "Barbara Hannigan – Being the Music". The Whole Note. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  71. ↑ Butterweck, Kim (24 November 2015). "Abrahamsen wins music award for let me tell you". Grawemeyer Awards. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  72. ↑ "Preis für Barbara Hannigan und Das BR-Symphonieorchester". BR Klassik (in German). 24 November 2015. Archived from the original on 15 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  73. ↑ "Palmarès des Diapason d'Or 2016". France Musique (in French). 23 November 2016. Archived from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  74. ↑ "Winnaars Edison Klassiek 2016 Bekend". Edisons (in Dutch). 27 November 2016. Archived from the original on 15 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  75. ↑ Molleson, Kate (5 May 2016). "Barbara Hannigan/Satie: Socrate CD review – artful, intimate confessionals". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 15 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  76. ↑ "Crazy Girl Crazy". Outthere Music.
  77. ↑ "Winners Best Classical Vocal Performance". GRAMMY awards. 28 January 2018. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  78. ↑ "Junos 2018: the complete list of winners" Archived 17 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine . CBC News, 25 March 2018
  79. ↑ "Winner 2018 Juno Award: Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral". JUNO Awards. 25 March 2018. Archived from the original on 27 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  80. ↑ Tommasini, Anthony; Oestreich, James R.; Allen, David; Walls, Seth Colter; Barone, Joshua (23 August 2016). "The 25 Best Classical Music Recordings of 2017". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  81. ↑ Hewett, Ivan (16 January 2015). "Simon Rattle with Barbara Hannigan and London Symphony Orchestra, Barbican, review: 'in his element'". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 15 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  82. ↑ "La Passione". Outhere-music.com. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  83. ↑ "Dance With Me". Outhere-music.com. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  84. ↑ "Sehnsucht (Live in Rotterdam) | Linn Records". Linnrecords.com. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  85. ↑ "Emerson String Quartet – Infinite Voyage (CD) – jpc". Jpc.de (in German). Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  86. ↑ "Olivier Messiaen: Lieder (CD) – jpc". Jpc.de (in German). Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  87. ↑ "John Zorn – Hannigan Sings Zorn Volume One | RECORD STORE DAY". Recordstoreday.com. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  88. ↑ "Welcome to Tzadik". Tzadik.com. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  89. ↑ "Canadees Podiumdier". NTR Podium (in Dutch). 30 March 2014. Archived from the original on 15 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  90. ↑ "Benjamin, G: Written on Skin". Presto Music. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  91. ↑ "Barbara Hannigan // Concert & Documentary". ACCENTUS Music. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  92. ↑ "C'est presque au bout du monde". Opéra de Paris 3e Scene. Archived from the original on 15 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  93. ↑ "Brett Dean: Hamlet". Presto Music. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  94. ↑ "Poulenc: Le Voix Humaine & Bartók: Duke Bluebeard's Castle". Presto Music. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  95. ↑ OCLC   1125950476
  96. ↑ "Stravinsky: The Rake's Progress: and Taking Risks: A documentary by Maria Stodtmeier". Presto Music. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  97. ↑ Lemke-Matwey, Christine (26 May 2016). "Sie kann, was sie will" . Zeit Online (in German). Archived from the original on 8 May 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  98. ↑ Lawrence, Ben (17 September 2017). "Barbara Hannigan interview: 'I serve the music, not the audience'". The Telegraph . Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  99. ↑ Apthorp, Shirley (31 May 2019). "Soprano Barbara Hannigan: 'I like the alchemy of the rehearsal room'" . Financial Times . Archived from the original on 20 September 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  100. ↑ Barone, Joshua (11 October 2019). "The Unsingable Music That Stumped a Diva". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 27 February 2026.
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