Barbara Hannigan

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Born8 May 1971 (1971-05-08) (age 54)
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Occupations
Yearsactive1988–present
Websitebarbarahannigan.com
Barbara Hannigan
CM
Barbara Hannigan, 2024
Born8 May 1971 (1971-05-08) (age 54)
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Occupations
Years active1988–present
Websitebarbarahannigan.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]

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

  • Canadees Podiumdier (NTR, 2014)[89]
  • Lulu (Bel Air Classiques, 2014)
  • Written on Skin (Opus Arte, 2014)[90]
  • I'm a creative animal (Accentus Music, 2015)[91]
  • C'est presque au bout du monde (3e Scène, 2015)[92]
  • Hamlet (Opus Arte, 2018)[93]
  • La Voix Humaine (Arthaus Musik, 2018)[94]
  • Lessons in Love and Violence (Opus Arte, 2019)[95]
  • The Rake's Progress and Taking Risks (Accentus Music, 2020)[96]

Personal life

References

External links

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