Russian-Swiss mezzo-soprano Nadezhda Karyazina, winner of the Herbert von Karajan Prize 2025, has been described as “one of the most significant singers and performers of our time” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung). Her acclaimed debut as Marfa in Mussorgsky’s Khovanshchina at the 2025 Salzburg Easter Festival was hailed as the “star of the evening” (Austria Presse Agentur).

In the 2026/27 season, Karyazina appears at the Vienna State Opera as La Musica and La Speranza in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, returns to the Bayerische Staatsoper as Maddalena in Rigoletto, and sings Isabella in L’italiana in Algeri with Opera Queensland. Concert engagements include Mahler’s Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3 with the Basque National Orchestra and Taipei Symphony Orchestra, as well as gala concerts with the Wiener Kammerorchester in Hanoi.

Recent highlights include Marfa in Khovanshchina under Esa-Pekka Salonen and roles in Barrie Kosky’s Hotel Metamorphosis at the Salzburg Festival. She has also appeared at Dutch National Opera, Teatro Real, Semperoper Dresden, Zurich Opera House, and Deutsche Oper Berlin.

Born in Moscow, Karyazina studied at the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts and joined the young artist programmes of the Bolshoi Theatre and Royal Opera House Covent Garden.