While classical coloratura roles are central to Marlis Petersen’s repertoire she has also made a name for herself as an interpreter of contemporary music. The first role she sang at the Vienna State Opera was Lulu, a role she is much in demand for and which she has sung in Hamburg, Athens and at the Chicago Lyric Opera. She has sung Konstanze in Frankfurt. Important world premieres in which she has taken part include Hans Werner Henze’s Phaedra in Berlin and Brussels, Manfred Trojahn’s La grande magia at the Semperoper in Dresden and Aribert Reimann’s Medea at the Vienna State Opera. In 2010 Opernwelt magazine voted her Female Singer of the Year for the second time (the first time was for Lulu in Hamburg in 2004) for her interpretation of this role. Recent successes have included Lulu and Ophélie at the Met in New York, Susanna at Los Angeles Opera, her first Violetta in Peter Konwitschny’s production of Traviata at Graz Opera and Marguérite in Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots in Brussels. Conductors and orchestras with whom she has appeared in concert include Zubin Mehta, Lorin Maazel and Christoph Eschenbach, the Vienna Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra and Mahler Chamber Orchestra. Her passionate interest in historical styles of performance has brought her into contact with specialists such as René Jacobs, Ton Koopman, Trevor Pinnock and Helmuth Rilling. Marlis Petersen will be giving more recitals than ever in future years.