Mirjam Mesak

The 2025/26 season marks several exciting role debuts for Mesak at the Bayerische Staatsoper. She adds to her repertoire the role of Adele in Barrie Kosky’s production of Strauss’s Die Fledermaus, as well as the role of Marzelline in Beethoven’s Fidelio. She also creates one of the Female Courtier roles in the world premiere of Brett Dean’s new opera Of One Blood, staged by Claus Guth and conducted by Vladimir Jurowski. Other roles in Munich include Blumenmädchen in Wagner’s Parsifal and Ännchen in von Weber’s Der Freischütz. Mesak also returns to the role of Mimi in Puccini’s La Bohème at Theater Vanemuine in Estonia. On the concert platform she joins the Orchestre National Rhône d’Auvergne and conductor Thomas Zehetmair for a performance at the Philharmonie Berlin and performs Rachmaninoff’s The Bells with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Vasily Petrenko.

Last season, Mesak made her house debut at the Semperoper Dresden as Ännchen in Der Freischütz. She also made her role debut as Mimi at the Theatre Vanemuine in Estonia. Other roles in Munich included Freia in a new production of Wagner’s Das Rheingold, Gretel in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel, Juliette in Korngold’s Die tote Stadt, and 1st Sprite in Dvořák’s Rusalka. Concert performances included Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra under Vladimir Jurowski, and with the Flanders Symphony Orchestra with conductor Kristiina Poska, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the Oldenburg State Orchestra conducted by Hendrik Vestmann, and a Summer Gala concert with the Prague Philharmonia and Rastislav Štúr.

In Estonia, Mesak appears regularly with the Estonian National Opera, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, and Vanemuine Symphony Orchestra. In recent seasons, she has appeared as a soloist in Mahler’s Symphony No.2 with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra under Neeme Järvi and in Berg’s Sieben Frühe Lieder with the Estonian Festival Orchestra under Paavo Järvi. In 2023, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Estonian composer Rudolf Tobias, Mesak recorded Tobias’s Oratorio Joonas with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and conductor Tõnu Kaljuste, released by Ondine Records in November 2025. In the same month, Harmonia Mundi releases a recording of Mesak’s 2024 performance of Rachmaninov’s The Bells at London’s Royal Festival Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Vassily Petrenko.

Mesak is a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama where she studied under Prof. Rudolf Piernay. She has performed as a soloist in several of London’s renowned concert halls including the Barbican, Milton Court Concert Hall (as part of the London Symphony Orchestra’s ‘This is Rattle’ festival), Wigmore Hall and Royal Festival Hall.

In 2019 Mesak was awarded the Bavarian Art Prize in the Performing Arts category (Bayerische Kunstförderpreis in Der Sparte Darstellende Kunst) and in 2024 she was the recipient of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia’s Annual Award.

2025/26 season / 537 words. Not to be altered without permission.