Anja Burmeister Strauss

Academic title(s): 

Vocal Répétiteur; Course Lecturer (Voice), German Diction

 

Anja Burmeister Strauss
Department: 
Music Performance
Area(s): 
Voice
Contact Information
Email address: 
anja.strauss [at] mcgill.ca
Instrument(s): 
Voice
Group: 
Faculty
Biography: 

Anja Burmeister, the 2024 recipient of both the President’s Prize for Excellence in Teaching and the Schulich School of Music Teaching Award, is a German soprano celebrated for her dynamic artistry and versatility across the Opera, Lied, and Oratorio repertoire. Described as “explosive” by the San Francisco Classical Voice, she has earned acclaim as an accomplished performer and dedicated educator.

Ms. Burmeister’s operatic career includes performances with Sacramento Opera, San Francisco Lyric Opera, Pacific Repertory Opera, and esteemed German houses such as Lübeck, Kiel, Potsdam, and Detmold.

Her expertise extends to sacred music, with notable appearances in Canada, the United States, and Europe. Highlights include Mozart’s Requiem at Lincoln Center’s September 11 Commemoration, as well as performances of Mozart’s c-minor Mass and Hindemith’s Marienleben in Roskilde, Denmark.

A passionate advocate for the art of Lied, Ms. Burmeister has graced recital stages at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Goethe Institute in New York City, the Mozart Society of California, among others. Her commitment to Lied extends to scholarship, with frequent lectures on the intersection of poetry and song. She is also an advocate for contemporary repertoire, having performed with Pulitzer Prize winning composer Aaron Kernis as well a Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire under the baton of Kent Nagano.

Ms. Burmeister holds degrees from the Juilliard School in New York City and the Musikhochschule Lübeck in Germany. In addition to her role on the voice faculty at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music, she also teaches at the Université de Montréal. Her expertise in German diction is in high demand; she serves as the regular German Diction Coach for San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and the renowned Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont.

Awards, honours, and fellowships: 
  • 2024 Recipient of the McGill President’s Prize for Excellence in Teaching
  • 2024 Recipient of the Schulich School of Music Teacher Award


 

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