The Munich-born mezzo-soprano Susan Zarrabi has been a member of the Komische Oper Berlin ensemble since the 2022/23 season, where she has sung roles such Dorabella in
W. A. Mozart's "Così fan tutte", Cherubino in W. A. Mozart's "Le nozze di Figaro", Lichas in G. F. Handel's "Hercules" and Cupido in J. Offenbach's "Orpheus in the Underworld".
In the 2024/25 season, she sings roles such as Hänsel in E. Humperdinck's "Hänsel and Gretel", Nefertiti in P. Glass‘ "Akhnaten" and the Second Lady in W. A. Mozart's "The Magic Flute."
In March 2023, the young mezzo-soprano made her debut at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg as well as at the Stadtcasino in Basel, singing Dorabella in W. A. Mozart's "Così fan tutte", together with the Basel Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Giovanni Antonini.
In November 2023 she created the title role for V. Genin’s world premiere of "Alkestis", a mono opera for mezzo-soprano and strings, under the musical direction of Oksana Lyniv at
the Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin.
In the summer of 2024 she took part in the Spoleto Festival dei due Mondi in Italy as Amore in C. W. Gluck’s "Orfeo ed Euridice". As well as revive her role of Cherubino in W. A. Mozarts "Le nozze di Figaro" at the Edinburgh International Theater Festival in Scotland.
Various guest engagements have taken the young mezzo-soprano to various opera houses across Germany, including the Bavarian State Opera, Theatre Augsburg and the Alte Oper Frankfurt.
In June 2024 the Mezzo-soprano was a guest of the International Music Festival Kissinger Sommer for the first time, where she performed F. Mendelssohn Bartholdy’s "Midsummer Night's Dream" with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Sakari Oramo.
Her concert repertoire spans epochs of masses, oratorios and passions, including G. F. Handel's "Messiah", J. S. Bach's Mass in B minor, "St. John Passion" and "Christmas Oratorio", F. Mendelssohn Bartholdy's "Elijah" and "Paulus", and G. Rossini's Petite Messe solennelle.
In her artistic work outside of the opera Ms. Zarrabi likes to focus on the Lied genre. Together with her Lied duo partner Aurelius Braun, she was a finalist and won the special prize at the 2022 Wigmore Hall Song Competition in London.
Susan Zarrabi can be heard regularly in recitals, including in 2021 and 2023 with Gerold Huber as part of the Schubert Week at the Pierre Boulez Hall in Berlin. In addition, she was a
two-time scholarship recipient of the Lied Academy of the Heidelberger Frühling International Music Festival (2016/17) under the direction of Thomas Hampson.
In 2018, the mezzo-soprano was a guest at the Gustav Mahler Festival in Steinbach am Attersee, where she also performed in the Summer of 2023. Her love for Mahler took her in 2019 to the Gustav Mahler Society in Hamburg, where she performed again in 2020. In 2021, she also sang Mahler songs alongside Thomas Hampson at the Gustav Mahler Forum for Music and Society in Klagenfurt, Austria.
Her concert activities to date have taken her throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland.