The Munich-born soprano Susanne Bernhard received her training at the HMT in Munich and was involved in numerous productions at the Bavarian Theater Academy. She was supported by August Everding as a young up-and-coming talent and made her debut in 1997 as "Susanna" in Mozart's "Le nozze di Figaro" at the Prinzregententheater in Munich. Immediately after completing her studies, she became a member of the ensemble at the opera house in Kiel. She has appeared as a guest at several opera houses, including the Frankfurt Opera and the Dresden Semperoper. Most recently, she made her debut with the role of "Leonore" from Beethoven's "Fidelio" at Theater Bregenz under the direction of Karsten Januschke, as well as with the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Markus Stenz.
Her diverse engagements as a concert singer have led her to work with renowned conductors such as Enoch zu Guttenberg, Thomas Søndergård, Semyon Bychkov, Daniel Harding, Andrew Manze, Markus Poschner, Neeme Järvi, Paavo Järvi, Kristjan Järvi, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Ralf Otto, Yutaka Sado, Eiji Oue, Helmuth Rilling, Thierry Fischer, Marin Alsop, Marcus Bosch and Michael Sanderling.
Susanne Bernhard is a regular guest with renowned orchestras and festivals, in particular with works by Richard Strauss (for example his "Four Last Songs"), Verdi's "Messa da Requiem", Beethoven's "Missa solemnis" and the "9th Symphony", as well as with works by Gustav Mahler and Antonín Dvořák. She has repeatedly collaborated with the Hanover Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, the WDR Symphony Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Munich Radio Orchestra, the OSESP Orchestra São Paulo and the Royal Liverpool Orchestra.
In March 2022, Susanne Bernhard made her debut with Verdi's "Messa da Requiem" with the Berliner Philharmoniker under the direction of Daniel Barenboim. Upcoming engagements include concerts with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (Andrew Manze), a concert tour with Beethoven's "Missa solemnis" (Prof. Ralf Otto), several concerts under the direction of Markus Poschner, including Beethoven's "Missa solemnis" at the Musikverein Vienna, Schönberg's "Gurre-Lieder" with the Prague Philharmonic Choir, as well as Mahler's "2nd Symphony" with the OSESP Orchestra São Paulo under the direction of Thierry Fischer.
Numerous radio and CD recordings document her artistic work.