Peter Gelb, General Manager, Metropolitan Opera.
Universally acknowledged as one of the greatest singers of our time, Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen has been described as “a one-in-a-million voice” and regularly performs at all the major international opera houses, festivals and concert halls.
Highlights of Davidsen’s 2026/27 season include opening the Metropolitan Opera’s season with her staged role debut as Lady Macbeth Macbeth in a new production; her highly anticipated role debut as Brünnhilde Die Walküre at the Salzburg Easter Festival as part of their new Ring cycle, with further performances in Berlin and concert highlights at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía; Leonora La forza del destino at the Staatsoper Berlin; and Elisabetta Don Carlo at Zurich Opera House.
Her concert appearances include a charity concert with the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra at David Geffen Hall in New York, a star-studded 60th Anniversary Gala at the Metropolitan Opera, an open-air concert at Zurich Opera House, and Tove in Schoenberg’s Gurre-Lieder at the Norwegian National Opera. Davidsen embarks on the final leg of her Schubert recital tour with James Baillieu, with appearances at the Schubert Club International Artist Series, Wiener Musikverein, Zurich Opera House, Grand Théâtre de Genève and Paris Opera. Further highlights include special festive recitals with Baillieu at Cal Performances and the BroadStage, and the eagerly anticipated “Christmas with Lise Davidsen” arena concerts at the DNB Arena in Stavanger and Oslo Spektrum.
One of the most in-demand stars today and a multifaceted artist, Davidsen regularly performs at some of the biggest concert venues around the world. Highlights include her star performance at the Last Night of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in 2023, broadcast live on BBC One and reaching millions around the world; the much-coveted Summer Night Concert in Vienna with the Wiener Philharmoniker and Andris Nelsons, in front of an audience of over 100,000 people; and a sold-out solo recital on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera.
She regularly performs with orchestras including the Orchestre de Paris, Wiener Philharmoniker, Oslo Philharmonic, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Berliner Philharmoniker and Staatskapelle Berlin, and is a dedicated recitalist. She has held artistic residencies at the Barbican in London, Bergen International Festival and with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra.
Recent successes include her role debut as Isolde Tristan und Isolde at the Gran Teatre del Liceu under Susanna Mälkki, followed by a new production at the Metropolitan Opera under Yannick Nézet-Séguin; her role debut as Lady Macbeth in concert at the Royal Danish Theatre with Sir Antonio Pappano; Leonore Fidelio at the Metropolitan Opera; and Tosca at the Wiener Staatsoper, Bayerische Staatsoper, Staatsoper Berlin and Metropolitan Opera.
“She sounded like Tosca as she should be: at first optimistic, even naïve, then distressed and desperate. Davidsen’s ‘Vissi d’arte’ was one of the most moving things I’ve heard at the Met so far this season.” New York Times
“The outstanding Wagner soprano of her generation” (Financial Times), Davidsen has scored triumphs as Isolde Tristan und Isolde, Sieglinde Die Walküre, Elisabeth Tannhäuser, Eva Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and Senta Der fliegende Holländer. Other signature roles include Strauss’s Ariadne Ariadne auf Naxos, Marschallin Der Rosenkavalier, Salome and Chrysothemis Elektra; Elisabeth Don Carlos, Leonora La forza del destino, Lady Macbeth Macbeth, Tosca, Giorgetta Il tabarro, Ellen Orford Peter Grimes, Jenůfa and Lisa The Queen of Spades.
“Phenomenal…Hers is a great voice, superbly controlled and beautifully equalised throughout its range.” Guardian
Concert appearances in the last few seasons have included Act II of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde with Sir Simon Rattle and the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks; debut recitals at the BroadStage in Santa Monica, Salzburg Easter Festival, Gstaad Festival and Aldeburgh Festival; the Last Night of the BBC Proms; a sold-out solo recital on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera; the much-coveted Summer Night Concert in Vienna with the Wiener Philharmoniker and Andris Nelsons in front of an audience of over 100,000 people; and her Carnegie Hall debut with Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
Davidsen burst onto the international stage in 2015, winning multiple prizes at the Operalia, Queen Sonja and Hans Gabor Belvedere competitions. These were swiftly followed by triumphant debuts at the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Ballet & Opera Covent Garden, Teatro alla Scala Milan, Bayerische Staatsoper, Wiener Staatsoper, and the Aix-en-Provence, Bayreuth and Glyndebourne Festivals. These houses, and many others, extended invitations to Davidsen to return for consecutive seasons – including three productions in one season at the Metropolitan Opera and two at the Bayreuth Festival.
An exclusive Decca artist, Davidsen released her latest solo album, Verdi, in September 2026, exploring some of the composer’s greatest heroines with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Her discography also includes Live at the Met, released in March 2026 with pianist James Baillieu; Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer; solo orchestral recitals featuring Strauss’s Four Last Songs and opera arias; a Grieg song recital with Leif Ove Andsnes; and the best-selling Christmas album. Other recordings include Der Freischütz and Fidelio for Pentatone, and Sibelius’s Luonnotar on Chandos. Filmed performances include Ortlinde Die Walküre and Leonore Fidelio from the Royal Ballet & Opera, Elisabeth Tannhäuserfrom the Bayreuth Festival, and the Grammy-nominated Concert for Ukraine with the Metropolitan Opera.
Born and raised in Stokke, Norway, Davidsen has been profiled in a full-length documentary for NRK and a Strauss film for the Norwegian National Opera, as well as appearing on major radio and television programmes such as NPR. Alongside frequent performances across the country, Oslo was the setting for her appearance in the Metropolitan Opera’s Met Stars Live in Concert series, live-streamed internationally.
