German-Japanese mezzo-soprano Julia Kurig Yazaki grew up alternately near Freiburg im Breisgau and in Chigasaki (Japan) in a family of musicians and received her first lessons from singing and breathing teacher Sabine Seidel at an early age.
Since October 2022, she has been studying classical singing with Prof Lioba Braun at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln.
Julia Kurig Yazaki has successfully participated in several competitions and has two scholarships thanks to the Richard Wagner Society and the Hans und Eugenia Jütting Foundation.
In 2023, she made her opera debut as Domitiziano in the German premiere of the baroque opera Il Tito. In 2024, she gained further significant operatic experience as Dorinda in the opera Le Trame Deluse as a member of the Rheinische Opernakademie.
A major focus of her work, however, is the interpretation of and research into songs. A member of the Liedacademie in Cologne, she is a student of pianist Prof Ulrich Eisenlohr. She has also gained valuable inspiration from master classes and lessons with Prof Elisabeth Glauser, Prof Kai Wessel, Michael Gees and Prof Stefan Irmer.
Julia Kurig Yazaki discovered her curiosity and affinity for art songs at an early age. She also developed a special love for lesser-known repertoire and composers and gave several recitals featuring works by female composers and Japanese songs from the 19th century.
Julia Kurig Yazaki, mezzo-soprano
Sofi Simeonidis, piano
In past centuries, being a woman was a reason for exclusion and discrimination. Even today, distinctions and restrictions based on sex and gender are commonplace - and music is no exception. It was much harder to be a musician or composer as a woman. Yet there have been many amazing, creative and intelligent women who have composed and created music. But their work is often forgotten and overshadowed by that of their male colleagues.
In this programme, Julia and Sofi perform songs by both male and female composers. With the image of women created by men and reproduced in the songs of male composers, and of course the songs of the female composers themselves, they want to try to get to know better these forgotten and excluded female artists and their music.
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Julia Kurig Yazaki, mezzo-soprano
Sofi Simeonidis, piano
Thrillers seem to be a genre that seems to be an invention of our modern world. But for many centuries, people have been fascinated by horror, including in art songs. Our song recital titled ‘Thriller'promises to reveal dark secrets and unexpected twists, captured in words and music. A collection of songs that awaken the senses and capture the imagination, inspired by deep emotions and the unpredictable suspense of the thriller genre. Immerse yourself in a world of intrigue and suspense, where each song tells a story that makes the heart beat faster and the mind wander.
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Julia Kurig Yazaki, mezzo-soprano
Sofi Simeonidis, piano
What is ‘love’? How do you define ‘love’ and why is it so difficult to find a universal definition? Probably because love means different things to different people. So let's have a conversation about this powerful feeling of affection that is so simple and yet so hard to describe. A conversation about all the colours and shapes, all the differences and similarities we live and experience in love. Let's listen to how all composers and poets try to recreate, express and describe love in their art. From romantic or toxic love to love of nature in works by Schumann, Eichendorff, Messiaen and Clarke. We have tried to find as many colours and songs as possible to bring them together for a shared conversation. Join us in a musical dialogue ‘Scattershot: A conversation about love and life’.
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