Soprano Chen Reiss has forged a distinctive and acclaimed career, enchanting audiences with “one of the most perfect voices for singing Strauss one could wish for” (Classical Source), “a voice of silvery brightness and clarity” (Bachtrack), and “an immaculately produced, beguiling tone with exceptional musical virtuosity” (Opera News, USA).

Born in Israel, she rose to prominence as a member of the Bavarian State Opera under Zubin Mehta and later became an artist-in-residence at the Vienna State Opera. She has also appeared at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Teatro alla Scala, Dresden’s Semperoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Dutch National Opera, Wiener Festwochen, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Opera Company of Philadelphia, and the Israeli Opera. Her leading roles have included Pamina (The Magic Flute), Ilia (Idomeneo), the title role in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen, Gilda (Rigoletto), Adina (The Elixir of Love), Aennchen (Der Freischütz), Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier), and Zdenka (Arabella). Her repertoire also includes the title role in Cavalli’s La Calisto (Teatro alla Scala, Milan), Ginevra (Ariodante) at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Mozart’s Zaide (Teatro dell’Opera di Roma), Donna Anna and the Countess (The Marriage of Figaro), Anne Trulove (The Rake’s Progress), Liu (Turandot), Rosalinde (Die Fledermaus), and the title role in Monteverdi’s The Coronation of Poppea.

Highlights of the 2024/25 season include her staged debut as the Countess (Mozart) at Welsh National Opera, the title role in Schumann’s Genoveva with the Cologne Philharmonic, signature repertoire such as Strauss’s Four Last Songs with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 at Palau de la Música in Valencia, her debut in Vaughan Williams’s A Sea Symphony with Tarmo Peltokoski and the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, and collaborations with conductors including Christoph Eschenbach, Zubin Mehta, Ivor Bolton, Lahav Shani, Alain Altinoglu, and Kristiina Poska. Her repertoire spans from Mozart and Beethoven concert arias to orchestral songs by Strauss, Schreker, and Korngold.

Recent highlights include serving as Artist-in-Residence with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, performing a diverse repertoire from Mozart and Lehár to Berg and Korngold, starring in the Christmas concert of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, reuniting with Klaus Mäkelä for works by Fanny Hensel and Felix Mendelssohn, and debuting in Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with Wiener Akademie and Le Cercle d’Harmonie at the Philharmonie de Paris and the Aix-en-Provence Easter Festival, Strauss’s Four Last Songs, Mahler’s Das klagende Lied at the Mahler Festival in Leipzig, and Dvořák’s Stabat Mater.

She has performed core repertoire such as Mahler’s Symphonies Nos. 2 and 4 with the Munich Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel, Berg’s Seven Early Songs with SWR Symphony Orchestra under Vasily Petrenko, and Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., conducted by Simone Young. She made her debut with the Berlin Radio Symphony under Vladimir Jurowski (The Seasons by Haydn), Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia under Antonio Pappano (Ein deutsches Requiem), the Berlin Philharmonic under Semyon Bychkov (Mahler’s Fourth Symphony), and La Scala Philharmonic (Mozart arias with Zubin Mehta). With the Vienna Philharmonic, she was featured in a gala concert for the 30th anniversary of Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, and with the Orchestre National de France she performed in the Concert de Paris on July 14, 2019, broadcast live from the Eiffel Tower. In December 2014, she sang for Pope Francis during the Christmas Mass, broadcast worldwide. She also performed the film score for Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle with the Berlin Philharmonic.

Her recent recordings include Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang with Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich and Paavo Järvi (Alpha Classics), Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with the Czech Philharmonic and Semyon Bychkov (Pentatone), Schreker’s Vom ewigen Leben with Christoph Eschenbach and the Konzerthausorchester Berlin (Deutsche Grammophon), a disc of orchestral songs and scenes by Fanny Hensel and Felix Mendelssohn with the Jewish Chamber Orchestra Munich, and Immortal Beloved, a recording of Beethoven arias and scenes with the Academy of Ancient Music (Onyx Classics). She has also recorded recital repertoire and leading roles in full operatic recordings of Die Fledermaus (Capriccio), Don Giovanni, and Ein deutsches Requiem (Helicon), and Das Fürstenkind by Lehár (CPO), along with DVDs of Fauré’s Requiem with the Orchestre de Paris under Paavo Järvi and Mahler’s Second Symphony with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. In 2025, Das Jüdische Wien, featuring songs by Korngold, Zemlinsky, and Josefine Winter, will be released with the Jewish Chamber Orchestra Munich.

Chen Reiss is deeply passionate about sharing her knowledge with the next generation of singers and musicians. She is a guest professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München and regularly gives masterclasses at institutions such as the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music, Schlossakademie Hamburg, Triomphe de l’Art in Brussels, and the Masterclass Media Foundation. In 2022, she founded Sourire Music, an association dedicated to supporting and promoting young musicians by offering training and performance opportunities. In 2023, she launched the Holistic Voice Academy, a specialized program for singers that addresses vocal, physical, and mental well-being.