Representation: World
Marie-Sophie Pollak studied at the Munich University of Music and Theatre with Prof. Gabriele Fuchs, graduating with distinction. While still a student, she made her debut at the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music as Vespetta in Telemann's Pimpinone and was subsequently heard in the title role of Scarlatti's La Dirindina and in Bach's Mass in B minor, both under the musical direction of Alessandro De Marchi.
The soprano is a regular guest with such renowned orchestras and ensembles as the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra, the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, the Canadian chamber orchestra Les Violons du Roy, the Ensemble Concerto München and Camerata Salzburg, she has worked alongside conductors including Bernard Labadie, Ivor Bolton, Gianluca Capuano, Thomas Hengelbrock, Václav Luks, Alessandro De Marchi, Kent Nagano, Sir Roger Norrington, Hans-Christoph Rademann and Jean-Christophe Spinosi.
Marie-Sophie Pollak maintains a special collaboration with the Hamburg Ballet and John Neumeier, performing in the latter’s adaptations of Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice, Bach's Christmas Oratorio and the Mass in B minor (with the title “Dona nobis pacem”) at the Hamburg State Opera and the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden. She has additionally appeared under the direction of Kent Nagano in various projects, including Haydn's The Seasons and Mozart's Mass in C minor at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, followed by Haydn's The Creation with the Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano and Trento, and in Madrid with the Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España.
Further projects in recent seasons include Mendelssohn's Elijah with the Balthasar Neumann Choir & Ensemble under Thomas Hengelbrock, Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice with the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin under Alexander Liebreich and Schumann's Das Paradies und die Peri – the latter both with the Gewandhaus Orchester Leipzig under Philippe Herreweghe, and with the Gürzenich Orchester Köln under François-Xavier Roth. At the Magdeburg Telemann Festival, accompanied by the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin under Georg Kallweit, Marie-Sophie Pollak gave another guest performance of Telemann's Intermezzo Pimpinone, while at the International Baroque Days at Melk Abbey she was heard in Telemann's rarely performed oratorio Der Tag des Gerichts under Ivor Bolton. Mendelssohn's Elijah was again the focus of a collaboration with the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and the Audi Youth Choir Academy conducted by Martin Steidler.
Recent collaborations with the RIAS Kammerchor Berlin have taken Marie-Sophie to the Berlin Philharmonie for a New Year's concert under Justin Doyle and, as part of a staged adaptation of Purcell's King Arthur, to the Konzerthaus Berlin and the Schwetzingen SWR Festival.
Engagements in the current season include her debut with the Würth Philharmoniker with Bach's Magnificat and a Christmas concert based on works by Johann Sebastian Bach and Johann Adolph Scheibe with Max Volbers and Concerto Köln at the Cologne Philharmonie.
Marie-Sophie Pollak's discography to date includes Telemann's Pimpinone, recorded at the Magdeburg Telemann Festival, Handel's Ode Alexander's Feast with the Vox Orchestra & Vox Choir under Lorenzo Ghirlanda, and the world premiere recording of Attilio Ariosti's oratorio La Profezia d'Elisio nell'Assedio di Samaria, premiered in Vienna in 1705, with the Ensemble Lorenzo da Ponte under Roberto Zarpellon. To mark the Reformation anniversary year in 2017, Marie-Sophie Pollak also recorded three cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach from texts by Martin Luther, together with Christoph Spering and his Chorus Musicus Köln. The recording, released by Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, was awarded the Echo Klassik 2017 for best choral recording of the year.
2024 | 2025
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Georg Philip Telemann: Pimpinone
Marie-Sophie Pollak, Dominik Köninger
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin
Conductor: Georg Kallweit
Label: cpo | 2022
Attilio Ariosti: La Profezia d'Elisio nell'Assedio di Samaria
Marie-Sophie Pollak, Marta Redaelli, Alessio Tosi, Mauro Borgioni, Matteo Pigato
Ensemble Lorenzo Da Ponte
Conductor: Roberto Zarpellon
Label: Fra Bernardo | 2021
Georg Friedrich Händel: Alexander’s Feast or The Power of Music
Marie-Sophie Pollak, Tobias Hunger, Krešimir Stražanac
Vox Orchester & Vox Chor
Dirigent: Lorenzo Ghirlanda
Label: Deutsche Harmonia Mundi | 2020
Arien für Nancy Storace
Marie-Sophie Pollak, Katharina Ruckgaber
Accademia di Monaco
Conductor: Joachim Tschiedel
Label: Coviello Classics | 2017
Johann Sebastian Bach: Christmas Oratorio BWV 248 (Cantatas 1 - 3)
Marie-Sophie Pollak, Soprano
Marie Henriette Reinhold, Alto
Raphael Höhn, Tenor
Christian Immler, Bass
Kreuzkantor Martin Lehmann, Conductor
Dresdner Kreuzchor
Dresdner Philharmonie
Johann Sebastian Bach: Christmas Oratorio BWV 248 (Cantatas 1 - 3)
Marie-Sophie Pollak, Soprano
Marie Henriette Reinhold, Alto
Raphael Höhn, Tenor
Christian Immler, Bass
Kreuzkantor Martin Lehmann, Conductor
Dresdner Kreuzchor
Dresdner Philharmonie
Johann Sebastian Bach: Christmas Oratorio BWV 248 (Cantatas 1 - 3)
Marie-Sophie Pollak, Soprano
Marie Henriette Reinhold, Alto
Raphael Höhn, Tenor
Christian Immler, Bass
Kreuzkantor Martin Lehmann, Conductor
Dresdner Kreuzchor
Dresdner Philharmonie
Johann Sebastian Bach: Magnificat, BWV 243
Marie-Sophie Pollak, Soprano
Lucija Varsic, Soprano II
Annelie Sophie Müller, Alto
Werner Güra, Tenor
Manuel Walser, Bass
Claudio Vandelli, Conductor
Würth Philharmoniker
Symphonischer Chor Bamberg
Johann Adolph Scheibe: Sinfonia D-Dur aus: Der Tempel des Ruhmes, SchW B2:439
Johann Adolph Scheibe: Nr. 3 Aria »Sehr geschwinde gleich dem Winde« für Sopran aus: In Festo Michaelis: Concerto (»Der Engel des Herrn lagert sich«), SchW B2:205
Johann Adolph Scheibe: Nr. 13 Aria »Willkommen, Heiland« für Sopran aus: Die Auferstehung und Himmelfahrt Jesu, SchW B2:301
Johann Sebastian Bach / Max Volbers: Konzert für Blockflöte und Orchester C-Dur (Pasticcio) zusammengestellt und arrangiert von Max Volbers nach BWV 169, 1053, 1042 und 1054
Johann Sebastian Bach: Nr. 57 Aria »Nur ein Wink von seinen Händen« für Sopran aus: »Herr, wenn die stolzen Feinde schnauben«. Weihnachtsoratorium Teil VI, BWV 248
Johann Sebastian Bach: Aria »Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen« für Sopran. Einrichtung von Wilhelm Friedemann Bach aus: »Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen«, BWV 51
Johann Adolph Scheibe: Konzert für Oboe d’amore, Streicher und Basso continuo G-Dur, SchW A1:009
Johann Adolph Scheibe: »Kannst Du, mein Herz«. Arie der Ariadne. Orchestrierung für Streicher und Basso continuo von Max Volbers aus: Ariadne auf Naxos, SchW B2:404
Johann Adolph Scheibe: Sonata aus: Den døende Jesus, SchW B2:302
Johann Sebastian Bach: Aria »Süßer Trost, mein Jesus kömmt« für Sopran aus: »Süßer Trost, mein Jesus kömmt«, BWV 151
Johann Sebastian Bach: Choral »Sei Lob und Preis«. Einrichtung von Wilhelm Friedemann Bach aus: »Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen«, BWV 51
Marie-Sophie Pollak, soprano
Max Volbers, recorder and musical direction
Concerto Köln
It will be festive on the evening of Christmas Day in Cologne's Philharmonie: Marie-Sophie Pollak sings Christmas arias with the radiance of her warm soprano, Max Volbers conjures up the sounds of shepherds from his recorder and Concerto Köln provides the original baroque sound.
Johann Sebastian Bach's aria ‘Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen’ is a virtuoso firework display, jubilant and full of joie de vivre. Marie-Sophie Pollak is the ideal interpreter for this and other splendid arias. Recorder player and harpsichordist Max Volbers, who also knows how to arrange and orchestrate, will contribute special repertoire features, and the musicians of Concerto Köln will go all out to present the audience with Christmas baroque music that is as splendid as it is authentic.
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