28.04.2025

NIKOLA HILLEBRAND | Tour with KAP & ANTONELLO MANACORDA

Soprano Nikola Hillebrand returns to Carl Maria von Weber's opera Der Freischütz this spring, having performed the work most recently in her Bregenz Festival debut last summer as Agathe. This time, she returns to sing Ännchen, joining the Kammerakademie Potsdam and their conductor and fellow Machreich Artist Antonello Manacorda for a concert tour in some of Europes most prominent concert halls including the Nikolaisaal in Potsdam (28 April), the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris (30 April), the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden on (3 May) and the Berlin Philharmonie (5 May).

Having performed Ännchen during her time at the Dresden Semperoper (2020-2024), Nikola Hillebrand slips seamlessly into the role, thanks to her sparkling timbre, precision, and expressive vocal agility. While having impressively tackled the more dramatic role of Agathe, her strengths in nuance, comic timing, and vocal clarity shine most vividly in the role of Ännchen, allowing her to fully inhabit the character’s lightness and playfulness. 

Conductor Antonello Manacorda is no stranger to the work either. In the 2021 production at the Bayerische Staatsoper, directed by Dmitri Tcherniakov, Manacorda's interpretation was noted for its classical clarity and structural precision. One review highlighted the "slender and sharply drawn sound" from the orchestra, while emphasizing the transparency and elegance of Weber's score. Audiences can therefore anticipate a rendition that honors the work's Romantic roots while illuminating the score's structural elegance.​

Cast:

Charles Castronovo, Max
Golda Schultz, Agathe
Kyle Ketelsen, Kaspar
Nikola Hillebrand, Ännchen
Jongmin Park, Kuno und ein Eremit
Milan Siljanov, Kilian
Sebastian Wartig, Ottokar
Johanna Wokalek, Sprecherin

Antonello Manacorda, Dirigent
RIAS Kammerchor
Kammerakademie Potsdam