Soloist - Mezzosopran
Karolina Gumos
Zitat einfügen oder Element löschenI need nature to breathe.
In the Ensemble of the Komische
Oper Berlin since 2006. Named a
Berlin Kammersängerin in 2022.
HOMELAND
Gdynia / Poland
STUDIES
Akademia Muzyczna in Poznan (Wojciech Maciejowski)
Hochschule für Musik »Hanns Eisler« Berlin (Anneliese Fried)
Oper Berlin since 2006. Named a
Berlin Kammersängerin in 2022.
HOMELAND
Gdynia / Poland
STUDIES
Akademia Muzyczna in Poznan (Wojciech Maciejowski)
Hochschule für Musik »Hanns Eisler« Berlin (Anneliese Fried)
PRIZES
Ada-Sari-Gesangswettbewerb, Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg
IMPORTANT DIRECTORS
Willy Decker
Stefan Herheim
Heiner Goebbels
Hans Neuenfels
Barrie Kosky
Marco Arturo Marelli
Christine Mielitz
Udo Samel
Beverly Blankenship
Lucas Kindermann
Andreas Homoki
Sebastian Baumgarten
IMPORTANT CONDUCTORS
Peter Schneider
Friedemann Layer
Stefan Soltesz
Michael Boder
Michael Hofstetter
Ion Marin
Pedro Halffter
Sebastian Weigle
IMPORTANT PREVIOUS ENGAGEMENTS
Theater Dortmund
Staatstheater Braunschweig
IMPORTANT PARTS AT THE KOMISCHE OPER BERLIN
Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia
Idamante (Idomeneo)
Prinz Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus)
Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel)
Le Prince Charmant (Cendrillon)
Arsamenes (Xerxes)
Magdalena (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg)
Dorabella (Così fan tutte)
Titelpartie in Carmen
Orest (Die schöne Helena)
Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni)
Kasturbai (Satyagraha)
Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier)
Smeraldine (Die Liebe zu drei Orangen)
Zweite Dame (Die Zauberflöte)
Ino (Semele)
Mrs. Meg Page (Falstaff)
Juno (Orpheus in der Unterwelt)
Jokaste (Œdipe)
Varvara (Katja Kabanowa)
La muse/La mère d’Antonia (Les contes d’Hoffmann)
IMPORTANT PARTS ELSEWHERE
Sextus(Titus)Fenena (Nabucco)
Rosmira (Partenope)
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Verdi: Requiem
EXCURSIONS
Semperoper Dresden
Hamburgische Staatsoper
Teatro de La Maestranza Sevilla
Oper Frankfurt
CC Lissabon
Deutsche Oper Berlin
Ruhrtriennale
Münchener Opernfestspiele
Lutosławski-Festival Warschau
Händelfestspiele Karlsruhe
Berliner Philharmonie
Karolina Gumos grew up on the shores of Gdańsk Bay. Right outside her front door was the vast expanse of the sea, which piqued her curiosity about what lay beyond the horizon – invisible to the eyes, but able to be glimpsed by the heart. The same with singing. She sang her first role (in The Little Prince by Saint-Exupéry) in the musical theatre in her home town, overlooking the beach. She was 18 years old, and hadn’t really been interested in singing before that. She went to audition because her boyfriend at the time was involved in the production. »I suddenly realised how much I enjoy singing!« And her voice turned out to be perfectly suited to the opera.
She was lured in by the call of opera! Firstly to Poznán, to study singing, and then to Germany. »I didn’t want to come here at all in the beginning. The relationship between Germany and Poland is quite strained, after all.« And then there was her family history: as a young man, her father had fought for Polish independence during the Nazis’ reign of terror, and had ended up in a concentration camp as a result. »An incredible man. After all the terrible things that happened to him, he never became bitter, and worked tirelessly to foster reconciliation after the war.« The Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg was her first stop in the country next door. Which is where she met a young man who is one of the reasons why she stayed in Germany and put down roots. »He was a hornist in the orchestra.« Her great love. »He played the alphorn for me by the lake, and that was it for me!« They’ve been together ever since.
»One day we were walking along Unter den Linden in Berlin. There was a window display showing videos of performances by the Komischer Oper. At the time we talked about how great it would be if I could sing here some day …«
After stints in Dortmund and Braunschweig, fate did indeed bring her to the Komische Oper Berlin. And now it has become her home. She loves the lakes and rivers of Brandenburg. She is a passionate kayaker, and likes to comb through the forest in her favourite gumboots, foraging for mushrooms. If she ends up in the mountains though in the holidays, she has to be careful: »I get queasy on winding mountain roads.« After all, she is a child of the sea …
1. Which opera character have you learned the most from (and what)?
Technically speaking, it was Octavian from Der Rosenkavalier. Beyond the deep love with which I sang the role, it was a wonderful lesson for me in pacing myself without having to rein my enthusiasm. From a character perspective: Carmen’s uncompromising self-determination allowed me to always breathe freely on stage – even in death... ;)
2. What do you sing when no one is listening?
Right now, I enjoy humming along with Johnny Hartman or Chet Baker. But that changes constantly, since I love to wander between genres and let myself be inspired anew time and again.
3. What profession would you have today if you hadn’t become a singer?
I feel immense gratitude for my profession, which is made up of many snapshots. If, however, I had to choose something more permanent, something that »lasts«, film directing would appeal to me: bringing out nuances and moods, building tension, shaping time. That could bring me great joy.
4. Which artistic experience changed everything for you?
The greatest artistic experiences are given to me by the greatest of all artists: nature. Its extravagant and inexhaustible ingenuity—in the smallest as well as the largest details—puts many things into perspective and inspires me anew time and again.
5. What do you do after the performance?
After the performance, a little epilogue usually begins for me: I put myself in the hands of Deutsche Bahn. Sometimes the journey home even surpasses my own performance in terms of dramatic twists, artistic pauses, and the length of the “performance.” So it remains exciting...
Technically speaking, it was Octavian from Der Rosenkavalier. Beyond the deep love with which I sang the role, it was a wonderful lesson for me in pacing myself without having to rein my enthusiasm. From a character perspective: Carmen’s uncompromising self-determination allowed me to always breathe freely on stage – even in death... ;)
2. What do you sing when no one is listening?
Right now, I enjoy humming along with Johnny Hartman or Chet Baker. But that changes constantly, since I love to wander between genres and let myself be inspired anew time and again.
3. What profession would you have today if you hadn’t become a singer?
I feel immense gratitude for my profession, which is made up of many snapshots. If, however, I had to choose something more permanent, something that »lasts«, film directing would appeal to me: bringing out nuances and moods, building tension, shaping time. That could bring me great joy.
4. Which artistic experience changed everything for you?
The greatest artistic experiences are given to me by the greatest of all artists: nature. Its extravagant and inexhaustible ingenuity—in the smallest as well as the largest details—puts many things into perspective and inspires me anew time and again.
5. What do you do after the performance?
After the performance, a little epilogue usually begins for me: I put myself in the hands of Deutsche Bahn. Sometimes the journey home even surpasses my own performance in terms of dramatic twists, artistic pauses, and the length of the “performance.” So it remains exciting...