Ekaterina Gubanova replaces Lise Davidsen in our Wagner Gala this year. Lise Davidsen unfortunately had to withdraw from her debut in Erl due to her pregnancy.

Ekaterina Gubanova, born in 1979 in Moscow, is one of the most renowned mezzo-sopranos on the international opera scene. She began her musical education as a pianist and choir singer before dedicating herself to singing. After graduating from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, she continued her studies at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and was later accepted into the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden.

Her international breakthrough came in 2005 at the Opéra National de Paris as Brangäne in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde under Valery Gergiev. Since then, she has been at home on the most important stages in the world, including La Scala Milan, the Metropolitan Opera, the Vienna State Opera and the Teatro Real in Madrid. Her repertoire ranges from Verdi's Eboli (Don Carlo) to Bizet's Carmen to Wagner roles such as Kundry (Parsifal) and Venus (Tannhäuser).