Karmen Puis
Soprano
Joined Vanemuine in 1997
Born
13.06.1971
13.06.1971
Education
Karmen Puis has been an opera soloist at the Vanemuine since 1997. She graduated from the Tartu Heino Eller Music School in 1993 in Aino Kõiv’s singing class and and the Estonian Academy of Music in 1997 in Tiiu Levald’s singing class. In 2005 she completed her master’s degree cum laude at the Estonian Academy of Music under Jaakko Ryhänen. She has also studied under Alexandr Kapustiansky and Lino Puglisi and participated in master classes by Hartmut Höll, Eva Märtson-Wilson, Barbara Pearson and Rita Dams. During her studies at the Estonian Academy of Music Puis worked as a choir singer and soloist in the Estonian Radio Choir. She has sung solos in many large-scale vocal works and performed in numerous chamber music concerts with various casts: Mozart’s Requiem and Coronation Mass, Beethoven’s Mass C-major, Schubert’s Mass E-major, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Bach’s St Mark’s Passion, Mendelssohn’s Paulus, Mahler’s 4th Symphony, Pergoles’ Stabat Mater and the part of Bianca in the concert version of Britten’s opera The Rape of Lucretia.
Karmen Puis has been an opera soloist at the Vanemuine since 1997. She graduated from the Tartu Heino Eller Music School in 1993 in Aino Kõiv’s singing class and and the Estonian Academy of Music in 1997 in Tiiu Levald’s singing class. In 2005 she completed her master’s degree cum laude at the Estonian Academy of Music under Jaakko Ryhänen. She has also studied under Alexandr Kapustiansky and Lino Puglisi and participated in master classes by Hartmut Höll, Eva Märtson-Wilson, Barbara Pearson and Rita Dams. During her studies at the Estonian Academy of Music Puis worked as a choir singer and soloist in the Estonian Radio Choir. She has sung solos in many large-scale vocal works and performed in numerous chamber music concerts with various casts: Mozart’s Requiem and Coronation Mass, Beethoven’s Mass C-major, Schubert’s Mass E-major, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Bach’s St Mark’s Passion, Mendelssohn’s Paulus, Mahler’s 4th Symphony, Pergoles’ Stabat Mater and the part of Bianca in the concert version of Britten’s opera The Rape of Lucretia.
Roles in Vanemuine
Philidel, Shepherdess – Purcell’s King Arthur (2025), Madame de Rosemonde – Dangerous Liaisons (Haydn/Madia 2024), Turandot’s handmaid – Puccini’s Turandot (2024), Cornelia – Händel’s Julius Caesar (2023), Roxane’s chaperone – Tamberg’s Cyrano de Bergerac (2023), Piret – Kaumann’s The Mall (2022), Lisete – Varres’s The New Old Nick of Hellsbottom (2022), Brangäne – Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde (2022), Donna Elvira – Mozart’s Don Giovanni (2021), Maddalena – Donizetti’s Linda di Chamounix (2021), Soloist in Evening with Lehár (2020), soloist in Kõrvits’s Moorland Elegies (2019), Suzuki in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly (2019), Madame Wardrobe – Menekn’s Beauty and the Beast (2018), Gabriele Zedlau – Strauss’s Viennese Blood (2018), White – Aints’s Googlemoogledotcom (2017), Woman – Lill’s Into the Fire (2017), Madame Pfeil – Mozart’s The Impresario (2016), Alisa – Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, An Evening with Kálmán (2015), Mercedes – Bizet’s Carmen (2015), Catharina Wycken – Tubin’s The Parson of Reigi (2014), Tatiana – Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin (2013), Liina – Aints’ Old Barny (2013), Charlotte – Massenet’s Werther (2012), Soloist – An Evening with Strauss (2012), Soprano and 2nd Fairy – Purcell’s Fairy-Queen (2011), Elisabetta I – Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda (2011), Abbess – Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music (2010), Mother – Ehala’s Bumpy (2010), Emilia – Verdi’s Othello (1997), Amastris – Händel’s Xerxes (1997), Concepcion – Raveli’s The Spanish Hour (1998), Pernille – Nielsen’s Masquerade (1999), Alisa – Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor (1999), Dorabella – Mozart’s Così fan tutte (2000), Olga – Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin (2000), Hansel – Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel (2001), Hodel – Bock’s Fiddler on the Roof (2003), Berta – Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (2003), Gab-Gab – Lūsēns’ Dr Dolittle and the Bird’s Opera (2003), Miss Todd – Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief (2003), Manya – Kálmán’s Countess Mariza (2004), Flora – Verdi’s La traviata (2004), Suzuki – Puccini’s Madame Butterfly (2004), Policewoman – Bernstein’s West Side Story (2005), 2nd Lady – Mozart’s The Magic Flute (2005), Fairy – Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (ballet, 2005), Galatea – Händel’s Acis and Galatea (2006), Rosalinde – Strauss’ The Bat (2006), Clarina – Rossini’s The Bill of Marriage (2006), Solveig/Anitra – Grieg’s Peer Gynt (ballet, 2006), Giulietta in Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann (2007), Giovanna in Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto (2007), Grandmother/Snow Queen in Ehala’s The Snow Queen (2007), Inez in Verdi’s Troubadour (2008), Javotte – Massenet’s Manon (2009), Molina’s Mother – Kander’s Kiss of the Spider Woman (2009), singing in the performance Petrushka’s Afternoon (2010), Countess Rosina Almaviva – Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro (2010), Diana – Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld (2010), participating in the theatre lesson History in Music (2011), Hanna Glawari – Lehár’s The Merry Widow (2011), Miss Andrew – Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins (2011)
Philidel, Shepherdess – Purcell’s King Arthur (2025), Madame de Rosemonde – Dangerous Liaisons (Haydn/Madia 2024), Turandot’s handmaid – Puccini’s Turandot (2024), Cornelia – Händel’s Julius Caesar (2023), Roxane’s chaperone – Tamberg’s Cyrano de Bergerac (2023), Piret – Kaumann’s The Mall (2022), Lisete – Varres’s The New Old Nick of Hellsbottom (2022), Brangäne – Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde (2022), Donna Elvira – Mozart’s Don Giovanni (2021), Maddalena – Donizetti’s Linda di Chamounix (2021), Soloist in Evening with Lehár (2020), soloist in Kõrvits’s Moorland Elegies (2019), Suzuki in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly (2019), Madame Wardrobe – Menekn’s Beauty and the Beast (2018), Gabriele Zedlau – Strauss’s Viennese Blood (2018), White – Aints’s Googlemoogledotcom (2017), Woman – Lill’s Into the Fire (2017), Madame Pfeil – Mozart’s The Impresario (2016), Alisa – Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, An Evening with Kálmán (2015), Mercedes – Bizet’s Carmen (2015), Catharina Wycken – Tubin’s The Parson of Reigi (2014), Tatiana – Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin (2013), Liina – Aints’ Old Barny (2013), Charlotte – Massenet’s Werther (2012), Soloist – An Evening with Strauss (2012), Soprano and 2nd Fairy – Purcell’s Fairy-Queen (2011), Elisabetta I – Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda (2011), Abbess – Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music (2010), Mother – Ehala’s Bumpy (2010), Emilia – Verdi’s Othello (1997), Amastris – Händel’s Xerxes (1997), Concepcion – Raveli’s The Spanish Hour (1998), Pernille – Nielsen’s Masquerade (1999), Alisa – Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor (1999), Dorabella – Mozart’s Così fan tutte (2000), Olga – Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin (2000), Hansel – Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel (2001), Hodel – Bock’s Fiddler on the Roof (2003), Berta – Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (2003), Gab-Gab – Lūsēns’ Dr Dolittle and the Bird’s Opera (2003), Miss Todd – Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief (2003), Manya – Kálmán’s Countess Mariza (2004), Flora – Verdi’s La traviata (2004), Suzuki – Puccini’s Madame Butterfly (2004), Policewoman – Bernstein’s West Side Story (2005), 2nd Lady – Mozart’s The Magic Flute (2005), Fairy – Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (ballet, 2005), Galatea – Händel’s Acis and Galatea (2006), Rosalinde – Strauss’ The Bat (2006), Clarina – Rossini’s The Bill of Marriage (2006), Solveig/Anitra – Grieg’s Peer Gynt (ballet, 2006), Giulietta in Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann (2007), Giovanna in Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto (2007), Grandmother/Snow Queen in Ehala’s The Snow Queen (2007), Inez in Verdi’s Troubadour (2008), Javotte – Massenet’s Manon (2009), Molina’s Mother – Kander’s Kiss of the Spider Woman (2009), singing in the performance Petrushka’s Afternoon (2010), Countess Rosina Almaviva – Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro (2010), Diana – Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld (2010), participating in the theatre lesson History in Music (2011), Hanna Glawari – Lehár’s The Merry Widow (2011), Miss Andrew – Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins (2011)
Other roles
Inn-keeper’s wife – Mussorgsky’s Boriss Godunov (2001, Estonian National Opera), Mércedes – Bizet’s Carmen (2006, Kaivconsort)
Inn-keeper’s wife – Mussorgsky’s Boriss Godunov (2001, Estonian National Opera), Mércedes – Bizet’s Carmen (2006, Kaivconsort)
Recognition
Scholarship from the Wagner Society in 2006
Music Award of the Vanemuine and EMT in 2007
Georg Ots Award of the Estonian Theatre Union in 2010
Artist of the Year Award of Vanemuine Theatre in 2011
Estonian Theatre Union’s Annual Award in 2012 for exceptional performances in the roles of Elisabetta I and Hanna Glawari in the productions of Maria Stuarda and The Merry Widow by the Vanemuine Theatre
Scholarship from the Wagner Society in 2006
Music Award of the Vanemuine and EMT in 2007
Georg Ots Award of the Estonian Theatre Union in 2010
Artist of the Year Award of Vanemuine Theatre in 2011
Estonian Theatre Union’s Annual Award in 2012 for exceptional performances in the roles of Elisabetta I and Hanna Glawari in the productions of Maria Stuarda and The Merry Widow by the Vanemuine Theatre
