About me
Biography
Soprano Viola Westhues is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media, where she studies with Prof. Marek Rzepka.
In addition, she receives specialized training in the Lied class of Prof. Jan Philip Schulze.
During her studies, she has already appeared in several opera productions, including the role of the "Goose Girl" in Königskinder by Engelbert Humperdinck (2025) and "Nella" in Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini (2026), both at HMTMH.
In 2025 she also made her debut at the Hanover State Opera as "a Modistin" in Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier.
She gained further stage experience in 2023 as the "First Lady" in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte in a semi-staged opera performance, and in 2024 as the "Cricket" in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen.
Most recently, she appeared in the project “Opera Reimagined,” a collaboration with the Hanover State Opera featuring six world premieres of contemporary short operas, which will also be presented at the Scharoun Theater Wolfsburg in June.
In the concert repertoire, Viola Westhues performed the (abridged) role of "Leonida" in Argenore by Wilhelmine of Bayreuth in concert performances in 2025 with the Göttingen Baroque Orchestra under the direction of Antonius Adamske. She also appeared as soprano soloist in Joseph Haydn’s Nelson Mass with the Stadtkantorei Gehrden.
Viola Westhues received the Young Artist Prize at the Walter and Charlotte Hamel Opera Competition (2024). Since 2023 she has been a scholarship holder of Live Music Now Hannover e. V., and in 2026 she has received a scholarship from the Richard Wagner Association Hannover e. V.
She has received artistic inspiration in masterclasses with KS Dorothea Röschmann, KS Brigitte Fassbaender, Georg Nigl, Prof. Marina Sandel, and Prof. Daniela Fally.
Alongside her vocal training, Viola Westhues has extensive experience in instrumental music and dance. She played the violin for over 15 years as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player, and has formal training in ballet and jazz dance.