Born in the Czech city of Brno, Magdalena Kožená studied voice and piano at the Brno Conservatory and at Bratislava’s Academy of Performing Arts.
Magdalena signed as an exclusive artist with Deutsche Grammophon in 1999 and has since been awarded multiple prizes for her albums including Gramophone’s Solo Vocal Award, Gramophone’s Artist of the Year, Echo Klassik, Record Academy Prize Tokyo, and Diapason d’or. In 2017, Magdalena forged a long-term relationship with Dutch label Pentatone and her 3 recordings include ‘Il Giardino dei sospiri’ with harpsichordist Václav Luks and Collegium 1704, an intimate chamber music album ‘Soirée’, and her most recent release, ‘Nostalgia’ with pianist Yefim Bronfman.
During her illustrious career, Magdalena has worked with the world’s leading conductors, including Claudio Abbado, Pierre Boulez, Gustavo Dudamel, Bernard Haitink, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Mariss Jansons, Sir Charles Mackerras, Sir Simon Rattle or Sir Roger Norrington. Her list of distinguished recital partners includes the pianists Daniel Barenboim, Malcolm Martineau, András Schiff and Mitsuko Uchida, with whom she has performed at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and at the Aldeburgh, Edinburgh and Salzburg festivals. Magdalena’s understanding of historical performance practices has been cultivated in collaboration with outstanding period- instrument ensembles, including the Venice Baroque Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Il Giardino Armonico, Les Musiciens du Louvre, La Cetra Barockorchester Basel, and Le Concert d’Astrée. She is also in demand as soloist with the Berlin, Vienna and Czech Philharmonics, the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the Cleveland, Philadelphia and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestras.
Magdalena’s 2023/24 season combines her love of artsong, opera and concerts with diverse projects taking her across the globe. Magdalena begins her season with recitals with Ohad Ben-Ari and Mitsuko Uchida at the Muziekgebouw Amsterdam, BOZAR Brussels, Wigmore Hall, Philharmonie Luxembourg and the Pierre Boulezsaal Berlin. In concert she rejoins Les Musiciens du Louvre for concert performances of Alcina (title role) and collaborates with La Cetra Barockorchester in performances at Carnegie Hall and across Europe and South America. Magdalena reprises the role of Anna in Kurt Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins with the Staatskapelle Berlin and looks forward to a major concert tour with Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
On the opera stage, Magdalena returns to the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin for the title role in Charpentier’s Medée, revisits the role of Idamante Idomeneo with Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks and returns to Salzburg’s Mozartwoche for Sesto La Clemenza di Tito.
Magdalena was appointed a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government in 2003 for her services to French music.
September 2023
