BETTINA PAHN - Biography

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Biography

Bettina Pahn - Soprano

was born in Erfurt. She first studied violoncello and later continued her vocal studies at the Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" in Berlin and in Frankfurt/Main with Prof. Elsa Cavelti. In recent years she has worked intensively with the renowned singing teacher Margreet Honig (Amsterdam).

Her professional path led her primarily into the field of baroque music.

Bettina Pahn has worked intensively as a soloist with Ton Koopman, Patrick Peire, Thomas Hengelbrock, Pierre Cao and Frieder Bernius.

Under the direction of Ton Koopman, she made her debut at Carnegie Hall in New York and has given widely acclaimed performances in the most important concert halls in Europe, including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and the Bolshoi Hall of the Moscow Conservatory.
As part of the Buxtehude complete recording under the direction of Ton Koopman, she has sung a large part of the solo cantatas for soprano.

With her duo partner, the lutenist Joachim Held and the fortepianists Christine Schornsheim and Tini Mathot, she has enjoyed many years of successful collaboration. With her partners, she has been and continues to be a guest at numerous early music festivals at home and abroad.
Since 2019 she has been giving master classes for baroque singing in Austria, Italy and the Czech Republic. Bettina Pahn is a jury member of the Hamel Foundation Hanover.

In September 2014 Bettina Pahn recorded songs of the second Berlin Lied School for the CD "Es war ein König in Thule" (Naxos), which was praised by the press. This was followed in May 2017 by a recording of sacred and secular songs by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach for Naxos.
In 2020 she recorded cantatas by Georg Philipp Telemann with Joachim Held, Carsten Lohff and Juliane Laake for Hänssler Classic.

This was followed in 2021 by a recording of a selection of songs by Fanny Hensel and Clara Schumann with Christine Schornsheim, fortepiano, as a co-production of Radio Bremen and Hänssler Classic, and in spring 2022 by a Renaissance recording with songs by Jobst vom Brandt, with Juliane Laake, viola da gamba and Joachim Held, lute.

Bettina Pahn has been teaching early music singing at the HfK Bremen since 2018. Several prize-winners of international competitions are among her students and graduates.