Meet Golda Schultz
South African. Soprano. Connecting people through music, one song at a time.
In the limelight of the world’s opera houses, one voice shines with particular brightness – that of the soprano Golda Schultz.
Where she began
Golda was born in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1983. Her mother is a retired nurse, and her father is a retired university professor of Mathematics. Golda studied journalism at Rhodes University before switching to singing at the University of Cape Town, and then at the Juilliard School in New York.
In 2011, Golda won a place at the Opera Studio of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, after which her career developed rapidly. From her base in Germany, she has conquered the world’s opera houses and concert halls, from the Vienna State Opera to the Salzburg Festival; and from the Royal Opera House in London to the Metropolitan Opera in New York, to name but four.
Golda Schultz’s debut solo album, This Be Her Verse, was released in 2022 on the Alpha Label and explores the worlds and inspirations of female composers from the Romantic era to present day, including new commissions and curated together with long-time collaborative pianist Jonathan Ware. It was heralded as “one of the most powerful lieder albums of the recent past” (Munich Merkur), and “confirms her versatility and musical intelligence” (The Guardian). In her second and most recent release Mozart,You Drive Me Crazy!, Schultz examines the complexities of the female experience in the three da Ponte operas in collaboration with Antonello Manacorda and Kammerakademie Potsdam. According to Radio BR-Klassik, Golda showed a “vocal virtuosity in the most various roles” and “an enormous range”, the German magazine Concerti title their critic with “Perfection and self-confidence”, while the Guardian concluded: “...spirited, thoughtful performances…More than a nice set of highlights, this album makes you think.”
Where she’s been
In 2020, Golda appeared in the iconic Last Night of the Proms in London; the following year, she portrayed the role of Clara in the Metropolitan Opera’s Grammy Award-winning production of Porgy and Bess. In 2022 Golda was described as a “gifted soprano” when she received the Bavarian government’s Special Prize for Culture. She was also named Artiste Étoile by the Lucerne Festival the same year. For her role as Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden 2023 she was acclaimed as the “ideal cast” by the German press. In the same year she also returned to the Wiener Staatsoper (as Contessa Almavira in Le nozze di Figaro) and made a highly anticipated role debut as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni at the Opernhaus Zürich. Opera highlights of the 2024/25 season included Ann Trulove in The Rake’s Progress at Opéra National de Paris, conducted by Susanna Mälkki, as well as a house debut at the Semperoper Dresden (Agathe in Der Freischütz) and a return to the MET as Pamina. Concerts in this same season included a return to the BBC Proms for Fauré’s Requiem with BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Stéphane Denève, Strauss’ Vier letzte Lieder with Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich conducted by Paavo Järvi, and Ravel’s Shéhérazade with Orchestre de Paris under Stanislav Kochanovsky.
Where she’s going
Golda’s further season 2024/2025 will see her on a tour in Germany and France of Der Freischütz with Kammerakademie Potsdam and Antonello Manacorda (April / May 2025), and Mahler Symphony No. 8 with Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under the baton of Klaus Mäkelä.
This summer, Golda will return to her role as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni at the festival d’Aix-en-Provence. This will be the eighth production of the Festival’s most emblematic work and will be conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. For the beginning of the new season 2025/2026 she will be – among other many exciting roles– debuting as Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus at the Opernhaus Zürich and singing a Duet Gala in her home country at the Cape Town Opera, with Baritone Jacques Imbrailo.
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