Deniz Uzun is one of the outstanding mezzo-sopranos of her generation, acclaimed for her compelling stage presence, vocal versatility and expressive intensity. Firmly established on the international opera and concert circuit, she commands an exceptionally broad repertoire ranging from the Baroque to contemporary music, encompassing major roles from the Italian, French, Russian and German genres.

A particular focus of her artistic work is the repertoire of Richard Wagner, with roles including Fricka, Waltraute, Erda and the First Norn. Other signature roles include Carmen, Hänsel in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel, Mère Marie de l’Incarnation in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites, Polina in Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades, Olga in Eugene Onegin, Sonyetka in Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Isabella in Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri, Ruggiero in Handel’s Alcina, Ino in Handel’s Semele, Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Tamiri in Vivaldi’s Farnace, as well as Mrs Quickly in Verdi’s Falstaff and Maddalena in Rigoletto.

The 2026/27 season sees Uzun performing Verdi’s Messa da Requiem under Fabio Luisi in Copenhagen and Edinburgh, and under Patrick Hahn in Glasgow. Further highlights include her appearance at Teatro Regio Torino in Vivaldi’s Juditha Triumphans under Gianluca Capuano, as well as Beethoven’s Missa solemnis with the Vienna Philharmonic under Franz Welser-Möst. She will also return to Wagner’s Ring as Erda in Das Rheingold and Siegfried at the opera house in Beijing.

Recent highlights include acclaimed debuts at the Teatro Real in Madrid, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the Opéra de Marseille and Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera in Warsaw. She also made her US debut with The Cleveland Orchestra under Franz Welser-Möst in a nationwide tour featuring Verdi’s Messa da Requiem, culminating in her Carnegie Hall debut. At the Festival della Valle d’Itria, she took on the title role in Bizet’s original 1874 version of Carmen, conducted by Fabio Luisi.

Previous engagements have taken Uzun to leading international opera houses and festivals including the Zurich Opera House, the Bavarian State Opera, the Salzburg and Tyrolean Festivals, the Komische Oper Berlin, the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, Teatro La Fenice and Teatro Regio Torino.

Equally at home on the concert platform, Deniz Uzun regularly collaborates with leading orchestras throughout Europe and the United States. Her concert repertoire encompasses major works including Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, St Matthew Passion and Mass in B minor, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Berlioz’s Les Nuits d’été, Dvořák’s Stabat Mater, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, Mozart’s Requiem and Ravel’s Shéhérazade.

Uzun has worked with many of the world’s leading conductors, including Kirill Petrenko, Vladimir Jurowski, Fabio Luisi, Franz Welser-Möst, Simone Young, Jakub Hrůša, Gianandrea Noseda, Gianluca Capuano, Patrick Hahn, Francesco Cilluffo, Valentin Uryupin, Vasily Petrenko and William Christie. Her artistic collaborations also include internationally renowned directors such as Emma Dante, Robert Carsen, Barrie Kosky, Dmitri Tcherniakov, Calixto Bieito, Nina Russi, Andreas Homoki, Marco Štorman, Marie-Eve Signeyrole and Krzysztof Warlikowski.

A laureate of numerous international competitions, Uzun was awarded First Prize at the Elizabeth Connell International Singing Competition and the Éva Marton Prize in 2021. From 2016 to 2021, she was a member of the ensemble at Zurich Opera House, following her time at the Bavarian State Opera’s Opera Studio in Munich during the 2015/16 season.

Born in Mannheim, Deniz Uzun studied in Karlsruhe and Mannheim before continuing her studies at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University in Bloomington, USA. She brings her distinctive artistic profile and international experience to a repertoire that combines vocal depth, dramatic intensity and stylistic versatility.