The Munich, Germany-based Estonian soprano, Mirjam Mesak, has been awarded with the Bavarian Art Prize 2019 in the “Performing Arts” category.
The Bavarian Art Prize is awarded by the Free State of Bavaria, an influential federal state of Germany, in the fields of fine arts, performing arts, music and dance and literature on the proposal of juries. The prize is awarded to artists up to the age of 40 who shine for special artistic achievements. Actress Isabel Kott, actor Nils Strunk and another opera singer, Sara-Maria Saalmann, also received the award in the same category.
“Words cannot describe how grateful and honoured I am as an Estonian to receive such a high award from the Bavarian Minister of Education and Culture, Science and the Arts,” Mesak said in her Facebook page.
A career in the UK and Germany
Mesak was born in 1990 in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, where she studied at a local music school. She received both her bachelors’ and master’s degrees in voice from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London. Since 2018, she has been a member of the Opera Studio at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich.
The young Estonian soprano has performed as a soloist in several of London’s renowned concert halls, such as the Barbican Hall, the Milton Court Concert Hall and the Wigmore Hall. Her current season at the Bayerische Staatsoper includes roles such as Juliette (Die Tote Stadt), Taumannchen (Hänsel und Gretel), Esmeralda (Die verkaufte Braut), Xenia (Borid Godunov), Mignon (Mignon) and Gianetta (L’elisir d’amore). Her concert highlights include Beethoven’s 9th with the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra and Kahchun Wong.
The Bavarian Art Prize has been awarded annually since 1965; this year’s awards will be presented in Munich on 19 November.
Cover: Mirjam Mesak at the Bavarian State Opera. Images courtesy of Mirjam Mesak.
