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In 2001, German-born soprano Dunja Pechstein co-produced and performed the New York Premiere of the contemporary mono-opera The Diary of Anne Frank by Grigori Frid. It was through this production that she discovered her love for solo operas and her interest in bringing the spirit and courage of historical female characters to life through performance.
Dunja Pechstein performed the title role of Anne Frank again in the production with Encompass New Opera Theatre under the direction of Nancy Rhodes in New York City in 2002, where she was recognized as being "outstanding in the central role" (New York Times). Additional performances at the Cleveland Opera in 2004 led to the nomination of the production as one of the three finalists for the 2004 Arts Awards of Achievement for Classical Music, by Northern Ohio Live, a prominent Arts magazine.
Recently, her passion for contemporary music and her fascination with the artistic challenges of solo operas led her to the monodrama Flower and Hawk by Carlisle Floyd, which is based on the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Pechstein has been performing Flower and Hawk, directed by Nancy Rhodes of Encompass New Opera Theatre, in the Boston area since 2008.
In 2009 she was a soloist in Smetana’s The Bartered Bride with Opera Boston where she performed the role of Ludmila. Other previous roles, which Dunja Pechstein performed in Germany and in the U.S. include: Bubikopf in The Emperor of Atlantis Boy in The Magic Flute, Arminda in La Finta Giardiniera, Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro, Zaida in Il Turco in Italia, Girl in The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny and Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Dunja Pechstein appeared in performances with marimba and viola in Boston and at the Zeltsman Marimba Festival in Boston. Her first CD "What color is a soul" with the contemporary German percussion ensemble "Rhythmik Attacca" was released in 2007.
Other concert performances include Mahler’s Symphony No.4, Mozart's Requiem and Bach's Christmas Oratorio.
Dunja Pechstein holds a Master of Music degree from the Hochschule für Musik in Detmold, Germany. She lives with her family in Boston, Massachusetts.