The Austrian vocalist Michaela Riener was trained from an early age as a pianist and flutist. Recipient of a prestigious scholarship from the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, she received her master’s degree in pedagogy in 2004. She received her Bachelors Degree in Classical Singing in 2008 and her Master’s Degree in Early Music Singing from the Royal Conservatory in The Hague , working with Gerda van Zelm, Jill Feldman, Michael Chance, and Peter Kooij.
A versatile artist, Michaela Riener is constantly expanding her vocabulary and technique. Her passion for chamber music has led to her involvement in several unique ensembles, including the Austrian Early Music group Calamus Consort, Trio Luscinia and Encantar, all ensembles focusing on historical performance practice. Since 2008 she is specialising in Baroque Gesture.
She regularly performs together with the Huelgas Ensemble, the Egidius College, Cappella Amsterdam and De Nederlandse Bachvereniging.
With her Anstatt dass Trio, Michaela Riener takes yet another direction. With a saxophonist and a marimba player, the trio performs music from the twenties and thirties, interpreting Brecht’s texts in songs by Eisler, Dessau, and Weill.
Michaela Riener is a dedicated advocate of contemporary music and works closely with composers. In 2006, she joined the well-known new music group ELECTRA, a virtuoso four-member ensemble that has performed in festivals and venues throughout the world. Since 2011 she also performs with the contemporary music band Hexnut.
Recent solo engagements include performances of works by Steve Reich and Hanns Eisler with the Asko Ensemble and Louis Andriessen’s “La Passione” at Prague Spring Festival 2008 and the Birmingham Frontiers Festival 2010. With Ensemble Klang, she performed Martijn Padding’s work “Speculum inversum” at festivals in the Czech Republic and in The Netherlands. Under the direction of David Robertson, Riener soloed in Louis Andriessen’s work TAO, together with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Michaela Riener was recently collaborating with New York-based composer Michael Gordon and the dance company EmioGreco / PC in “Popopera”, with performances in the Holland Festival and worldwide.