The Year of Diana Damrau

2010 marked major events for soprano Diana Damrau. In May, the soprano secretly married baritone Nicolas Testé in Orange and on October 3 she gave birth to a son, Alexander, in Amsterdam (she has dubbed him the "little flying Dutchman"...). 

Also in October, she received the Kingdom of Bavaria's Maximilian Order for Art and Science honor. The award was established by King Maximilian II on November 28, 1853. Other recipients include Carl Orff, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Hermann Prey and Wolfgang Wagner.

Read more and watch videos of the soprano singing "Lied der Frauen" and "Das Rosenband" from her new Strauss recording with Christian Thielemann.

Singing engagements throughout the season took her to New York, Vienna, Munich, Paris, Berlin, Barcelona and Salzburg in operas including Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Hamlet, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Schweigsame Frau, Manon, Lucia di Lammermoor and La Fille du Régiment. 

On February 7, 2011, a new film by Beatrix Conrad called Diva Divina will be aired on ZDF/Arte. The 52 minute documentary follows the soprano around for nine months of her performing schedule and makes visits to her hometown of Günzburg as well as her new home in Geneva.