Barbara Jernejčič Fürst, mezzo-soprano

 was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia. She studied chorus conducting and solo singing with Karl Ernst Hoffmann at the University of Music and Dramatic Arts in Graz. She passed a degree exam with distinction and became a Master of Arts and Music.

 She was a member of the Flanders Opera in Gent, Belgium, and a scholarship-holder of the Steans Institute for Young Artists within the framework of the Ravinia Festival in Chicago.

In the meantime she attended master classes of M. Lipovšek, Ch. Ludwig, D. Fischer-Diskau, M. Martinu, R. Piernay and classes for the baroque singing with B. Schlick and Ch. Rousset.

On the stages of Theater in Palais in Graz, the Flanders Opera in Gent, Antwerpen, Theather an der Wien, Vienna Chamber Opera, Festival Retz, Maribor and Ljubljana she performed in the roles of Kerubin in the Wedding of Figaro, the Second Lady in the Magic Flute and Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte written by W. A. Mozart, in the role of Ruggiero in Händl's Alcina, the Third Lady in the chamber opera Requiem for Fanny Goldmann written by Mia Schmidt, in the role of Lucrecia in the Rape of Lucretia by B. Britten, Siebel in Gounodov's Faust and Lisinga in Gluck's Le cinesi, Trommler in Ullmann`s Kaiser von Atlantis, Nerone in Monteverdi’s  L’incoronazione di Popppea…

As a concert singer she cooperated within the framework of the Glasbena mladina of Ljubljana and the Ljubljana Festival, Festival Kogojevi dnevi, Festival Radovljica, as well as at Steiricher Herbst Festival, the Bregenzer Festspiele Festival, the Sryarte Festival, the Internationale Woche für ale Musik Krieglach, Festival Ecchi lontani, Wien Modern, Zagrebški bienale, Klangwerktage Hamburg, Frühling Festival in Musikverein, Carinthischer Sommer and others with Slovene philharmonic Orchestra, Radio Orchestra, Slowind, La petite bande, Armonico Tributo Austria, Solamente naturali, Musica Aeterna, Klangforum Wien, Niederösterreichische Tonkünstlerorchestra, ORF Radio- Symphonieorchestra Vienna and conductors A.Nanut, U.Lajovic, M.Munih, D. de Villiers, G.Pehlivanina, S.Kuijken, M.Haselböck, P.Rossi, D.Masson, D.Runnicles, S.Camberlin, J.Kalitzky, R.Togneti, B.Aitken....  with works such as Pergolesi Stabat mater, Bach Magnificat, St.Matthew Passion, St.John Passion and  Cantatas, Mozart Requiem, Händel The Messiah, Vivaldi Gloria, Bruckner Te Deum, Donizetti Messa di Gloria e Credo, Durufle Requiem, Honneger Le Roi David, Monteverdi Vespro della beata Vergine, Saint-Saen Christmas Oratorio, Varèse Offrandes, Lebič Zgodba- Fable, Globokar Sternbild der Grenze, Carter A Mirror on which to dwell, Tempo e tempi, Messiaen Poèmes pour Mi, Ravel Shéhérazade, Berg Sieben frühe Lieder…

 

She is one of the rare performers focused on the contemporary works of Slovene composers (she sang over 50 first performances) such as Jež, Šivic, Kogoj, Petrić, Globokar, Rojko, Habe, Golob, Mihelčič, Srebotnjak, Sojar-Voglar, U.Pompe, L.Vrhunc, B.Jež Brezavšček…

She published an album with an entire opus of songs of Marij Kogoj and an album “Dotiki” with Slovene composers’ works for solo voice and arias from Monteverdi and album “In the Hollow of Heaven” with Slovene composers’ works for mezzosoprano and piano.

She is Professor for Singing at Music Academy in Ljubljana.