Biography
Julie Comparini undertook professional stage acting training at a young age and later completed degrees in cognitive science/linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley and early music singing at the Hochschule für Künste in Bremen.
A specialist in early music, new music and multimedia theater, their repertoire includes rare or newly re-discovered early operas such as Le Cinesi, The Dragon of Wantley, Orpheus, oder die wunderbare Beständigkeit der Liebe and Doktor und Apotheker as well as in interdisciplinary theater pieces such as the„Stadtteiloper“ Menuchims Reise, the world premiere of the operetta Cabaret Voltaire and the scenic production Weihnachtsoratorium unwrapped. Their own creations of multimedia projects and scenic concerts such as Meeresleuchten, Some Strange Felicity, Métamorphoses and De nachtegaal have enjoyed performances in multiple European countries.
As a concert and oratorio soloist, Julie Comparini sang the title role in the modern premiere of Simon Mayr’s Jacob a Labano fugiens and has performed under the direction of Olof Boman, Michi Gaigg, and Thomas Hengelbrock. They appear regularly in concerts and scenic productions by the Bremer Arbeitnehmerkammer and have sung more than 100 Bach cantatas as part of the project “Laudate-Cantate” at the Kirche Unser Lieben Frauen in Bremen. In 2020, composer Ailís Ní Ríain wrote the song cycle Watershed for them and Irish Arts Council Music Commissions Award recipient Yonit Kosovske. 2024 saw the release of Pone spes in planctu amaro, Julie Comparini's CD of solo motets and sonatas by Isabella Leonarda.
As a professional choir singer, Julie Comparini has performed with ensembles such as the Balthasar-Neumann-Chor, the Schola Heidelberg, the Rheinische Kantorei, the Berliner Vocalconsort and Ensemble Weser-Renaissance as well as in experimental opera productions such as SANCTA by Florentina Holzinger.
Their academic work includes lectures, seminars, teaching voice and Renaissance notation, and translating Baroque song texts. They founded the Musikfilmfestival Bremen with harpsichordist Alina Rotaru and curated it from 2013-2019.