Coco Lau

»…mit einem gewaltigen hohen B komplexen Akkord des Tuttis gegenüberstellt. Die Sopranistin Coco Lau dominierte ihren auskomponierten ›Schrei‹, indem sich Wohlklang und Alarm überzeugend die Waage hielten.«

Die Rheinpfalz – S. Pohlit, 16.12.2025

»Die heikelste Partie meistert Coco Lau als Hilde Mack, deren vermeintliche Hysterie sich in ›irren‹ Koloraturen äußert.«

Salzburger Nachrichten – F. Oberhummer, 25.1.2024

»Die Sopranistin Coco Lau…interpretiert eindrucksvoll „Lady Lazarus“ aus dem Jahre 1992 nach einem Gedicht von Sylvia Path…zeigt sie in einer eindringlichen musikalischen Expressivität die pathologische Selbstsuche einer Frau, eine Selbstentäußerung, mit rotem Haar steht das lyrische Ich am Ende wieder wie ein Phönix auf. Aribert Reimann lässt die morbide Frauenfigur flüsternd sprechen, gibt ihr hohe Höhen, die Coco Lau mit ihrem schlanken klaren Sopran überzeugend meistert.«

Klassik-begeistert.de – P. Lehmann, 23.April 2023

Coco Lau is a soprano who grew up in Hong Kong. Her training in both classical and contemporary music in Austria and Germany makes her a versatile performer, with a repertoire ranging from baroque to contemporary compositions. Lau’s ability to learn music quickly and her sharp musical instincts have taken her to renowned festivals and stages, including the Schwetzinger SWR Festspiele (2025) in Adam & Eva by Mike Svoboda, Heidelberger Frühling (2025), Osterfestspiele Tirol, and the Münchener Biennale (2024), where she appeared in Die neuen Linien #1 and The Gates Are (Nearly) Open by Du Yun with NOVOFLOT in Berlin.

On the opera stage, Lau portrayed Hilda Mack in Hans Werner Henze’s Elegy for Young Lovers (1961) under conductor Gernot Sahler and director Alexander von Pfeil (2024). She premiered Hans-Joachim Hespos’s POÄM (2023), choreographed by Johannes Schropp at Hellerau, and appeared in Jean-Baptiste Marchand’s chamber opera Im Geheimnis at the Limina Festival with Ensemble œnm (2021). Earlier, she performed the role of Suor Osmina in Opera Hong Kong’s production of Suor Angelica (Puccini) in 2017.

Performance highlights include soprano solo for Hans Zender’s Les Sirènes chantent quand la raison s’endort (1966) contemporary music Ensemble El Perro Andaluz, Daniel Lo’s interdisciplinary music theatre Pressed for Love in Hong Kong Cultural Centre (2025), Ligeti’s Aventures et Nouvelles Aventures and the premiere of Dreiundzwanzig by Johannes X. Schachtner at the aDevantgarde Festival (2023), where she sang with Salome Kammer and Ensemble NAMES. Her interpretation of Aribert Reimann’s Lady Lazarus (1992), directed by Angelika Luz, has been featured in Salzburg, Berlin, and Dresden—including a special performance at the Semperoper as part of the symposium Ein Tag für Aribert Reimann in 2023.

Lau holds two master’s degrees from the Mozarteum University Salzburg: a Master of Arts in Voice with Michèle Crider and a Master of Music in Contemporary Music with Lisa Fornhammar. Her artistic development has been shaped by mentors including Manos Tsangaris, Jörn-Peter Hiekel, and Marino Formenti. She is currently based in Dresden, Germany.

(Update on 12-1-2025)

NDR Beitrag Vernissage Dunkel – Licht. Lichtinstallationen
https://www.ndr.de/kultur/kunst/niedersachsen/Licht-Zur-Ruhe-kommen-Ausstellung-von-Goetz-Lemberg,goetzlemberg100.html

Upcoming performance

2026

The Sound of Spirit

AuditivVokal Dresden | Conductor: Olaf Katzer

Dates: 31st January 2026
Start: 19:00
Location: Frauenkirche, Dresden

Auftritt: Lesung zum 1. Todestag von Gerhart Baum

AuditivVokal Dresden | Conductor: Olaf Katzer

Date: 15 February 2026
Details TBD

Music theatre: Ordo fluctus (world premiere)

Operation der Künste

Komposition: Jakob Böttcher, Hildegard von Bingen

Date: End of March 2026
Place: TD Berlin
Details TBD

PASSION Salzburg Festival

Pascal Dusapin (1955) Opera PASSION (2008)

Ensemble Modern | Schola Heidelberg

Date: 23 July 2026
Place: Kollegienkirche, Salzburg

Berio: Sinfonia

SCHOLA HEIDELBERG | Philharmonische Orchester Heidelberg

Date: 04., 05.11.2026
Place: Stadthalle Heidelberg

2027

Prometeo by Luigi Nono

SWR Symphonieorchester | SCHOLA HEIDELBERG

Dates & Time: Premiere on 6th March 2027 and more…
Location: Hamburg, Germany and more…

Opera by Ming Tsao (World Premiere)

Nationaltheater Mannheim | SCHOLA HEIDELBERG

Dates: Premiere 30th September 2027, Performance: 1st to 3rd October 2027
Time: TBD
Location: Mannheim Germany

Hans Zender: Les Sirènes chantent quand la raison s‘endort

Ensemble El Perro Andaluz | Conductor: Lennart Dohms

Date and time: 11th January 2026 18:00
Place: Zentralwerk e.V., Riesaer Str. 32, 01127 Dresden

Christmas Concerts

SCHOLA HEIDELBERG

Conductor: Ekkehard Windrich

Dates: 12th, 13th & 14th December 2025
Start: 20:00
Location: Heidelberg, Germany

Consolations II by Helmut Lachenmann

AuditivVokal Dresden

Conductor: Olaf Katzer

Dates & Time: 29. November 2025 at 19:30
Location: Concert Hall Hochschule für Musik Dresden
Programme: Consolation II by Helmut Lachenmann

World Premiere: Sammlung by Frédéric Durieux

SCHOLA HEIDELBERG | Ensemble Semblance

Conductor: Walter Nußbaum

Date: 5th October 2025, 15:30 Uhr
Location: Abbaye De Royaumont, Royaumont, France

World Premiere: Cantonese Art Song Theatre

SingFest 聲蜚合唱節
29, 30, 31 August 2025
Studio Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Hong Kong

https://www.singfest.hk/pressed-for-love

Artistic Concept: Kenix Tsang
Composer: Daniel Lo
Music Direction: Dominic Lam
Direction & Choreography: Ka Ki Li
Text: Wong Yi

Schwetzinger SWR Festspiele

Opera: Adam & Eva
World Premiere: 2 May 2025 & Performance: 4 May 2025
Rokokotheater, Schloss Schwetzingen

Composer & Conductor: Mike Svoboda
Librettist: Anne-May Krüger
Director: Andrea Moses
Stage Design: Heike Vollmer
Costume Design: Anja Rabes
Video: Sarah Derendinger
Dramaturgy: Christoph Blitt
Lighting Design: Paul Grilj

Positive Spaces

AuditivVokal Dresden

A New Year’s Concert Full of Metamodern Sound Experiences

Date: 14th January 2025
Start: 20:00
Location: Leonhardi-Museum Dresden, Dresden
Programme: Works by René Hirschfeld (World Premiere), Orlando di Lasso, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Kunsu Shim, and Gerhard Stäbler (World Premiere)

Biennale für Neue Musik

SCHOLA HEIDELBERG | ensemble aisthesis

Date: 31st January to 5th February 2025
Programme: https://klangforum-heidelberg.de/konzerte-termine
Details: https://www.biennale-neue-musik.de/

IN TRANSITION

An Interdisciplinary Performance as part of “Chemnitz 2025 – European Capital of Culture”

A fusion of music, visual art, and movement, exploring themes of transformation and cultural dialogue.

Date: 6th February 2025
Start: 18:00
Location: Zentrum für effiziente Hochtemperatur-Stoffwandlung, Universität Freiberg

Olivier Messiaen & György Ligeti

AuditivVokal Dresden Guest Performance with the Dresdner Philharmonie

Conductor: Jonathan Nott

Date: 22nd March 2025
Start: 19:30
Location: Kulturpalast Dresden
Programme:
- Igor Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps (1947 Version)
- György Ligeti: Lux Aeterna for 16-voice choir a cappella
- Olivier Messiaen: O Sacrum Convivium for choir a cappella
- Claude Debussy: Symphonic Suite from Pelléas et Mélisande, arranged by Jonathan Nott

KlangForum Heidelberg e.V. in Tirol

ensemble aisthesis & SCHOLA HEIDELBERG

Date: Friday, 4th April 2025
Start: 19:30
Location: Salzlager Hall, Saline 18, 6060 Hall in Tirol

2024

Grey Hair (World Premiere)

Concept/Producer/Composition: Ying Wang

Dates: 23rd November 2024, 19:00 & 24th November 2024, 17:00
Location: Hebelstraße 9, 69115 Heidelberg
Video/Light/Editing/Sound: Jakob Klaffs
Xier (Video): Coco Lau
Conductor/Electronics: Ekkehard Windrich

Medea Fragments (World Premiere)

Composer: Maximiliano A. Soto Mayorga

Date: 3rd December 2024
Start: 18:30
Location: silent green, Gerichtstraße 35, 13347 Berlin

Media

Repertoire

Opera / Music Theatre
Henze, Hans Werner	Elegie für junge Liebende (1961)	Hilda Mack
Marchand, Jean-Baptiste	Im Geheimnis	Sopran UA 28.10.2021
Puccini, Giacomo	Suor Angelica	Suor Osmina
Ligeti, György	Le Grand Macabre	Venus und Chef der Gepopo**
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus	Die Zauberflöte	1. Dame*
*Studied
**Studying

Concert

(Selection)
Hölszky, Adriana	Kommentare für Lauren für Sopran, acht Bläser und Schlagzeug (1978)
Ligeti, György	Aventures et Nouvelles Aventures (1923-2006)
Reimann, Aribert	Lady Lazarus (1992) Link
Wang, Ying	UA 23.11.2024 Grey Hair (Video)
Maximiliano Soto Mayorga	UA 3.12.2024 Medea Fragments
Hespos, Hans-Joachim	UA 06.05.2023 POÄM, Klangszene für 7 Vokalsolisten
Newski, Sergej	UA 12.05.2024 Requiem für Alexej Nawalny
Lang, Klaus	UA 03.06.2022 Mizu. Yuki (Sinfonia XXII.II)
Goeyvaerts, Karel	Litanie IV (1981) Link
Yun, Du	UA 5.6.2024 The Gates are (nearly) open
Feldman, Morton	Four songs to E. E. Cummings (1951) Soundcloud
Kagel, Mauricio	Der Turm zu Babel Nr 2: Und dann sagte der Herr
Korngold, Erich Wolfgang	3 Lieder Op. 22 Link

Studied Works
Berio, Luciano	Sinfonia for 8 voices and orchestra (1968)
Schönberg, Arnold	Pierrot lunaire, op. 21
Nono, Luigi	Djamila Boupachà (1962)
Szymanowski, Karol	Sechs Lieder der Märchenprinzessin Op. 31
Webern, Anton	3 Gesänge aus ‘Viae inviae’, Op.23
Kurtág, György	Kafka Fragmente Op. 24
Aperghis, Georges	Récitations

Oratorio
Bach, Johann Sebastian	Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen, BWV 51 (Aria) Matthäus-Passion, BWV 244 Aria: Blute nur, du liebes Herz Ich will dir mein Herze schenken Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben Weihnachtsoratorium, BWV 248 Aria: Flößt, mein Heiland
Handel, George Frideric	Messiah HWV 56
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus	Requiem KV 626
Brahms, Johannes	Ein Deutsches Requiem op. 45
Orff, Carl	Carmina Burana