Czech mezzo-soprano Štěpánka Pučálková is one of today´s leading opera soloist. Born in Berlin, she completed her master´s degree at the Universitat Mozarteum Salzburg under the guidance of Prof. Elisabeth Wilke KS, E. Gramsse and J. Wallning. She was awared the Lilli Lehman Medal by the Stiftung Mozarteum for the outstanding achievements.
She was a finalist in the Hans Gabor Belvedere international competition, winning the "Best Female Voice" award at the Concours International de Belcanto Vincenzo Bellini in Marseille. She received an award from the director of the National Theatre and a nomination for the Thalia Award for her debut in the role of Charlotte (Werther) at the National Theatre in Prague.
She has been a soloist at the Semperoper in Dresden since the 2018/19 season, performing a number of key mezzo-soprano roles, such as Adalgisa (Norma), Page Urbain (Les Huguenots), Sesto Pompeo (Giulio Cesare), Cherubino (The Marriage of Figaro), Muse/Nicklausse (The Tales of Hoffmann), Rosina (The Barber of Seville), and Olga (Eugene Onegin). In the 2022/2023 season, she captivated audiences in Wagner's Ring Cycle conducted by Christian Thielemann, where she made her debut as Wellgunde (Das Rheingold, Götterdämmerung) and Waltraute (Die Walküre). Other notable roles include Messagera (L'Orfeo), Count Orlowski (Die Fledermaus), and Varvara (Káťa Kabanová).
She is a regular guest at the National Theatre in Prague, where she appeared in the role of Charlotte (Werther) in 2018. Since 2014, she has performed at the State Opera as Herodias' Page (Salome) and in Songs from Gurre. At the Estates Theater, she performed under the baton of maestro Plácido Domingo at the Mozart Birthday Concert in 2019 and in 2023 at her first song recital with Wagner's Five Songs on words by Mathilde Wesendock.
She shone in the title role of Carmen at the Vienna Volksoper and excelled as Octavian in Strauss's opera Der Rosenkavalier at the Leipzig Opera. She regularly performs at prestigious international festivals, including the Salzburg Festival, Mozart Week Salzburg, the Salzburg Easter Festival, and Dvořák Prague International Music Festival. At the 30th anniversary of the Krumlov Music Festival, she appeared as a guest of Plácido Domingo at the opening gala concert, During the 50th anniversary of the Salzburg Easter Festival, she made her debut in the role of Siegrune in the opera Die Walküre under the baton of Christian Thielemann. This production was also performed at the Beijing Music Festival in Beijing.
As well as performing as Carmen and Adalgisa (Norma) at the National Theatre, she will be a guest at several opera houses and festivals this season, including the Semperoper Dresden, Mozartwoche Salzburg, the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, the Teatro San Carlo in Naples and the Theater an der Wien. She will also perform with the Wiener Symphoniker at the Advent Concert in Vienna, conducted by Petr Popelka. She will perform Mahler's 'Song of the Earth' at the National Theatre under Robert Jindra's baton, and with the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra in Heilbronn under Risto Joost's baton.