Morenike Fadayomi
Soprano
Born in London, Morenike Fadayomi was raised in London, Nigeria, and Switzerland. After completing her dance education at the Colombo Dance Factory in Zürich, she took up her classical vocal training by Professor Mag. U. Preier-Raunacher in Vienna.
From July 1993 to July 1996 she was a Soloist at the Stadtheater Basel (Switzerland). Since August 1997 she is a Soloist at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Düsseldorf (Germany).
She has sung numerous major roles Internationally including the title role of Aida (Verdi, Aida), Abigaille (Verdi, Nabucco), Lady Macbeth (Verdi, Macbeth), Violetta (Verdi, Traviatta), Micaela and Carmen (Bizet, Carmen), Mimi (Puccini, La Bohème), Liu (Puccini, Turandot), Georgetta (Puccini, Trittico), Donna Elvira (Mozart, Giovanni), Marie (Smetana, Bartered Bride), Katerina Ismailova (Schowtakowitsch, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District), Katja Kabanova (Janacek, Katja Kabanova), Emilia Marty (Janacek, Makropolus), Rusalka (Dvorak, Rusalka), Marta (D'Albert, Tiefland), Marietta (Korngold, Die tote Stadt), Kaiserin (Strauss, Die Frau ohne Schatten), Salome (Strauss, Salome), Senta (Wagner, Flying Dutchmann).
In July 2002 she was a soloist at the prestigious Festival Aix en Provence in the world premier of Peter Eötvös' opera Le Balcon. Having gained a reputation as a talented singing actress, she was chosen for the world premier in Vienna March 2003 of another contemporary composer Franz Kogelmann for the opera Fear Death by Water.
Also a most sought after performer of the role of Bess from Gershwins opera Porgy and Bess in 2010 she completed a return engagement with the Washington National Opera after having premiered there as Bess in 2005, after which she was engaged by Placido Domingo to repeat her success at the Los Angeles Opera in 2007 and the Chacago Lyric Opera in 2008.
In 2011 she sang the title Role of Salome at the Komische Oper Berlin, at the Volksoper Vienna and at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Düsseldorf. In Düsseldorfs season 2013/2014 she performed the roles of Tosca (Puccini, Tosca), Chrysothemis (Strauss, Elektra), and has made her debut as Norma (Bellini, Norma), and also performed the role of Wally (Catalani, La Wally) at the Grand Theatre de Geneve, a role she also premiered 2005 at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Düsseldorf.
The season 2014/2015 she sang the premiere of a new production of Aida (Verdi, Aida), and also performed the roles of Tosca (Puccini, Tosca), and Georgetta (Puccini, Il tabarro) in Düsseldorf. She also premiered the role of Renata from Prokofjiev's The Fiery Angel at the Antonin Dvorak Theatre in Ostrava and at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires. And with the Barkheimer Tour (Harlem Opera) she again performed the role of Bess at the opera houses in Geneva, Breda (Festival) Amsterdam and Toulouse.
In the season 2015/2016 she again performed the roles of Aida (Verdi, Aida), Tosca (Puccini, Tosca), Georgetta (Puccini, Il tabarro) and also Giulietta (Offenbach, The Tales of Hoffmann), the role of Abigaille (Verdi, Nabucco) at the Antonin Dvorak Theater in Ostrava and the role of Norma (Bellini, Norma) at the Theater Luzern.
In the season 2016/2017 she sang her first Turandot (Puccini, Turandot) at the Theater Chemnitz and also at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, where she also sang Aida, (Verdi, Aida), Tosca (Puccini, Tosca), Senta (Wagner, The Flying Dutchman), the Witch (Humperdinck, Hansel and Gretel) and also the Petite Messe Solennelle from Rossini in cooperation with the Ballet of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein. She also performed the role of Kundry (Wagner, Parsifal) with the Theater Chemnitz.
In the Season 2017/2018 she again performed the role of Turandot (Puccini, Turandot) at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein along with the roles: Georgetta (Puccini, Trittico), Giulietta (Offenbach, Hoffmann), the Witch (Humperdinck, Hansel), Tosca (Puccini, Tosca), Senta (Wagner, The Flying Dutchmann), and she also made her debut as Amelia (Verdi, Un ballo in maschera) in Düsseldorf. And performed Turandot (Puccini, Turandot) again at the Theater Chemnitz.
In the Season 2018/2019 she performed Tosca (Puccini, Tosca), the roles of Santuzza (Mascagni, Cavalleria Rusticana) and the Witch (Humperdinck, Hansel and Gretel) again at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, and she also sang the 3. Norn (Wagner, Götterdämmerung) in the last part of the Ring premiere in Düsseldorf. She also performed at the Oper Freiburg in the new production of Cesar Franck, Hulda (Hulda). And sang one of her favorite roles, the Bess (Gershwin, Porgy and Bess) at the the Teatro del Regio Torino.
The season 2019/2020 she returned back to her "home" the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf to perform the roles of Tosca (Puccini, Tosca) the Witch (Humperdinck, Hansel and Gretel) and 3. Norn (Wagner, Götterdämmerung).
Unfortunately, due to the Coronavirus the schedule for the season 2020/2021 was limited until the end of the year 2020, however, fortunatly the Deutsche Oper am Rhein has come up with an interesting variety of 1 to 1 1/2 hour operas. Morenike Fadayomi’s parts were in the new production of Vissi d’Arte, a homage to opera and a smaller version of Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, where she again performed the Witch.
In 2021/2022 she will be singing at her home base the Deutsche Oper am Rhein an interesting project of the Weihnachtsoratorium from Bach, which will be arranged on stage with 12 soloists and chorus in a new production. Further she will be returning back as the Witch in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, and she will be singing the role of Santuzza again in the production Mascagni, Cavaleria/Pagliacci.
Her varied career has taken Morenike Fadayomi to various stages as the Bregenz Festival, Carnegie Hall, Semperoper Dresden, Opera Bologna, Opera Parma, Teatro dell Opera Roma, Het Muziektheater Amsterdam, Opéra national du Rhin, Strasbourg, etc. Festwochen Vienna, Volksopera Vienna, Washington National Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Komische Oper Berlin, etc.
She has also portrayed various diva parts in: Der Zigeunerbaron, The Merry Widow, Giuditta, Csárdásfürstin and Fledermaus, and has recorded Lehar, Eva; O. Strauss, The Pearls of Cleopatra; and Koglmann, Fear Death by Water.
