Hulkar Sabirova, praised by the press for her “astonishingly rich and open tone” (Financial Times), her “luxury instrument,” her “clear, effortless high notes,” and her “rich and creamy” voice (Bachtrack), is one of the leading dramatic coloratura sopranos of our time, capable of tackling the most demanding roles by Bellini, Donizetti, Mozart, Rossini, and Verdi.

In the 2026/27 season she debuts the role of Abigaille in Nabucco with Oper Leipzig and Oper Würzburg. She is a frequent guest at Deutsche Oper Berlin, where she most recently made her role debut in the title role of Verdi’s Aida and has also appeared as Hélène in Les vêpres siciliennes, Leonora in La forza del destino, Il viaggio a Reims, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, and soprano soloist in the highly acclaimed production of Verdi’s Messa da Requiem directed by Christian Spuck.

Sabirova began the 2025/26 season as Rosalinde in Stefan Herheim’s new production of Die Fledermaus at Musiktheater an der Wien, and also appeared on the concert stage in Weinberg’s “Kaddish” Symphony with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France under Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla. She has brought her celebrated portrayal of Rosalinde to major stages throughout Europe, including Opernhaus Zürich, Vienna State Opera, Dutch National Opera, Staatsoper Hamburg, and Semperoper Dresden.

In recent seasons she has also appeared as Leonora in La forza del destino at the Opéra National de Lyon, Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail at Staatsoper Hamburg, Semperoper Dresden, and the Savonlinna Opera Festival; Leonora in Il trovatore at the St. Gallen Festival; and Lucio Cinna in Lucio Silla and Elettra in Idomeneo at the Teatro Real Madrid.

Other guest engagements have taken Sabirova to the Aalto-Theater Essen, where she celebrated great success as Olympia in Les contes d’Hoffmann and as Adele in Die Fledermaus. She also performed at the Rossini Festival in Pesaro, singing the role of Contessa de Folleville in Il viaggio a Reims. A particular highlight was her performance in Verdi’s Messa da Requiem with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Hulkar Sabirova began her formal vocal training at the age of sixteen at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Mannheim, where she also participated in masterclasses with Kammersängerin Brigitte Fassbaender and won a special prize at the Anneliese-Rothenberger Singing Competition. Her musical education began at the age of seven, with piano and violin at the state boarding school for musically gifted children in her home country, Uzbekistan.

As a scholarship holder of the Weisweiler Foundation, she began her career at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, where she quickly became a member of the ensemble for three seasons. During this time, she performed roles such as the Queen of the Night, Frasquita in Carmen, and Sopranist 1 in Das Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern by Helmut Lachenmann, a role she later reprised at the Ruhrtriennale Festival. Additionally, she was an ensemble member at the Staatstheater Kassel for three years, where she gave several acclaimed role debuts, including Rosalinde, Iphigénie in Iphigénie en Tauride, Vitellia in La clemenza di Tito, Konstanze, and Norma.

Sabirova has performed under the baton of conductors such as Ivor Bolton, Marek Janowski, Enrique Mazzola, Pier Giorgio Morandi, Donald Runnicles, Giacomo Sagripanti, and Tugan Sokhiev, and has worked with directors Jan Bosse, Robert Carsen, Claus Guth, Damiano Michieletto, and Robert Wilson.