Chen Reiss

Chen Reiss (Hebrew: חן רייס‎‎; born 1979, Herzliya, Israel) is an Israeli operatic soprano. Her paternal grandparents have Hungarian ancestry, and her maternal grandparents have Turkish and Syrian ancestry. One of four children in her family, she began piano studies at age 5, ballet at age 7, and voice lessons at age 14. She decided to focus on vocal studies by age 16.
Following compulsory military service and the start of formal vocal studies in Israel, Reiss moved to New York City at age 20. She subsequently joined the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, where Zubin Mehta became a mentor. She has a particular interest in music of the Viennese classical era and has worked regularly with the Vienna State Opera, following her debut with the company in 2009. For the Christmas Eve 2014 Midnight Mass in the Vatican, Reiss sang 'Et Incarnatus Est' from Mozart's Mass in c, K 427, where Pope Francis had requested this particular mass for this service.
Reiss recorded a CD with songs and arias by Mozart, Schubert, Spohr and Lachner accompanied by the WDR Radio Orchestra, released in 2009. Another CD with Italian songs by Schubert and Donizetti was released in 2007. Her CD "Liaisons" received a "Diapason d'Or" by French magazine Diapason in 2011. She has recorded a song recital album "Le Rossignol et la Rose" with pianist Charles Spencer.