Marie-Sophie Pollak studied at the Munich University of Music and Theatre, graduating with distinction. While still a student, she made her debut at the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music as Vespetta in Telemann's Pimpinone and was subsequently heard in the title role of Scarlatti's La Dirindina and as a soloist in Bach's Mass in B minor, both under the musical direction of Alessandro De Marchi.

The soprano is a regular guest with orchestras and ensembles including the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra, Dresden Philharmonic, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Concerto Köln, the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, the Canadian chamber orchestra “Les Violons du Roy”, the Ensemble Concerto München and Camerata Salzburg, working alongside conductors such as, Ivor Bolton, Gianluca Capuano, Thomas Hengelbrock, Bernard Labadie, Václav Luks, Alessandro De Marchi, Kent Nagano, Sir Roger Norrington, Hans-Christoph Rademann and Jean-Christophe Spinosi.

Highlights of previous seasons include Bach's Magnificat with the Würth Philharmonic Orchestra under Claudio Vandelli, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's Magnificat with the Carl-Philipp-Emanuel-Bach-Choir at the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, Bach's St John Passion with the Berlin Philharmonic Choir under Jörg Weigle and a concert of Christmas baroque music with Concerto Köln and flautist Max Volbers in the Cologne Philharmonie. Together with the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and the Audi Jugendchorakademie, Marie-Sophie Pollak performed the soprano part in Mendelssohn's oratorios Paulus and Elijah in Passau, Ingolstadt and at the Festival de Lanaudière in Canada. Together with the KlangVerwaltung Orchestra and the Tölzer Knabenchor under the direction of Thomas Guggeis she was a soloist in Bach's Christmas Oratorio at the Isarphilharmonie in Munich.

Marie-Sophie Pollak maintains a special artistic partnership with the Hamburg Ballet and John Neumeier, having performed in the latter’s adaptations of Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice, Bach's Christmas Oratorio and the Mass in B minor  (entitled “Dona nobis pacem”) at the Hamburg State Opera and the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden. She has additionally appeared under the direction of Kent Nagano in various projects, including Haydn's The Seasons and Mozart's Mass in C minor KV 427 at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, as well as Haydn's The Creation with the Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano and Trento, and in Madrid with the Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España.

Further notable projects include Mendelssohn's Elijah with the Balthasar Neumann Choir & Ensemble under Thomas Hengelbrock, Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice with the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin under Alexander Liebreich and Schumann's Das Paradies und die Peri – the latter both with the Gewandhaus Orchester Leipzig under Philippe Herreweghe, and with the Gürzenich Orchester Köln under François-Xavier Roth. At the Magdeburg Telemann Festival, accompanied by the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin under Georg Kallweit, Marie-Sophie Pollak gave another guest performance of Telemann's Intermezzo Pimpinone, while at the International Baroque Days at Melk Abbey she was heard in Telemann's rarely performed oratorio Der Tag des Gerichts under Ivor Bolton. Pollak’s collaboration with the RIAS Kammerchor Berlin took her to the Berlin Philharmonie for a New Year's concert under the direction of Justin Doyle, as well as to the Konzerthaus Berlin and the Schwetzingen SWR Festival in a staged adaptation of Purcell's King Arthur.

As Artist in Residence with the Philharmonie Südwestfalen, under the baton of its new principal conductor Ingmar Beck, Marie-Sophie Pollak will be appearing in several concerts during the current concert season, including the orchestra’s traditional Christmas concerts, a Baroque concert, chamber music concerts and a masterclass in collaboration with the University of Siegen. In addition, she will also appear as a soloist in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with the St. Gallen Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jörg Halubek.

Marie-Sophie Pollak's diverse discography reflects her artistic work to date. In addition to a recording of cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach based on texts by Martin Luther and conducted by Christoph Spering, her latest solo album, Bach vs Scheibe, released by Berlin Classics and featuring Concerto Köln and Max Volbers, merits special mention. The album contrasts selected arias and instrumental works by the two composers in the form of a musical dialogue.

2026 | 2027

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