Austrian Coloratura Beate Ritter has Died, Aged 41

Ritter, a long-time member of the Vienna Volksoper, passed away following a short, serious illness

Born in 1983 in Grieskirchen, Austria, Beate Ritter attended the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and later studied classical solo singing at the Vienna Conservatory. In 2009, she made her operatic debut at the Theater an der Wien as Yniold in Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande. 

In 2010, Ritter joined the Vienna Volksoper and debuted there in Mozart’s The Abduction from the Seraglio. During her time with the company until 2018, she sang in 295 performances.

From 2018 to 2024, Ritter was a member of the ensemble at the Stuttgart State Opera and was working as a freelancer. 

Her most frequently sung roles included the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute (84 times), Adele in Die Fledermaus (46 times), and Olympia in The Tales of Hoffmann (14 times). 

Other roles were Gilda (Rigoletto), Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier), Anna Reich (The Merry Wives of Windsor), Rosina (The Barber of Seville), Johanna (Sweeney Todd), Stasi ( he Csárdás Princess), Annina (A Night in Venice), Walter (La Wally), and Helene (The Opera Ball).

In January this year, she played Irene in the Strauss operetta The Queen's Lace Cloth, which marked the reopening of the Musiktheater an der Wien. Ritter sang her last show at Staatsoper Stuttgart in April. 

Prior to her passing, she was scheduled to return to Volksoper this fall to sing the Queen of the Night again in the new production of The Magic Flute by Lotte de Beer. 

“Beate Ritter was acclaimed by audiences and a highly valued and popular member of the Volksoper ensemble,” Volksoper wrote in a tribute. “Even after her departure, she returned to our house as a guest again and again, always receiving a warm welcome.

“In the fall of 2025, she was supposed to return to the Volksoper in her signature role as the Queen of the Night in the new production of The Magic Flute. We are deeply saddened that this is no longer possible.”

Our condolences to Ms. Ritter’s family, friends, and colleagues.