The versatile and charismatic Slovenian mezzo-soprano Barbara Kozelj has become an international star in the vocal firmament in recent years. She started her singing studies in Ljubljana and continued this in The Hague and Amsterdam where her singing teacher Sasja Hunnego spoke with admiration about her talent: 'Her Slovenian melancholic soul and the warmth of her personality can be heard in her beautiful voice.' After her debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 2013, her career accelerated. Under Iván Fischer she sang Bach's St Matthew Passion in Carnegie Hall. The press described her voice as "deep and dark" and "enchanting". Barbara performs with the world's most famous conductors and orchestras, making her BBC Proms debut in 2015. She also sang Penelope in Monteverdi's Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria at London's Barbican Hall with the Academy of Ancient Music and Richard Egarr. The press praised her for "the deep expressiveness with which she sang Monteverdi." Barbara regularly gives song recitals with Julius Drake, Thomas Beijer and Phyllis Ferwerda. Contemporary composers write for her and in 2019 she made a big impression on the press and the public with her debut role as Brangäne in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde at Opera Leipzig.