Diana Syrse (born Diana Syrse Valdés Rosado, 1984, Mexico City) is a Mexican-German composer and singer based in Paris. She is recognized as one of the first Latin American composers to receive commissions from major German opera houses, including the Bayerische Staatsoper and the Staatsoper Hamburg. Her catalogue comprises more than 115 works spanning opera, music theatre, orchestral, choral, chamber, electroacoustic, and song. Her music is published by Ricordi[1] in Berlin, Éditions Lacroch’[2] in Paris, and Sur Editions [3].
Early life and education
Syrse was born in Mexico City in 1984. She began musical studies at the National School of Music (Mexico City) in 1992. She studied voice and composition at the Faculty of Music of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), graduating summa cum laude.
She subsequently obtained a Master of Arts in Composition (Composer-Performer Program) at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Los Angeles, studying with Wolfgang von Schweinitz and Marc Lowenstein. After a year at Indiana University Bloomington, she completed a second Master’s degree in Composition at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München (score: 1.0), studying with Moritz Eggert. In 2023 she completed a PhD in Composition at the University of Birmingham (UK), under the supervision of Daria Kwiatkowska and Scott Wilson.
She holds Mexican and German nationality and currently resides in Paris.[4]
Career
Early work and Munich years
During her studies in Munich, Syrse became a central figure in the city’s contemporary music scene. She founded and led the Breakout Ensemble (2014–2015), an interdisciplinary group based in Munich. In 2013 she was commissioned by the Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste to compose Ventanas (for string quartet, soprano, and crystal cups), premiered at the Residenz München. In 2014 she received the Music Prize of the City of Munich (Musikpreis der Landeshauptstadt München).
Between 2016 and 2019 she served as composer-in-residence for multiple productions directed by Ersan Mondtag: at Schauspiel Frankfurt (2016), the Berliner Ensemble (2017), and the Münchner Kammerspiele (2018).
Opera and music theatre
Syrse has been involved in more than fifteen opera and music theatre productions. In 2018–2019 she was composer-in-residence at the Staatsoper Hamburg, where the collaborative opera Die Nacht der Seeigel [5] (co-composed with Huihui Cheng and Mischa Tangian) premiered in May 2019. In 2021 the opera Der Kiosk [6] (commissioned by the Deutsche Oper am Rhein) had its premiere in Düsseldorf.
She is the first Latin American composer commissioned by the Bayerische Staatsoper. Her opera Liberty [7] is scheduled for world premiere on April 30, 2027, in Munich, with further performances in May 2027. Her opera Hotel Moctezuma [8] , commissioned by the Opéra Orchestre national Montpellier Occitanie, is scheduled to premiere on April 15, 2027.
Orchestral and choral works
Key orchestral works include Connected Identities Part I (2017, voice, orchestra and electronics, commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel; premiered at Walt Disney Concert Hall) [9], The Invention of Sex – Connected Identities Part II (2020, commissioned by the New Juilliard Ensemble; premiered at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center) [10] , Géante rouge (2021, commissioned by the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France for the Festival Présences; premiered at the Philharmonie de Paris) [11] , Ciudad de México (2023, commissioned by the Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería) [12] , Quetzalcóatl (2023, commissioned by the Musikkollegium Winterthur) [13] , and Multiplicidad (2025, commissioned by the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen) [14] .
Choral works include Alas de noche (2023, commissioned by the Los Angeles Master Chorale; premiered at Walt Disney Concert Hall) [15] , and Así habló la cierva de Ceryneia (commissioned by Musicatreize/Philharmonie de Paris; world premiere scheduled February 14, 2027).
As performer
Syrse is also an active performer of her own works, having studied bel canto, extended vocal techniques, jazz, and improvisation. She has performed at venues including the Musée du Quai Branly (Paris), Alice Tully Hall (New York), and the Philharmonie de Paris.
Teaching and jury work
She has been invited as guest artist and lecturer at the Juilliard School (New York, 2022), Yale University, and the Tanglewood Festival. She has served as a juror at the Carmen Mateu European Opera Award (Barcelona, 2021) and for the selection of the anthem of the State of Guanajuato, Mexico (2024).
Awards and recognition
- Music Prize of the City of Munich (Musikpreis der Landeshauptstadt München), 2014
- Una Vita nella Musica Giovani Prize, Teatro La Fenice, Venice, 2022
- Ricordilab Competition Winner, 2022 (leading to publication by Ricordi Berlin)
- FEDORA Audience Prize, 2024 (for Hotel Moctezuma) [16]
- Finalist, International Opera Composition Competition NTM, 2021
- Counterpoint of Tolerance Project, Los Angeles, 2008–2009
- Grant from Mexico’s Sistema Nacional de Creadores (FONCA)
Residencies and fellowships
- Civitella Ranieri Foundation (2026, Umbria, Italy)
- Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris (2021–2022, funded by the Bayerisches Staatsministerium)
- Deutsches Studienzentrum in Venice (2022, funded by the Bayerisches Staatsministerium)
- Banff Centre, Canada (2012)
- Akademie Musiktheater heute, Deutsche Bank Stiftung (2016–2018)
- Académie d’Aix-en-Provence (2018)
- Ricordilab program (2021)
Selected works
Opera
- La Tortura (2008), chamber opera
- Marea Roja (2016), opera for six female voices and chamber orchestra
- Arsenikblüten (2014), opera in six movements
- Die Nacht der Seeigel (2019), co-composed with Huihui Cheng and Mischa Tangian; Staatsoper Hamburg
- Der Kiosk (2020), Deutsche Oper am Rhein
- Hotel Moctezuma (in progress), Opéra national de Montpellier — world premiere 2027
- Liberty (in progress), Bayerische Staatsoper — world premiere 2027
Orchestra
- Connected Identities Part I (2017), voice, orchestra and electronics; Los Angeles Philharmonic
- The Invention of Sex – Connected Identities Part II (2020), New Juilliard Ensemble
- Géante rouge (2021), Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France
- Ciudad de México (2023), Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería
- Quetzalcóatl (2023), Musikkollegium Winterthur
- Multiplicidad (2025), Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen
- Ancient Cyberpunk (2025), symphonic orchestra and electronics
Choral
- Alas de noche (2023), Los Angeles Master Chorale
- Así habló la cierva de Ceryneia (commissioned by Musicatreize; premiere 2027)
References
- https://www.ricordi.com/en-US/Composers/S/Syrse-Diana.aspx
- https://lacroch.com/catalogue/lacroch/diana-syrse/#
- https://www.sureditions.com/composers/syrse
- https://www.dianasyrse.com/copy-of-english-1
- https://www.die-deutsche-buehne.de/kritiken/das-ich-im-andern/
- https://www.operamrhein.de/en/schedule/a-z/der-kiosk/
- https://www.staatsoper.de/en/productions/liberty
- https://www.opera-orchestre-montpellier.fr/evenements/hotel-moctezuma/
- https://culturalattache.co/2017/10/16/composer-diana-syrse-connected-identity-cdmx/
- https://www.quaibranly.fr/fr/expositions-evenements/au-musee/spectacles-fetes-et-evenements/concerts/details-de-levenement/e/identites-connectees-38915
- https://www.radiofrance.fr/francemusique/podcasts/le-concert-de-20h/concert-4-festival-presences-2021-diana-syrse-pascal-dusapin-bartok-8684665
- https://www.ricordi.com/de-DE/News/2023/06/Syrse-Ciudad-de-Mexico.aspx
- https://www.ricordi.com/en-US/News/2023/09/ricordilab-wrap-up-2023.aspx
- https://bremer-philharmoniker.de/media/pages/abendprogrammhefte/02f4ad493b-1776353867/r_phiko1_ap_25-26_web_einzel.pdf
- https://lamasterchorale.org/show-details/choose-something-like-a-star
- https://actu.fr/occitanie/montpellier_34172/montpellier-un-futur-opera-par-l-opera-orchestre-de-montpellier-recompense-a-vienne-par-l-organisme-fedora_62599455.html