The career of Australian mezzo-soprano Xenia Puskarz Thomas was launched on the stage of Salzburg's Felsenreitschule through a remarkable debut as Aglaja in Krzysztof Warlikowski’s hit production of Weinberg’s Der Idiot, under Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla. Puskarz Thomas earned unanimous critical acclaim for her Salzburg Festival debut, subsequently hailed as one of The New York Times’ “Top Five Breakout Artists of the 2024 Festival”, placing her firmly in the spotlight as one of the most exciting young artists of her generation.
Puskarz Thomas debuted at Glyndebourne Festival Opera last season, where her portrayal of the dual roles of as La Messaggera and La Speranza was the “standout performance” (Opera Now) in William Kentridge's new staging of Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, conducted by Jonathan Cohen. She returned to Salzburger Festspiele as Cecilio in Mozart’s Lucio Silla under Adam Fischer and appeared as Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel with Calgary Opera under Jonathan Brandani. Other recent debuts include as The Woman in George Benjamin’s Picture a Day Like This at Tiroler Festspiele, reprising the role at Teatro San Carlo, both under Corinna Niemeyer, and she joined Ensemble Pygmalion and Raphaël Pichon as Rossi’s Orfeo at the 2026 Adelaide Festival.
As part of her 2026/2027 season, Xenia Puskarz Thomas debuts with Opéra Comique in a special project entitled Zaïde ou le chemin de lumière with Ensemble Pygmalion under Raphaël Pichon, sings Siegrune in the new staging of Die Walküre at Osterfestspiele Salzburg, conducted by Kirill Petrenko and returns to Salzburger Festspiele for a revival of Der Idiot. In concert, she sings Rosanne in Handel’s Alessandro on tour with The English Concert and Harry Bicket, including at Carnegie Hall and sings Mozart Mass in c minor on tour with Ensemble Pygmalion and Raphaël Pichon, including at Philharmonie de Paris and Concertgebouw Amsterdam. She also joins Münchner Philharmoniker and Andrés Orozco-Estrada for Mendelssohn Die erste Walpurgisnacht at Munich's Isarphilharmonie.
A graduate of Bayerische Staatsoper’s Opernstudio, Puskarz Thomas’ work there included collaborations with conductors such as Vladimir Jurowski, Daniele Rustioni, and Henrik Nánási and a broad range of roles over two seasons including Lucienne (Die tote Stadt), Krystina (Die Passagierin), Dachsund/Woodpecker (The Cunning Little Vixen) in Barrie Kosky’s acclaimed staging, Flora (La Traviata) and Mercèdes (Carmen). At the Cuvilliés-Theater, she received unanimous praise for her interpretation of the challenging role of Saiko in Thomas Larcher’s Das Jagdgewehr.
An exemplary concert singer, Puskarz Thomas made her debut with Berliner Philharmoniker in Bach, Mass in B minor, conducted by Raphaël Pichon, joined Riccardo Minasi and Münchner Philharmoniker in Michael Haydn, Requiem and sang her first Beethoven, Symphony No.9 with Gewandhaus Orchester under Alan Gilbert.
A passionate advocate and performer of early music, Puskarz Thomas is a member of La Néréide together with sopranos Camille Allérat and Julie Roset, focused on music composed for female ensembles, presenting historically informed performance to champion rarely performed repertoire spanning several centuries. She is also a regular collaborator of the New York based Twelfth Night, appearing with them recently at Early Music Seattle, Arizona Early Music, and at Caramoor in Handel’s Aminta e Fillide, as well as in their programme ‘Elemental’ at Carnegie Hall.
Xenia Puskarz Thomas holds degrees from the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University and The Juilliard School, where she studied with Edith Wiens as a Kovner Fellow. Her awards include the Lady Fairfax New York Scholarship, Tinkler Encouragement Award and the 2026 Dame Heather Begg Memorial Award. She was a Young Artist with Opera Queensland in 2021.