Maria Riccarda Wesseling was born in Graubunden (Switzerland) and has a love for her native mountain lakes. She studied with Hedwig Vonlanthen, Elisabeth Glauser, Margreet Honig and is currently being coached by Barbara Martig.

On 6 June 2006, the day of the premiere of Iphigenie en Tauride in Paris, the Opera National decided to have Maria Riccarda Wesseling replace Susan Graham in the title role(Krzysztof Warlikowski/Marc Minkowski production). After her outstanding performance, media and public acknowledge: „une decouverte“ – a discovery (Les Echos). Yet on the premiere night the mezzo-soprano was re-engaged for the consecutive Gluck production at the Paris National Opera: Orphee with Thomas Hengelbrock and Pina Bausch. The performance on 16 February was broadcasted live by Arte TV, the first time Pina Bausch permitted one of her productions to be televised live (DVD release will follow). Additional performances broad the production to the Hellenic Festival at the ancient amphitheatre in Epidaurus in July 2008 and were followed by the artist's role debut Eurydice in the Paris version with Jeremy Rhorer at the Festival de Beaune the same month. Maria Riccarda Wesseling received equal attention with her interpretation of title role Phaedra on occasion of the world creation of Henze’s latest composition at the Staatsoper Berlin in co-production with the Theatre National de la Monnaie in September 2007: "The great mezzo-soprano Maria Riccarda Wesseling is an ideal cast." (Deutschlandradio Kultur).

Meanwhile an appreciated interpreter of Gluck (Iphigenie en Tauride, Orpheus, Eurydice) Maria Riccarda Wesseling especially performs Carmen, Octavian, Idamante, and Sextus in La clemenza di Tito, Cenerentola, Rosina, Fenena, Berlioz’ Marguerite, Offenbach’s Hedwig in Die Rheinnixen (with Marc Minkowski at the Opera National de Lyon) and Giulietta in Les Contes d’Hoffmann (Premiere at the Grand Theatre de Geneve on 19 October 2008). Her interpretation of Offenbach’s Metella in La Vie Parisienne (Laurent Pelly production) in December 2007 was recorded on DVD for EMI and broadcasted on television and radio throughout Europe. At the same time Metella was the artist’s fourth principal role at the Opera National de Lyon in only two years. There, also in 2007, she performed von Zemlinsky’s Bianca in Eine florentinische Tragodie, a role that brought her to the Oper Frankfurt three weeks after the premiere in Lyon and to the Festival de Opera de Tenerife later that same year.

Next to the late 18th to early 20th century music, Ms Wesseling’s repertoire includes Purcell’s Dido and Handel roles such as Rodrigo, Rinaldo, Amadigi, Giulio Cesare + Sestus, Dejanira in Hercules and Medea in Teseo (on DVD at Arthaus) and stretches to contemporary music including the dramatic coloratura role Kassandra in Aribert Reimann’s Troades, Le Pelerin in Kaija Saariaho’s L’amour de loin (Peter Sellars' production at the Finnish National Opera Helsinki), Olga in Peter Eotvos’ Tri Sestri and Duchessa di Malaspina in Sciarrino’s Luci mie traditrici.

In the vocal-symphonic field Maria Riccarda Wesseling sings Berlioz’ Les Nuits d’ete and La mort de Cleopatre, Ravel’s Sheherezade, Respighi’s Il Tramonto, Chausson’s Poeme de l’amour et de la mer, Wagner’s Wesendonck-Lieder + Adieu de Marie Stuart + Meine Ruh' ist hin (recorded in a chamber version by Coviello, to be released in October 2008), orchestra songs of Schonberg, Zemlinsky, Berg, Mahler and Strauss (CD release by Claves), plus a variety of sacred music/oratorio. Lieder is the artist’s hobby-horse. In a staged recital she performed a selection of Alma Mahler’s compositions, combined with Lieder of Gustav Mahler and von Zemlinsky, at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam in April 2008. A similar program, with additionally Lieder of Clara Schumann and Lily Boulanger, will be released by Claves in October 2008 – Ms Wesseling’s 3rd solo CD with this label; and 7th CD release in total.

The artist performs at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees Paris (title role Rodrigo, recorded for Naive in May 2007), Opera National de Paris, Opera National de Lyon, Theatre National de la Monnaie Bruxelles, Grand Theatre de Geneve, Finnish National Opera Helsinki, Staatsoper Berlin, Semperoper Dresden, Oper Frankfurt, Philharmonie-Essen, Philharmonie- Koln, Tonhalle-Zurich, Palau de la Musica-Barcelona, Concertgebouw Amsterdam as well as the festivals in amongst others Montpellier (Radio France), Beaune, Bremen (Musikfest), Halle, Schwetzingen and Zurich (Zurcher Festwochen). She works with conductors such as Peter Eotvos, Vladimir Fedosejev, Thomas Hengelbrock, Philippe Herreweghe, Christopher Hogwood, Jesus Lopez-Cobos, Susanna Malkki, Marc Minkowski, Jeremie Rhorer, Jean-Christophe Spinozi, Alberto Zedda; and stage directors like Pina Bausch, Peter Mussbach, Laurent Pelly, Peter Sellars and Krzysztof Warlikowski.

Her solo CDs Wien 1900 and Handel Heroines appeared at Claves, Naive has released Amadigi (title role) and Rodrigo (also title role). On DVD there is Medea in Teseo at Arthaus, as well as Metella in La Vie Parisienne in the Laurent Pelly/Opera National de Lyon production to be released by EMI in 2008. A DVD recording of title role Orpheus in the Pina Bausch/Opera National de Paris production will follow thereafter. Claves releases in October 2008 the artist's 3rd solo CD (program: Lied). Coviello releases, also in October 2008, the CD recording of a Wagner program in a chamber orchestra version.

Future engagements include Giulietta in Les Contes d?Hoffmann with Olivier Py and Patrick Davin at the Grand Theatre de Geneve, Prinz Orlowsky in Die Fledermaus with Friedrich Haider and Johannes Schaaf at De Nederlandse Opera Amsterdam, 2 productions at ABAO/Opera Bilbao: Sestus in Giulio Cesare with Eduardo Lopez Banzo and Yannis Kokkos + title role Carmen with Patrick Davin and Arnaud Bernard. In the concert field she is scheduled to perform the Ruckert-Lieder, Paulus and Johannespassion with conductors such as Vladimir Fedosejev and Riccardo Chailly, as well as a solo recital at the Tonhalle