Singer Claudia Barainsky studied in her hometown Berlin at the University of the Arts with Ingrid Figur, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Aribert Reimann and is internationally considered to be one of the most versatile singers whose extensive repertory covers all eras of music.

She made her debut with the title role in Aribert Reimann's „Melusine“ at the Semperoper Dresden where she also sang in Mozart's „Magic Flute“ Queen of the Night and Pamina,
In “The Abduction from the Seraglio” Konstanze, Sophie in Strauss’ „Rosenkavalier“, Hasses „Cleofide“ und Badi’at in Henzes' „L’Upupa“. She sang roles such as Anna in Marschner's „Hans Heiling“ (Deutsche Oper Berlin under Christian Thielemann), the title role in Keiser's „Octavia“ as well as in Alban Berg's „Lulu“ and the role of Marie in „Wozzeck“ (La Monnaie, Brussels). The part of Marie in Bernd Alois Zimmermann's „Die Soldaten“ became a milestone in her career, as she sang this role several times in top-class productions (Willy Decker / Nederlandse Opera Amsterdam and David Pountney / Ruhrtriennale following an invitation with him to the Lincoln Center Festival in New York).

For her outstanding interpretation and performance in the title role of Aribert Reimann's German premiere of “Medea” at the Frankfurt Opera Claudia Barainsky was awarded the German Theatre Prize "Der Faust". In december 2010 Barainsky debuted at Vienna State Opera in the same role of the same production with huge success.

Highlights of recent seasons include her interpretation of Maria Magdalena in the highly acclaimed premiere of „Wunderzaichen“ by Mark Andre (Cambreling/Wieler/Morabito) at the Staatstheater Stuttgart, her acclaimed role debut in Richard Strauss‘ Daphne in Toulouse (Haenchen/Kinmonth) and her role debut as Saffi in "The Gipsy Baron" by J. Strauß with NDR Radio Philharmonic and the NDR Choir under the baton of Lawrence Foster (CD live recording published by Pentatone).

Her wide variety of repertory includes soprano parts of numerous cantatas, oratorios and orchestra songs, Beethoven's 9th, Mahler's 2nd, 4th and 8th Symphony and works regularly written by composers for her. This claim to fame makes this artist a welcome guest at major concert venues and festivals (amongst others at Grafenegg, "Wien Modern" Festival, Beethovenfest Bonn, Bayreuth and Salzburg Festival, Aldeburgh Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Musikfestival) and to a singer and artistic partner of great importance to conductors such as Gerd Albrecht, Marc Albrecht, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Michael Boder, Herbert Blomstedt, Frans Brüggen, Christoph Eschenbach, Michael Gielen, Daniel Harding, Marek Janowski, Emmanuel Krivine, Zubin Mehta, Ingo Metzmacher, Sir Roger Norrington, Kazuchi Ono, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Tugan Sokhiev or Lothar Zagrosek.

Barainsky performed with numerous orchestras, as a few to be mentionend: Philharmonia Orchestra and BBC Orchestra London, Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, MDR Symphony Orchestra, Konzerthausorchester and Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin, German Symphony Orchestra Berlin, Munich Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, WDR-, BR- and NDR Radio Symphony Orchestras, NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokio, Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.

As chamber music and recitals are of great significance in her musical creativitiy her artistic partners are time and again Lied accompanists Axel Bauni, Eric Schneider, Burkhard Kehring, Jan Philip Schulze as well as Klangforum Wien, Ensemble Musikfabrik, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Concerto Köln and Scharoun Ensemble.

Future projects include concerts at Berlin Philharmonie on the occasion of Aribert Reimann´s 80th anniversary with the German Symphony Orchestra Berlin conducted by Tugan Sokiev. Henze's „Nachtstücke und Arien“ with the Munich Philharmonics under Constantin Trinks, Brahms’s „German Requiem“ in December 2016 in Toulouse with the Orchestre National de Toulouse and Tugan Sokiev, Beethoven's 9th Symphony with Hamburg Symphonics at year end as well as the revival of Aribert Reimann’s Medea (Medea) at Vienna State Opera with Vienna Philharmonics under the baton of Michael Boder (April 2017).