Art stele Emmi Leisner

Her talent was practically instilled in her. Emmi Leisner came from a highly musical family and would take the creative legacy to unprecedented heights – her career culminated in international tours and engagements at the Wagner Festival in Bayreuth. Emmi Leisner found relaxation in Kampen. In 1926, the "Sylt Foreign List" – at that time, all arriving guests were still publicly announced – reported on June 13th: "Arrival of Emmi Leisner, Kammersängerin from Berlin, accommodation at the "Kliffende" house in Kampen." Two years later, she had her own vacation home when she purchased a house in Kampen. Vocal studies in Berlin had laid the foundation for her career. At her very first major performance in the famous St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, the singer captivated audiences with her alto voice. This began a triumphant march that would take her through Europe, America, and even the Orient. Her particular love was the works of Brahms, Schubert, and Hugo Wolf. In her final years, Emmi Leisner worked as a vocal teacher, passing on her wealth of experience to young talents. The diva ("I love listening to the rhythm of the sea and the breath of the wind") remained in Kampen until near the end of her life. "She always returned to her home in Kampen from her guest performances, as the sea is a source of her creativity," noted the "Sylter Kurzeitung," paying tribute: "As an interpreter of classical and romantic song, she achieved worldwide renown. The gold of her voice seems inexhaustible." And the people of Sylt and their guests were treated to a taste of this: In 1951, the Kammersängerin's performance was a highlight of the "Sylt Festival Week," and a year later, she performed at the Westerland Kursaal with a symphony orchestra. Emmi Leisner also cultivated contacts with artists outside her field in Kampen. She enthused to the painter Siegward Sprotte: "Especially the dunes of List, in the evening light, exude a wonderfully extraterritorial atmosphere. It could be in the desert, in Persia, or in Mexico." And Albert Aereboe noted: "I was just painting Emmi Leisner. A very complicated work. But I managed to do it, as they say: as she lives and breathes." In her hometown of Flensburg, the singer, who was awarded the Schleswig-Holstein State Art Prize during her lifetime, received a belated tribute in 2010: At a celebration marking her 125th birthday, speakers emphasized her "role model function" - and at the same time expressed their surprise that Emmi Leisner had not been offered honorary citizenship in Flensburg at the time.