Anne Sofie von Otter has achieved a reputation as one of the finest mezzo-sopranos in Europe and the USA. She has performed at many of the world's greatest opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Royal Opera House (Covent Garden), La Scala Milan and the Deutsche Oper Berlin. In 1984 she made her debut with the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome under Giuseppe Sinopoli. Her 1985 debut at Covent Garden as Cherubino led to appearances in Munich, as well as to a series of Berlioz performances, under the direction of Sir Colin Davis. At Covent Garden she also sang for the first time the title role of La Cenerentola (1991). In 1994 Anne Sofie von Otter made her Vienna State Opera debut as Idamante in Idomeneo. The artist toured Japan in 1994, appearing in Der Rosenkavalier with the Vienna State Opera ensemble.

Anne Sofie von Otter has also made a name for herself at international festivals. In 1984 she performed at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, and then at the Berlioz Festival in Lyon, singing in L'Enfance du Christ and in La Damnation de Faust under John Eliot Gardiner. The year 1992 saw her debut at the Salzburg Easter Festival with performances of Wolf's Spanisches Liederbuch, which she also sang in London's Wigmore Hall in 1993. At the Salzburg Festival 1992 she appeared as Ramiro in Mozart's La finta giardiniera and returned there in 1994 to sing in Mozart's C minor Mass with John Eliot Gardiner and the English Baroque Soloists. In 1996 Anne Sofie von Otter gave her first recital at the Salzburg Festival and made an extensive tour of Europe and North America, which included her acclaimed USA recital debut. She received enthusiastic press acclaim for her performance of Handel's Ariodante (under Marc Minkowski) throughout Europe in January 1997.

In 1990 Anne Sofie von Otter was named "Recording Artist of the Year" with an INTERNATIONAL RECORD CRITICS AWARD. In 1995 she was honored as "Singer of the Year" at the CANNES CLASSICAL AWARDS and at Germany's ECHO-KLASSIK AWARDS. She was named "Artist of the Year" at the GRAMOPHONE AWARDS 1996 and in France with the DIAPASON D'OR 1997.

In 1999 the artist sang works by Korngold in New York and several European cities including Paris and Vienna. In addition she participated in performances of Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea in Aix-en-Provence and in a program of works by Bertali, Vivaldi and Ferrandi together with Musica Antiqua Köln in Canada and the U.S.A.

Anne Sofie von Otter has recorded for DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON GESELLSCHAFT since 1985.