Ortrun Wenkel (born 25 October 1942, Buttstädt, Thuringia) is a German operatic contralto.[1] She notably portrayed the role of Erda in Patrice Chéreau 's 1976 Ring production which was conducted by Pierre Boulez and won 1983 a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording as prinipal soloist for the recording of this production (Deutsche Grammophon).