Sebastian Kohlhepp has established himself in recent years on the international opera and concert stages as one of the finest German tenors of his generation. Most recently, he gave house debuts at the Palau de les Arts Valencia in a staged production of Mozart’s Requiem, at Opernhaus Zurich as Don Ottavio/Don Giovanni and at Bayerische Staatsoper Munich as Kronprinz Georg in Lehár’s Schön ist die Welt, which was followed by Pierrino in a new production of Lehár’s Guiditta. His role debut as David in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at the Osterfestspiele Salzburg under Christian Thielemann (also on CD and DVD) was highly acclaimed and lead to his house debut at Semperoper Dresden in this role. The season 2022-23 will see further debuts as Narraboth/Salome at La Scala and Walther/Tannhäuser at the Osterfestspiele Salzburg, as well as returns to the Bayerische Staatsoper as Ferrando/Cosi fan tutte, to Staatsoper Wien and Semperoper Dresden as Tamino/Die Zauberflöte and his house debut at Deutsche Oper Berlin in a staged version of Bach’s Matthäus-Passion. The season will conclude with his operatic debut at the Salzburger Festspiele. As a former ensemble member of Wiener Staatsoper and Oper Stuttgart, he performed roles such as Remendado/Carmen, Jaquino/Fidelio, Froh/Das Rheingold, Tamino, Lucio Vero in Jommelli’s Il Vologeso, Alfred/Die Fledermaus, Ferrando, Der Junge Herr in Philippe Boesmans’ Reigen, Don Ottavio/Don Giovanni, Oronte/Alcina, Lurcanio/Ariodante and as Giasone in Cherubini’s Medea. Elsewhere, Sebastian Kohlhepp has appeared as Tamino at Theater an der Wien and Theater Basel, as Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte, conducted by Ivor Bolton, at De Nationale Opera Amsterdam, as Belmonte/Entführung aus dem Serail at the Salzburger Mozartwochen, conducted by René Jacobs, in the title role of Britten’s Albert Herring at Volksoper Wien, as Eurimaco in Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria at Theater an der Wien and Don Ottavio at Oper Köln. Equally in demand in concert, he has performed Bach’s Weihnachtsoratorium with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Andris Nelsons, Mozart’s Requiem conducted by Teodor Currentzis in Moscow, Paris and Baden-Baden, as well as with the Sächsische Staatskapelle and Manfred Honeck in Dresden and with Christian Thielemann in Salzburg, Bach’s Messe in h-moll with RIAS Kammerchor and René Jacobs, Beethoven’s Christus am Ölberge with Collegium Vocale and Philippe Herreweghe, Bruckner’s Requiem with the RIAS Kammerchor and Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, works by W. A. Mozart with the Mozarteumorchester and Ivor Bolton at the Salzburg Festival, Haydn’s Schöpfung under Leonardo García Alarcón and Bruckner’s Mass in f-minor, conducted by Edo de Waart, both with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Zender’s Winterreise with the SWR Symphonieorchester and Teodor Currentzis, Mendelssohn’s Elias with Pablo Heras-Casado in Madrid and Paris, Frank Martin’s Le Vin Herbé at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Bach’s Johannes-Passion with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and with Collegium 1704, Beethoven’s Symphony no 9 with Kent Nagano and the Philharmonische Staatsorchester Hamburg as well as with Teodor Currentzis and MusicAeterna at the Salzburger Festspiele. His discography includes Bach’s Messe in h-moll with the RIAS Kammerchor and Akademie für Alte Musik under René Jacobs (Harmonia Mundi), Bach’s Chorale Cantatas (Echo Klassik Award), conducted by Christoph Spering, the tenor arias in René Jacobs’s recording of Bach`s Johannes-Passion (Harmonia Mundi), (ICMA Award/Baroque Vocal), Bach’s Weihnachtsoratorium, conducted by Hans Georg Rademann (Carus), Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, conducted by Frieder Bernius (Carus), Handel’s Brockes Passion, conducted by Lawrence Cummings (Accent) and Bruckner’s Missa Solemnis in B major, with the RIAS Kammerchor and Akademie für Alte Musik under Lukasz Borowicz (Accentus). His first Lied-CD, in co-production with the SWR and featuring works by Schumann, Liszt et al, is due to be released in 2022.
As of January 2023
