Sebastian Kohlhepp

The German tenor Sebastian Kohlhepp is one of the most established and versatile singers of his generation and is a much sought-after guest on international stages. In the 2022/23 season, engagements will take him to the Bavarian State Opera (‘Cosi fan tutte’), the Vienna State Opera (‘Die Zauberflöte’) and the Salzburg Easter Festival (‘Tannhäuser’). A special highlight will be his debut at La Scala in Milan, where he can be seen in early 2023 as Narraboth in Strauss’ ‘Salome’. Born in Limburg an der Lahn, Sebastian Kohlhepp received his first musical training in the boys’ choir there. His studies with Hedwig Fassbender in Frankfurt/Main were followed by permanent engagements at the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, the Vienna State Opera and the Stuttgart Opera. He has been freelancing since the 2017/18 season.
Among the most important stations of the past years are, among others. his debut at the Zurich Opera House (Don Ottavio), Lehár’s ‘Giuditta’ and ‘Schön ist die Welt’ at the Bavarian State Opera, Tamino at the Semperoper Dresden, Castellucci’s ‘Requiem’ at the Palau de les Arts Valencia, Ferrando at the Dutch National Opera Amsterdam, his role debut as David in ‘Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg’ at the Salzburg Easter Festival, Belmonte at the Mozart Week Salzburg, Jason (‘Medea’) at the Stuttgart Opera and Tamino at the Theater an der Wien. Sebastian Kohlhepp is also in demand internationally as a concert singer. He works regularly with renowned orchestras such as the Staatskapelle Dresden, the SWR Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Symphoniker Hamburg, Gürzenich Orchester Köln, the MDR Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre des Champs-Élysées, Collegium Vocale Gent, RIAS Kammerchor, NDR Chor, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Collegium 1704, Gaechinger Cantorey and the conductors Ivor Bolton, Sylvain Cambreling, Teodor Currentzis, Adam Fischer, Pablo Heras-Casado, Philippe Herreweghe, Manfred Honeck, Kent Nagano, Andris Nelsons, Helmuth Rilling, François-Xavier Roth, Christian Thielemann, Lorenzo Viotti and Franz Welser-Möst. Invitations have taken him to the Salzburg Festival, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, the Philharmonies of Paris, Berlin, Cologne and Essen, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Tonhalle Zurich, Konzerthaus Dortmund, Laeiszhalle Hamburg, Brucknerhaus Linz, Maison de la Radio Paris, NOSPR Katowice, Boston Symphony Hall, Shanghai Concert Hall, Seoul Arts Center, Teatro Colon Buenos Aires, the Rheingau and Schleswig-Holstein Music Festivals and the Menuhin Festival Gstaad.
Numerous CD, DVD and radio recordings document Sebastian Kohlhepp’s versatile work. Most recently, a new recording of Bach’s ‘Mass in B minor’ (conducted by René Jacobs) was released on the French label Harmonia Mundi.