Tenor Jonas Kaufmann: A Storyteller Who Transcends Boundaries
Hailed as one of the world’s most significant and versatile tenors of his generation, German-Austrian tenor opera singer Jonas Kaufmann will make his long-awaited Hong Kong début this February. On 19 and 22 February, he will perform his opera gala with HK Phil at Hong Kong Cultural Centre: Rolex Proudly Presents: Jonas Kaufmann Opera Gala.
Renowned for his extraordinary technique and the versatility of his repertoire in German, French and Italian, Kaufmann has performed over 70 roles in the world’s leading opera houses and earned multiple honours and awards. He has been described as “the world’s greatest tenor” by The Telegraph and as “a box-office draw” by The New York Times.
Born in 1969 in Munich, Germany, Kaufmann was not raised in a family of musicians but his parents were fervent music lovers. His mother was a kindergarten teacher, and his father worked for an insurance company. From a very young age, Kaufmann developed a passion for classical music, listening to his father’s records and attending concerts at the Bavarian State Opera. Throughout his schooling, he performed in school choirs. Particularly enraptured by his grandfather playing opera songs on the piano, this is what ignited his desire to become an opera singer.
Despite his passion for music, Kaufmann followed his parents’ advice and studied mathematics at university, but he dropped out after only two semesters, confident that mathematics was definitely not his calling. Admitted by audition to the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich, he was able to finally receive the formal training he had hoped for as concert and opera singer. While still studying, role opportunities started to pile up in local opera productions, and after graduated in 1994, he started to perform in various operas in Germany.
In 1995, Kaufmann received precious advice from American baritone Michael Rhodes, who taught him a “new way of singing” and how to become “more relaxed” in his voice and with himself. “To find a Michael Rhodes that can really help you and bring you to success is really a great stroke of luck,” Kaufmann wrote in his book Meinen die wirklich mich? (Do They Really Mean Me?), published in 2010.
Jonas Kaufmann in Andrea Chénier, Wigmore Hall, 2015
The year 1999 marked a turning point for Kaufmann with his début at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, performing the role of the Duke in Verdi’s Rigoletto. In 2000, he accepted a permanent position at the Zürich Opera, offering him the opportunity to master a variety of roles. In 2001, he performed for the first time in the United States, singing Cassio at the Chicago Lyric Opera’s production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Otello. In 2003, he played the role of Belmonte in Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Abduction from the Seraglio), at Salzburg Festival in Austria.
The real breakthrough in his career came in 2006 with his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, where he sang Alfredo in Verdi’s La traviata. The staggering success of his performance prompted a wave of international offers propelling him into the centre of the opera world stage.
Since then, Kaufmann performed at most of the world’s major opera houses, such as Teatro alla Scala, Covent Garden, the Bayerische Staatsoper, the Metropolitan Opera, Opernhaus Zürich, Opéra national de Paris, and the Wiener Staatsoper. His famous roles include Don José in Carmen, Cavaradossi in Tosca, Maurizio in Adriana Lecouvreur, Don Alvaro in La forza del destino, Siegmund in Die Walküre, as well as the leading roles in Parsifal, Werther, Don Carlos, and Lohengrin.
Jonas Kaufmann in Lohengrin, Arts Centre Melbourne, 2022
Last season, Kaufmann performed at the Bavarian State Opera (Peter Grimes and La Fanciulla del West), the Vienna State Opera (Andrea Chenier and Aida) and Teatro San Carlo in Naples (Die Walküre), among others. He also made his long-awaited role début as Tannhäuser in the eponymous opera by Wagner at the Salzburg Easter Festival.
Since September 2024, Kaufmann is the Director of the Tyrolean Festival Erl in Austria. To mark the 100th anniversary of Giacomo Puccini’s death, he launched a concert tour in Europe in October and November 2024, also performing at the Puccini Gala at Teatro alla Scala in Italy.
Yet, despite his towering achievements, Kaufmann remains refreshingly grounded. In interviews, he often speaks of the relentless pursuit of growth as an artist, embracing new challenges and exploring different musical landscapes.
This month, he will finally make his long-awaited début in Hong Kong with HK Phil and German conductor Jochen Rieder. The tenor will grace the local audience with two performances of his Opera Gala on 19 and 22 February at Hong Kong Cultural Centre. The Opera Gala will showcase favourite arias from some of his signature roles in Bellini’s Norma, Puccini’s Tosca and Turandot, Verdi’s Aida or Bizet’s Carmen.
Kaufmann is not just a tenor; he is a storyteller, an artist who transcends boundaries and speaks to the very essence of human experience through his music, inviting audiences to connect with the emotional core of each piece. With his charismatic intensity and his unique ability to evoke the character’s tumultuous emotions with authenticity, his début in the city will certainly be a vivid experience, leaving an indelible mark on the Hong Kong audience.
More details about the performance can be found here: