Thomas Quasthoff

For almost four decades, Thomas Quasthoff has set the standard on international stages, moving the hearts of countless listeners with his artistry. He ended his outstanding career as a singer in 2012. However, he has retained his close ties to singing and music as a teacher at the Hanns Eisler Music Academy in Berlin and in various master classes, as a recitalist and speaker at concerts, readings, and new projects such as the talk show series Thomas Quasthoffs Nachtgespräche at the Konzerthaus Berlin.

One of the most remarkable singers in his field, Quasthoff was a frequent guest of such orchestras as the Berlin and the Vienna Philharmonics and many other fine orchestras. He could regularly be enjoyed at all major music venues, working closely with conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Christoph Eschenbach, James Levine, Bernard Haitink, Mariss Jansons, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Seiji Ozawa, Sir Simon Rattle, Helmuth Rilling, Christian Thielemann, and Franz Welser-Möst.

Thomas Quasthoff’s 1995 début at the Oregon Bach Festival laid the foundation for his highly successful career in the USA. Returning numerous times for appearances with the most important orchestras and festivals, he regularly appeared at New York’s Carnegie Hall following his outstanding recital début there in January 1999 (WINTERREISE by Schubert).

Thomas Quasthoff gave his highly acclaimed opera début in 2003 in the role of the Minister/FIDELIO with the Berlin Philharmonic under Sir Simon Rattle at the Salzburg Easter Festival. His extraordinary début at the Vienna Staatsoper in the role of Amfortas in Wagner’s PARSIFAL under Donald Runnicles followed in spring 2004. In January 2005, he returned to Vienna in the same role to perform under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle.

Thomas Quasthoff has been artist-in-residence at Vienna’s Musikverein, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Carnegie Hall, and the Lucerne Festival, as well as in Baden-Baden, Hamburg, London Wigmore Hall, and the Barbican Centre. He released his new soul/blues/jazz program Tell It Like It Is in 2010, bringing him to numerous concert venues throughout Europe.

Thomas Quasthoff was a professor at the Hochschule für Musik in Detmold from 1996–2004, and has taught at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin ever since, where he dedicates himself passionately to the upcoming generation of singers. This devotion inspired him to launch the “Das Lied” international song competition, which will take place next in February 2013 in Berlin.

Mr. Quasthoff has something to say – and not just musically. He shows a different side of himself in his new talk show series Thomas Quasthoffs Nachtgespräche. Since December of 2011, the artist has been welcoming prominent guests from the cultural arena, politics, and high society to the Berlin Konzerthaus. Further projects include the narrator in Brahms’ DIE SCHÖNE MAGELONE with Michael Volle singing, at the Berlin Konzerthaus, the Salzburg Festival, and the Schubertiade in Schwarzenberg. He also performed Schönberg‘s GURRE-LIEDER with the Vienna Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta, where he appeared in a speaking role.

In fall 2012, Thomas Quasthoff had a stunning success in Shakespeare’s TWELFTH NIGHT, OR WHAT YOU WILL at the Berliner Ensemble, where he appeared for the first time as an actor in the role of Feste. Further highlights of the current season include concerts with the Belcea Quartett in Hamburg, Berlin and London where he will perform as speaker. Together with Florian Boesch he can be heard in Brahms’ DIE SCHÖNE MAGELONE in Düsseldorf and Fribourg as well as with Tobias Berndt within the Heidelberger Spring Festival. Thomas Quasthoff will give master classes at the Wigmore Hall in London, in Paris, at the festival Heidelberger Frühling, in Detmold, within the so called Academia Vocalis in Wörgl, as well as at the Schubertiade in Schwarzenberg.

Thomas Quasthoff began his vocal studies with Professor Charlotte Lehmann and Professor Ernst Huber-Contwig in Hannover, Germany. His national and international music awards include, alongside many others, first prize in the ARD International Music Competition Munich (1988), the Shostakovich in Moscow (1996), and the Hamada Trust/Scotsman Festival Prize (Edinburgh International Festival 1996). He received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany from the President of Germany in 2005, the European Culture Prize for Music at the Dresden Frauenkirche, the Gold Medal of the Royal Philharmonic Society in London, the Herbert von Karajan Music Prize of the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden in 2009, and the Gold Medal of London’s Wigmore Hall in 2011. In addition, he was conferred the title of Österreichischer Kammersänger in 2009.

Starting in 1999, Thomas Quasthoff had an exclusive recording contract with the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft (DGG). His CDs have been awarded many prizes and three of them have received a Grammy: Mahler’s LIEDER AUS DES KNABEN WUNDERHORN (together with Anne Sofie von Otter) under Claudio Abbado, orchestrated Schubert Lieder (with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, also under Claudio Abbado), and in spring 2006 for his Bach CANTATAS together with the Berlin Baroque Soloists. Six of his recordings have been honored with an Echo Award.

www.thomas-quasthoff.com