Christian Elsner

Born in Freiburg, tenor Christian Elsner is much in demand as a soloist across the globe. In his role as professor of singing at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe, he is passionate about sharing this experience with others, frequently recalling his own vocal studies with Prof. Martin Gründler with much gratitude. Elsner nurtured his passion for art song in the Lied class of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau; since then, Lied recitals with pianists including Hartmut Höll, Gerold Huber and Burkhard Kehring have seen him perform all over Europe. Performances of Dvořák’s Stabat Mater with Mariss Jansons, Franz Schmidt’s Das Buch mit Sieben Siegeln with Manfed Honeck, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Sir Simon Rattle are some of Elsner’s most treasured musical highlights among his many concert appearances at all the important centres of classical music, including the Philharmonie in Berlin, the Musikverein in Vienna, Carnegie Hall New York, and the Suntory Hall in Tokyo. Elsner’s long-standing cooperation with Marek Janowski has been particularly formative: under Janowski’s direction, he has recorded the roles of the Witch in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel, Florestan in Beethoven’s Fidelio, as well as Parsifal, Loge and Mime for CD. Richard Wagner’s works have constituted a focal point in his operatic repertoire, with performances as Sigmund and Parsifal in Weimar, Dresden, Vienna and Madrid. Inspired by these experiences, he recently published the children’s book Lennie und der Ring des Nibelungen.