Christoph Stephinger

The bass Christoph Stephinger, a native of Herrsching am Ammersee in Bavaria, initially studied music as a member of the Regensburg Cathedral Choir. He completed voice studies at the Munich Academy of Music and also took lessons with Kurt Moll and a master class with Birgit Nilsson. Stephinger, who won first prize in the Mozart Competition in Würzburg in 1981, began his career as a member of the ensemble at the Municipal Theaters of Bielefeld. Following permanent engagements with the Hannover and Wiesbaden Staatstheater companies, in 2008 he became a member of the Bavarian Staatsoper München ensemble. His repertoire includes such basso profondo roles as Sarastro in The Magic Flute, Kaspar in Weber’s Der Freischütz, Gremin in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, Ramfis in Verdi’s Aida, and the Water Goblin in Dvorák’s Rusalka; he additionally sings such basso buffo roles as Osmin (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Kezal (The Bartered Bride), and Van Bett (Zar und Zimmermann). Stephinger is above all known as a dedicated Wagner and Strauss performer and covers the entire spectrum of roles from Daland to Gurnemanz and from Ochs to La Roche. Other credits include with Deutsche Oper Berlin, Hamburg Staatsoper, and Frankfurt Opera, as well as appearances in Nice, Zurich, Graz, and Amsterdam. Stephinger is currently performing the role of Hagen in Achim Freyer’s new staging of Götterdämmerung at the Nationaltheater in Mannheim. In the concert realm, Stephinger has worked with such conductors as Colin Davis, George Prêtre, Edo de Waart, and Leopold Hager; he has recorded Dvorák’s The Jacobin under Gerd Albrecht.

LUCERNE FESTIVAL debut on 2 September 2007, as Falsolt in Das Rheingold in a concert performance with the Bamberg Symphony under Jonathan Nott.

May 2013