Jonas Kaufmann facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jonas Kaufmann
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Kaufmann in 2008
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| Born | 10 July 1969 Munich, West Germany
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| Occupation | Operatic tenor |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Children | 4 |
Jonas Kaufmann (born July 10, 1969) is a famous German-Austrian opera singer. He is a tenor, which means he sings the highest male voice in opera. Jonas is known for being able to sing many different types of opera roles. He performs in various languages in concerts and shows every year.
Some of his most famous roles include Don José in Carmen, Cavaradossi in Tosca, and the main characters in Parsifal and Lohengrin. In 2014, The New York Times called him "the most important and versatile tenor of his generation." This means he was seen as a very talented and popular singer.
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Jonas Kaufmann's Early Life and Training
Jonas Kaufmann was born in Munich, Germany. His father worked for an insurance company, and his mother was a kindergarten teacher. He also has an older sister.
Jonas started learning to play the piano when he was eight years old. He also sang in his elementary school choir. Even though he studied for math exams, he decided to train his voice instead. In 1989, he began studying singing at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich. While he was a student, he sang small parts in operas at the Bavarian State Opera. He finished university in 1994, doing very well in both opera and concert singing.
In 1995, an American singer named Michael Rhodes helped Jonas. Rhodes taught him a "new way of singing" that made his voice feel more relaxed. Jonas said that finding someone like Michael Rhodes was "a great stroke of luck."
Jonas Kaufmann's Opera Career
Jonas Kaufmann started his professional singing career in 1994 at the Staatstheater Saarbrücken. Soon after, he was invited to sing in big German opera houses. These included the Stuttgart Opera and Hamburg State Opera. He also made his first international performances in cities like Chicago, Paris, and Milan.
In 1999, he performed for the first time at the famous Salzburg Festival. He returned there in 2003 to sing as Belmonte in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail. He also sang in concerts with the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra.
In 2006 and 2007, he played Don José in Bizet's Carmen at the Royal Opera House in London. Critics loved his performance. In 2006, he also made his debut as Alfredo in Verdi's La traviata at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He sang this role many times there and in London. In May 2008, he played Cavaradossi in Puccini's Tosca, again receiving great reviews.
In 2008 and 2009, he performed in Massenet's Manon in Chicago. He also sang the main role in a new show of Wagner's Lohengrin in Munich. He sang Lohengrin again at the opening of the Bayreuth Festival in 2010.
Jonas Kaufmann has released many recordings. His first album with Decca, called Romantic Arias, came out in 2008. He has also recorded songs by Schubert and the role of Pinkerton in Puccini's Madama Butterfly.
In January 2010, he played the main character in Massenet's Werther in Paris. This performance was recorded and released on DVD. In April 2011, he returned to the Metropolitan Opera as Siegmund in Wagner's Die Walküre. Later that year, he had surgery but was back performing in December. He sang the main role in Gounod's Faust.
On February 15, 2013, Kaufmann sang the main role in Wagner's Parsifal at the Metropolitan Opera for the first time. His performance was highly praised by critics. In July of that year, he was given the special title of Kammersänger by the Bavarian Ministry of Arts. In December, he sang Don Alvaro in Verdi's La forza del destino.
In February 2014, Kaufmann sang Werther again at the Met. After that, he toured with Schubert's song cycle Winterreise. In June 2014, he played Des Grieux in Puccini's Manon Lescaut in London for the first time. He sang the same role in Munich later that year.
On September 12, 2015, Jonas Kaufmann made history. He became the first German singer to perform the British patriotic song "Rule, Britannia!" at the Last Night of The Proms.
In 2016, a documentary film called Jonas Kaufmann: An Evening with Puccini was released. It showed his 2015 performance in Milan and included old videos. In 2018, he sang Tristan in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde for the first time in a concert.
In recent years, Kaufmann has continued to perform in many famous operas. These include Fidelio, Otello, Aida, and Don Carlos. He also made his full role debut as Tristan in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde in 2021. In 2022, he sang the main role in Britten's Peter Grimes for the first time. He also performed as Calaf in Puccini's Turandot and Radames in Aida at the Verona Arena.
His 2023-2024 season includes new shows like Doppelgänger in New York and more performances of Turandot in Vienna.
Jonas Kaufmann's Personal Life
Jonas Kaufmann has been married two times. From his first marriage to singer Margarete Joswig, he has three children. This marriage ended in divorce.
His second marriage is to opera director Christiane Lutz. They got married in late 2018 and had a child in March 2019.
Jonas Kaufmann has dual citizenship, meaning he is a citizen of both Germany and Austria. He received his Austrian citizenship in February 2021. He currently lives in Salzburg, Austria.
Awards and Recognition
Jonas Kaufmann has received many awards throughout his career for his amazing singing. Some of these include:
- 2007 Gramophone Award for his Strauss-Lieder CD.
- 2008 Diapason d’or for Romantic Arias CD.
- 2010 ECHO Klassik as "Singer of the Year" for his album Sehnsucht.
- 2013 International Opera Awards: "Opera Magazine Readers Award" and "The Male Singer of the Year Award".
- 2013 Bayerischer Kammersänger – a special title awarded by the Bavarian Ministry of Arts.
- 2014 Bambi for "Classical Music".
- 2016 "Service Cross" for the order of the Bundesrepublik Deutschland.
- 2018 Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters) from France.
- 2018 Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art.
- 2020 Honorary Doctorate at the Royal College of Music, given by Prince Charles.
- 2022: Award of Professional title Austrian Kammersänger.
- 2024: Chevalier (Knight) of France's Légion d'Honneur.
See also
In Spanish: Jonas Kaufmann para niños
