Jonas Kaufmann was born on July 10, 1969. He is a German-Austrian tenor opera singer known for his ability to perform many different types of roles in various languages during concerts and recitals each season. Some of his most 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, and the main characters in Parsifal, Werther, Don Carlos, and Lohengrin. In 2014, The New York Times described Kaufmann as "a very popular performer and… the most important, versatile tenor of his generation."

Early life and education

Kaufmann was born in Munich. His father worked for an insurance company, and his mother was a kindergarten teacher. He had one older sister. He began studying piano when he was eight years old and sang in his elementary school choir. Even though he prepared for mathematics entrance exams, in the summer of 1989 he started vocal training at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich. While studying there, he performed small roles at the Bavarian State Opera. He graduated from university in 1994, receiving high marks in both opera and concert performances.

In 1995, Kaufmann received guidance from American baritone Michael Rhodes, who taught him a "new way of singing" and how to become "more relaxed in my voice and in myself." In Kaufmann's book Meinen die wirklich mich?, he stated, "To find a Michael Rhodes who can truly help you and lead you to success is really a great stroke of luck."

Career

He began his professional career at the Staatstheater Saarbrücken in 1994 and was soon invited to perform in German theaters such as the Stuttgart Opera and Hamburg State Opera, as well as international theaters like the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opéra National de Paris, and La Scala. He made his Salzburg Festival debut in 1999 in a new production of Busoni's Doktor Faust and returned there in 2003 as Belmonte in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail and for concerts of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Berlin Philharmonic.

He performed the role of Don José in Bizet's Carmen, to critical acclaim, at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in 2006/7. He made his debut as Alfredo in Verdi's La traviata at the Metropolitan Opera alongside Angela Gheorghiu in 2006, also to critical acclaim, and also sang the role at the Met in 2007 and 2008, and at the Royal Opera House in 2008. In May 2008, he played Cavaradossi in Puccini's Tosca at Covent Garden, yet again to critical acclaim.

In 2008/9, he performed in Massenet's Manon in Chicago opposite Natalie Dessay and in the title role of a new production of Wagner's Lohengrin at the Bavarian State Opera. He also sang Lohengrin on the opening night of the Bayreuth Festival in 2010, in a production staged by Hans Neuenfels and conducted by Andris Nelsons.

His debut recording with Decca, Romantic Arias, was released in January 2008. He has also recorded a Schubert song cycle on the same label and the role of Pinkerton in Puccini's Madama Butterfly for EMI.

In January 2010, he took the title role in Massenet's Werther at the Opéra Bastille in Paris. The performance was recorded and released on DVD in November 2010.

In April 2011, he returned to the Metropolitan Opera as Siegmund in Robert Lepage's new production of Wagner's Die Walküre. In September 2011, he underwent surgery to remove a lymph node from his chest. In December, he was back, performing the title role in Gounod's Faust.

On 15 February 2013, Kaufmann made his first appearance in the title role of Wagner's Parsifal at the Metropolitan Opera. His performance received rave reviews from critics. In July of that year he was named a Kammersänger of the Bavarian State Opera by the Bavarian Ministry of Arts. In December he sang the role of Don Alvaro in Verdi's La forza del destino with the company.

In February 2014, Kaufmann sang the title role in Massenet's Werther at the Met. He followed this by touring with Schubert's song cycle Winterreise with Helmut Deutsch. In June 2014, he made his debut in the role of Des Grieux in Puccini's Manon Lescaut at the Royal Opera House in London. That November he sang the same role in another production of Manon Lescaut at the Bavarian State Opera.

On 12 September 2015, Kaufmann became the first German singer to perform the British patriotic song "Rule, Britannia!" at the Last Night of The Proms.

On 23 February 2016, the documentary Jonas Kaufmann: An Evening with Puccini was released in selected theaters in the United States. The film centered around Kaufmann's 2015 performance at La Scala in Milan and featured rare archive footage.

In 2018, Kaufmann made his debut as Tristan in concert performances of the second act of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde.

In 2019, the concert stage saw Kaufmann tour Germany with Mahler's “Lied von der Erde”, and performances from his “L'Opéra” CD. Operatic highlights include Fidelio and Otello at the Bayerische Staatsoper; La Forza del destino at the Royal Opera House in London; Andrea Chenier in Sydney and Melbourne and a new production of Die Tote Stadt in Munich.

Highlights from 2020 included a tour of Kaufmann's album Mein Wien, Aida at the Teatro San Carlo in Napoli; Don Carlos at the Wiener Staatsoper; La Bohème at the Bayerische Staatsoper; and Cavalleria Rusticana at the Teatro San Carlo in Napoli.

In 2021, Kaufmann gave recitals in Madrid and Vienna; sang in new productions of Aida in Paris and Parsifal in Vienna; and had his full role debut as Tristan at the Bayerische Staatsoper. Kaufmann also embarked on a tour of North America, accompanied by pianist Helmut Deutsch.

Kaufmann commenced the year 2022 with a role debut as the titular role in Britten's Peter Grimes at the Wiener Staatsoper. In March 2022, a studio recording of Turandot was organized by Antonio Pappano at the Santa Cecilia auditorium. Jonas Kaufmann sang the role of Calaf for the first time there alongside Sondra Radvanovsky in the title role. A public concert was performed on 12 March 2022 in Rome. After Turandot, Kaufmann undertook a tour of eleven concerts of Lieder by Brahms and Schumann with Diana Damrau and her usual pianist Helmut Deutsch, in various European cities, including Berlin, Munich, Paris, London. He made his role debut as Calaf (Turandot) in Rome with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia orchestra, conducted by Pappano, performed Mario Cavaradossi (Tosca) at Teatro San Carlo in Naples, the title role in Lohengrin at Melbourne Opera, and made his operatic debut at the Arena di Verona, performing Radames in Aida.

To begin the 2022/23 season, Kaufmann returned to the Bayerische Staatsoper to perform the title role in Britten's Peter Grimes. To commence the New Year, he performed the role of Radames in Verdi's Aida at the Wiener Staatsoper alongside Anna Netrebko and Elīna Garanča. At the Wiener Staatsoper he also performed the title role in *Andrea Chen

Personal life

Kaufmann has been married two times. His first marriage was to a singer named Margarete Joswig. They had three children together, and their marriage ended in divorce. He later married an opera director named Christiane Lutz in late 2018. The couple has one child, who was born in March 2019.

Kaufmann holds citizenship from both Germany and Austria. He was given Austrian citizenship in February 2021. He currently lives in Salzburg.

Discography

• 2002: Monteverdi – Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria with Jonas Kaufmann, Vesselina Kasarova, Dietrich Henschel, and Isabel Rey
• 2002: Paisiello – Nina with Jonas Kaufmann, Cecilia Bartoli, and László Polgár
• 2004: Beethoven – Fidelio with Jonas Kaufmann, Camilla Nylund, László Polgár, Alfred Muff, Elizabeth Magnuson, and Christoph Strehl
• 2005: Mozart – La clemenza di Tito with Jonas Kaufmann, Vesselina Kasarova, Eva Mei, and Malin Hartelius
• 2006: Bizet – Carmen with Jonas Kaufmann, Anna Caterina Antonacci, Ildebrando D'Arcangelo, and Norah Amsellem
• 2006: Schubert – Fierrabras with Jonas Kaufmann, Juliane Banse, Michael Volle, Christoph Strehl, and László Polgár
• 2008: Bizet – Carmen with Jonas Kaufmann, Vesselina Kasarova, Isabel Rey, and Michele Pertusi
• 2009: R. Strauss – Der Rosenkavalier with Renée Fleming, Sophie Koch, Diana Damrau, Franz Hawlata, and Jonas Kaufmann
• 2009: Wagner – Lohengrin with Jonas Kaufmann, Anja Harteros, Wolfgang Koch, Michaela Schuster, Christof Fischesser, and Evgeny Nikitin
• 2010: Massenet – Werther with Jonas Kaufmann, Sophie Koch, and Michel Plasson
• 2010: Humperdinck – Königskinder with Jonas Kaufmann, Isabel Rey, Oilver Widmer, and Liliana Nikiteanu
• 2010: Cilea – Adriana Lecouvreur with Jonas Kaufmann, Angela Gheorghiu, Olga Borodina, and Alessandro Corbelli
• 2011: Puccini – Tosca with Jonas Kaufmann, Emily Magee, and Thomas Hampson
• 2011: Wagner – Die Walküre with Jonas Kaufmann, Eva-Maria Westbroek, Deborah Voigt, Bryn Terfel
• 2011: Gounod – Faust with Jonas Kaufmann, Marina Poplavskaya, and René Pape
• 2011: Wagner – Der Ring des Nibelungen with Jonas Kaufmann, Bryn Terfel, Deborah Voigt, Jay Hunter Morris, Eva-Maria Westbroek
• 2012: R. Strauss – Ariadne auf Naxos with Jonas Kaufmann, Emily Magee, Elena Moșuc, Peter Matić, and Cornelius Obonya
• 2012: Puccini – Tosca with Angela Gheorghiu, Jonas Kaufmann, Bryn Terfel, and Antonio Pappano
• 2012: Verdi – Requiem with Jonas Kaufmann, Anja Harteros, Elīna Garanča, and René Pape
• 2013: Wagner – Parsifal with Jonas Kaufmann, René Pape, Peter Mattei, Katarina Dalayman, Evgeny Nikitin, Daniele Gatti, and François Girard
• 2013: Puccini – La fanciulla del West with Jonas Kaufmann, Nina Stemme, and Tomasz Konieczny
• 2013: Verdi – Don Carlo with Jonas Kaufmann, Anja Harteros, Matti Salminen, Thomas Hampson, and Ekaterina Semenchuk
• 2014: Puccini – Manon Lescaut with Jonas Kaufmann and Kristine Opolais
• 2014: Verdi – La Forza del destino with Jonas Kaufmann and Anja Harteros
• 2015: Mascagni – Cavalleria rusticana with Jonas Kaufmann and Liudmyla Monastyrska & Leoncavallo – Pagliacci with Jonas Kaufmann and Maria Agresta
• 2015: Giordano – Andrea Chenier with Jonas Kaufmann and Eva-Marie Westbroek
• 2016: Opera Gala Baden Baden – Gala Summer with Jonas Kaufmann and Bryn Terfel
• 2017: Verdi – Otello with Jonas Kaufmann, Maria Agresta, and Claudio Sgura
• 2021: Korngold – Die Tote Stadt with Jonas Kaufmann and Marlis Petersen
• 2024: Schumann and Brahms: Love Songs with Jonas Kaufmann, Diana Damrau, and Helmut Deutsch

Awards

• 2007 Gramophone Award 2007, Strauss-Lieder, CD
• 2008 Grands prix internationaux du disque, Diapason d’or, Romantic Arias, CD
• 2008 Qobus/Classica: Le meilleur disque de 2008, Romantic Arias, CD
• 2009 Gramophone Award 2009, Madame Butterfly, CD
• 2009 Prix Caecilia 2009, Sehnsucht, CD
• 2009 Diapason d’or 2009, Romantic Arias, CD
• 2010 ECHO Klassik „Bester Sänger des Jahres“ for the recording Sehnsucht
• 2010 Orphée d’or „Wolfgang Wagner“ 2010, Sehnsucht, CD
• 2010 Diapason d’or 2010, Die schöne Müllerin, CD
• 2010 Diapason d’or 2010, Verismo Arias, CD
• 2011 Gramophone Award 2011, Verismo Arias, CD
• 2011 Diapason d’or 2011, Werther, DVD
• 2012 Medal for "besondere Verdienste um Bayern in einem Vereinten Europa"
• 2012 Gramophone Award 2012, Fidelio, CD
• 2013 International Opera Awards: Opera Magazine Readers Award
• 2013 International Opera Awards: The Male Singer of the Year Award
• 2013 Die Goldene Deutschland
• 2013 Bayerischer Kammersänger – awarded after the performance of Il trovatore, July 8, 2013
• 2013 ECHO Klassik „Sänger des Jahres“ for the recording Kaufmann Wagner
• 2013 ECHO Klassik „Operneinspielung des Jahres“ (19th century): Mariinsky Orchestra/Valery Gergiev, Wagner: Die Walküre
• 2013 ECHO Klassik „Musik-DVD-Produktion des Jahres“: Robert Lepage/Deutsche Grammophon, Der Ring des Nibelungen
• 2013 Gramophone Award 2013, Wagner, CD
• 2014 Golden plate for the Verdi-Album awarded after the performance of Liederabends Winterreise in Graz on April 4, 2014
• 2014 ECHO Klassik „Solistische Einspielung des Jahres/Gesang“ (The Verdi Album)
• 2014 Gramophone Classical Music Award 2014 Solo Vocal (Schubert – Winterreise, Jonas Kaufmann and Helmut Deutsch)
• 2014 Bambi for the category "Classical Music"
• 2015 International Opera Awards
• 2015 ECHO Klassik „Sänger des Jahres“ for the recording Du bist die Welt für mich
• 2015 Premio Puccini 2015
• 2016 "Service Cross" for the order of the Bundesrepublik Deutschland
• 2016 ECHO Klassik „Bestseller des Jahres“ for the Puccini-Album Nessun Dorma
• 2016 Jahrespreis for the recording of Aida (2015) at the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik
• 2017 ECHO Klassik „Bestseller des Jahres“ for the album Dolce Vita
• 2018 Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
• 20

Literature

• Thomas Voigt: Jonas Kaufmann: A Conversation With. Published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in 2017. ISBN 978-1-4746-0427-7.
• Thomas Voigt and Christine Cerletti: Jonas Kaufmann: Eine Bilderreise. Published by Stiftung Colla Parte Basel in 2019. ISBN 978-3-903269-75-0.