The Austrian tenor Daniel Johannsen was born in 1978 in Vienna. On studying organ
and sacred music in Graz and Vienna, Daniel Johannsen studied voice with Margit Klaushofer,
lied interpretation with Robert Holl and graduated with distinction from the Vienna
University of Music and Drama in 2005. He attended master-
At the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition of Leipzig (2002), the International Hilde Zadek Competition of Vienna (2003) and the International Robert Schumann Competition of Zwickau (2004) he gained the 2nd price. In the same year Daniel Johannsen was a prize winner at the Kammeroper Schloß Rheinsberg Competition and was awarded the August Everding Prize from the Münchner Konzertgesellschaft. Further awards are the prize for the best lied interpretation from the IXth Salzburg Mozart Competition in 2006 and the prize for the best lied duo from the Wigmore Hall Song Competition of London in 2007 together with the pianist Elena Larina.
Daniel Johannsen made is operatic debut in 2002 as Allegorie der Bewegungen in the world premiere of Wolfgang Sauseng’s church opera “Das Staunen des Ezechiel” in Vienna. Further engagements brought him to the Operetta Festival of Bad Ischl and to the Vienna Chamber Opera. In 2004, the young tenor toured throughout Japan appearing as Ferrando in Mozart`s Così fan tutte. In the 2005/06 season, Daniel was a member of the Lucerne Theatre’s ensemble singing roles such as Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Gomatz in Mozart`s Zaide or Caramello in the operetta Eine Nacht in Venedig. He made his debut at the Vienna Volksopera House in the role of Egon in Künneke’s operetta Der Vetter aus Dingsda. At the Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele 2009, he appeared as Pedrillo in Mozart’s The Abdunction from the Serail under the baton of Michael Hofstetter. Since 2009/10 Daniel is performing frequently the role of Tamino in The Magic Flute at the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich. In the summer of 2011, Daniel Johannsen sang Tamino as well at the Erfurter Domfestspiele to great acclaim.
In the lied and concert fields Daniel Johannsen sang at most of the major concert
halls of Europe, USA, Japan and the Near East. He frequently appears at the Vienna
Musikverein, at the Vienna Konzerthaus and at noted festivals such as Styriarte Graz,
Salzburg Festival, Bach Fest Leipzig, Carinthischer Sommer, Israel Festival, La Folle
Journée and at various internatoinal Bach festivals. He sang under renowned conductors
such as Sir Neville Marriner, Bertrand de Billy, Jordi Savall and Nikolaus Harnoncourt,
Thomas Hengelbrock, Dennis Russell Davies and Michel Corboz with orchestras such
as Le Concert des Nations, Wiener Philharmoniker Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Akadmie
für Alte Musik Berlin, Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg ..-
Engagements in 2009/10 have been Bach’s Christmas Oratorio in Israel with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under Peter Schreier and concerts with Enoch zu Guttenberg at the Berlin Philharmonic Hall and at the Beethoven Fest Bonn. He appeared as the Evangelist in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion under Konrad Junghänel in Wroclaw and under Hans Jörg Albrecht at the Munich Philharmonic Hall. He gave a lied recital with pianist Simon Bucher at the Festival RheinVokal. He furthermore gave a recital and took part in the world premiere of a church opera at the Festival Carinthischer Sommer and sang a concert at the Festwochen der Alten Musik in Innsbruck.
Engagements in 2010/11 included concerts in Vienna and Munich, at the Luxembourg Phiharmonic Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, Bach Fest Leipzig and at the Bach Woche Ansbach. Furthermore the young tenor sang with the RIAS Chamber Choir, and appeared at the Styriarte Graz under Nicolaus Harnoncourt.
Daniel Johannsen took part in various Radio and TV productions. His first solo CD “Tenore & Traverso” with arias by J. S. Bach was released in 2009 and awarded the Pasticcio prize by the ORF. His CD recording with Schumann’s Dichterliebe was released in 2010.
In 2011/12, the singer will perform at the Bach Festivals of Wetzlar and Leipzig. He will appear in A. Scarlatti´s opera Marco Attilio Regolo. Concerts are scheduled at the Handel Festival Halle as well as in Vienna’s Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde. Recitals lead him, amongst others, to the Chamber Music Festival Bad Urach (together with Burkhard Kehring). In the summer of 2012 the tenor will sing the role of the Jüngling in Das Paradies und die Peri by R. Schumann as well as Cantatas by Bach under the baton of Enoch zu Guttenberg at the Internationale Herrenchiemsee Festspielen.
Last Update December 2011
Photo: Anette Friedel
