The counter-tenor Tim Severloh was born in Hamburg, where he studied piano and musicology, focusing on the technique of ornamentation, historic singing practice and the singing technique of the castratos, at the same time Tim Severloh took private singing lessons with Peter Laurenz Anders and Marianne Fischer-Kupfer. From 1995 – 1999 he studied voice at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin with Harald Stamm and Ingrid Figur, Tim also attended master classes with Paul Esswood and René Jacobs and  took part in Axel Bauni`s class, Lied of the 20th Century.

Even before entering music academy, he made his operatic debut at the Braunschweig State Theatre in the part of Orest in Offenbach’s Die Schöne Helena. Further engagements followed at various venues with roles such as Orfeo in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, Tancredi in Monteverdi’s Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda and as Spirit in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas at the Spandau Music Festival 2000. Tim sang arias by Handel and Gluck in the production ‘Theater der Stimme’ by David Knutson at the Deutsche Oper Berlin.

Tim Severloh was the first counter-tenor to interpret the lied cycle ‘Eingedunkelt’, which Aribert Reimann originally composed for Brigitte Fassbaender, at the festival Ars Musica by the Société Philharmonique de Bruxelles in 2001. In the same year he appeared in the role of Ometh in the German premiere of John Casken’s opera Golem in Berlin.

In 2002, Tim Severloh was engaged as Machiavelli at the Biennale Munich, in the world premiere of André Werner‘s opera Der Jude von Malta which was recorded live by the BR radio station. In Munich he also sang the world premiere of the lieder cycle ‘Zeitgehöft’ which Aribert Reimann had composed for him  on poems by Paul Celan, followed by a very successful appearance as Jeremy in the German premiere of Olga Neuwirth's opera ‘Bählamms Fest’ in a co-production of the Hamburg State Opera’s Studio and Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg, recorded live by the NDR radio station. In 2003, Tim sang the role of Holmes in the NDR radio drama Doyle`s Dilemma and in 2004 he was engaged for the part of the young Purcell in the NDR radio drama Purcell`s Dream of King Arthur. He recorded ‘Eingedunkelt’ as part of a CD production with Christoph Eschenbach, also for the NDR, and appeared at the Hamburg Bach Festival 2004 singing various cantatas by J. S. Bach.

In 2005, Tim Severloh guested as the 1st Indian in the world premiere of the opera Chief Joseph composed by Hans Zender, directed by Peter Mussbach at the Deutsche Staatsoper ‘Unter den Linden’ in Berlin. In the season of 2005/06 he returned to Deutsche Staatsoper ‘Unter den Linden’ to appear in five short operas in the world premiere of the project Seven Attempted Escapes from Silence. At the festival ‘Tage Alter Musik’ in Herne 2005 he sang Liscone in a concert of Scarlatti’s opera La Dirindina and P. Eötvös’ opera Radames (title role), produced and recorded by the WDR radio station.

Highlights in 2006 were concerts on the occasion of Aribert Reimann’s 70th anniversary at the BR radio station and concerts as part of the celebrations at the Bayrische Staatsoper Munich for Werner Henzes’s 80th anniversary. On these two festive occasions he sang the world premiere of Lamento and Dithyrambus and the Kafka-Cycle for Counter-Tenor and Cello by H. J. v. Bose, who had composed these works especially for Tim Severloh. Also in 2006 he guested as a soloist in the NDR radio drama ‘Nachtgedanken von Marlene Dietrich’. In 2007 he appeared as the Counter-tenor in the world premiere of the opera Der Alte vom Berg by Bernhard Lang at the Schwetzingen Festival and in the revival of this production at the Theatre of Basle. He made his debut at the Rheingau Festival and at the Herrenchiemsee Festival 2007 in the role of Vagans in concerts of Vivaldi’s opera Juditha Triumphans under Enoch zu Guttenberg.

As a highlight on the concert platform, Tim sang the alto solo in J.S. Bach’s Magnificat with the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Christoph Eschenbach in 2008.

In 2009, he guested in the leading role for counter-tenor in the world premiere of Bernhard Lang’s opera ‘Haydn bricht auf’ at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna; a revival took place in 2010. In the season of 2009/10, Tim appeared as the Herold in the German premiere of Aribert Reimann’s opera Medea at the Frankfurt Opera House (with a live CD recording by OEHMS Classics), and he jumped in at short notice in this role at the Vienna State Opera House in March and November 2010.  As well in 2010, Tim sang the leading role of Damiano in the world premiere of B. Lang’s Montezuma at the Nationaltheater Mannheim and will repeat the role in 2012. Further he sang John Adam’s oratorio El Niño at the International Bachakademie Stuttgart, a co-production with the Sinfonieorchester Basel under the baton of Dennis Russell Davies. In 2011/12 he returned to the Theater an der Wien to perform the role of der Richter / the Judge in the world premiere of Lera Auerbach’s opera Gogol (direction: Christine Mielitz, Conductor: Vladimir Fedosseyev); as an upcoming project there the world premiere of H.J. von Bose´s Kafkaszenen is planned.

Upcoming concerts in 2012 include a lied recital (with music on Shakespeare texts) at the Kissinger Sommer as well as a concerts with works by A. Reimann and F. Couperin at the Schwetzinger Festspiele.

Tim Severloh holds a lectureship focused on New and Old Music at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin.

Last update December 2011