Born in 1978, the Austrian tenor is one of the most sought-after Evangelists and Bach interpreters of his generation. He studied church music as well as vocal arts with Margit Klaushofer and Robert Holl in Vienna. Mr Johannsen participated in master classes with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Nicolai Gedda and Christa Ludwig and was a prizewinner at the Bach, Schumann, Mozart, Hilde Zadek and Wigmore Hall Competitions.
Since his debut in 1998, appearances as a concert, lieder and opera singer have taken him to the major musical centres of Europe (Vienna Musikverein, Berlin Philharmonie), North America (Carnegie Hall, New York; Maison Symphonique de Montréal), Japan and the Middle East, where he sings works from every period. He appears at leading festivals (Styriarte Festival in Graz, Salzburg Festival, La Folle Journée, Gstaad Menuhin Festival, yearly at international Bach festivals), and he performs under such distinguished conductors as Bertrand de Billy, Enoch zu Guttenberg, Trevor Pinnock, Hans-Christoph Rademann and Philippe Herreweghe with various ensembles, including Vienna Philharmonic, Freiburger Barockorchester and Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. Daniel Johannsen is a regular participant at today’s most important Bach cantata projects (Bachstiftung St. Gallen, All of Bach).
The lyric tenor is engaged by such theatres as the Münchner Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz, the Leipzig Opera, the Vienna Volksoper and the Bonn Opera, where he is heard in Mozart roles, Baroque, 20th-century and contemporary works as well as several operetta roles.
Song recitals featuring the entire range of German repertoire, in addition to English and French compositions, are a central focus in the work of the singer, who collaborates with such pianists as Helmut Deutsch, Graham Johnson, Burkhard Kehring and Charles Spencer. After his first two solo albums (Tenore & Traverso with arias by J. S. Bach and Schumann’s Dichterliebe) he recently published a recording with late Schubert songs. This CD named Lieder ohnegleichen (with Christoph Hammer playing on a 1827 Graf fortepiano) was highly acclaimed by several Austrian and German radio programs. In addition, numerous other recordings, radio and television broadcasts document his creative output.
During the 2019/20 season, Daniel Johannsen gave his debuts at the concert halls of Stockholm and Brussels as well as at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées (together with Nina Stemme in a semi-staged production of Beethoven’s Fidelio). He should have first performed with BBC Scottish Symphony and Thomas Dausgaard singing Beethoven’s 9th Symphony at the Glasgow City Halls; because of COVID this concert was made impossible as well as several appearances at Bachfest Leipzig.
In the current season, Mr Johannsen will perform for The Netherlands Bach Society together with René Jacobs. Wolfgang Katschner invited him for a concert at Handel Festival Halle. As in previous years, the tenor will give a Schubertiade for styriarte Graz also in 2021.
