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The Swedish tenor, Johan Christensson, was born in Luleå, in the northern part of Sweden. Already as very young he got interested in “classical” music, and soon J.S. Bach became his idol and landmark. Piano and organ lessons led to a Swedish lower degree of organist. During these studies he got interested in singing. He got his first singing education with Lawrence Johnson at Edholmerinstitute in Växjö, and continued with Kerstin Wahlström-Olsson at the Royal Academy College of Music in Stockholm. After his examination from the Academy, Christer Sollén has been a very important teacher. He had attended master-classes with Elisabeth Söderström and Ingvar Wiksell.
Since his graduation Johan Christensson steadily established him as one of Scandinavia’s leading tenors in the field of concert and oratorio. He is very fond of Baroque music and has dedicated himself especially to the study and interpretation of the Evangelist parts in the Passions by J.S. Bach. He also sing a lot of contemporary music and has regularly been involved in world premieres in pieces by composers from Sweden and abroad.
Johan Christensson's carrier as opera singer gets more and more extent. At Drottningholm court theatre he performed in operas by Monteverdi and at Théatre du Capitol in Toulouse he performed in both French contemporary opera and Baroque opera. At Folkoperan in Stockholm he has sung W.A. Mozart roles and at Piteå chamber opera he has performed in contemporary chamber operas.
During his career Johan Christensson had a lot of experience singing in ensembles and consorts. He has been a member of Eric Ericson Chamber Choir and Swedish harmony of voices.
On the concert stage Johan Christensson recently sang the Evangelist in Matthäus-Passion (BWV 244) at Musikhalle in Hamburg under Christof Schoener, the Evangelist in Johannes-Passion (BWV 245) in Aarhus, Denmark under Paul Goodwin and the Weihnachts-Oratorium (BWV 248) by J.S. Bach under Philip Pickett at Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. He sang Messiah in Oslo under Grete Pedersen, Kurt Weill’s Berliner Requiem at Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse and as soloist in George Frideric Handel's oratorio Belshazzar under Olof Boman. He sang Haydn’s Die Schöpfung at Växjö Cathedral, Requiem by W.A. Mozart followed by J.S. Bach's Johannes-Passion (BWV 245) and Weihnachts-Oratorium (BWV 248) in Hägersten, Stockholm. He was soloist in W.A. Mozart’s C-minor mass at The Stockholm Concert Hall conducted by Alan Gilbert and in B. Britten’s Serenade for Tenor and Horn at Nybrokajen in Stockholm. He was the Evangelist in J.S. Bach’s Weihnachts-Oratorium (BWV 248) with conductor Robert King at Nidaros Cathedral, Trondheim, and at Stockholm Concert Hall with Paul Goodwin. He sang a G.F. Handel programme with Andrew Manze in Helsingborg and was soloist in Igor Stravinsky’s Les Noces under Daniel Reuss at Stockholm Concert Hall. He was the Evangelist in Matthäus-Passion (BWV 244) at St Jacob and Kungsholmen Church in Stockholm, soloist in J.S. Bach’s B-minor Mass (BWV 232) with Eric Ericson in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Norrköping concert Halls. Under Stefan Parkman he sang B-minor Mass (BWV 232) in Berwaldhallen in Stockholm, Monteverdi's Vesperae beate Mariae virginis followed by the World premiere of Sven-David Sandström’s Magnificat in Stuttgart. He was the tenor soloist in L.v. Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis in Västerås, Messiah by G.F. Handel in Norrköping and Carl Heinrich Graun’s Der Tode Jesu at Malmö concert Hall, all three concerts under the direction of Andrew Manze, Messiah also in Örebro under Roy Goodman’s direction.
Engagements in 2009 included the roles as Mercury and Suivant de L’Amor in Rameau's opera Hippolyte et Aricie led by Emmanuelle Haïm at Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse. In 2010 he makes his debut at Opéra Nationale de Paris de la Bastille as Kurt in Fenelon’s opera Faust. In 2009 he was Nutrice in Monteverdi's L’incoronatione di Poppea at the Royal Drottningholm Court Theatre, where he the year before had the role as Iro in Il ritorno d’Ulisse. In 2008 he sang in the world premiere of Carl Unander Scharin’s chamber opera The Crystal Cabinet at Piteå Chamber Opera, where he also has sung the role as King Gustaf III in Jan Sandström's opera God Natt Madame and the Electrician in Thomas Adès’ Powder her face. Other important roles include Belmonte in The abduction from the Seraglio and Ferrando in Così fan tutte with Folkoperan in Stockholm as well as Tamino in The magic flute at Gävle Folkteater, Carl in Envallsson’s opéra comique Kopparslagaren with the Vadstena Academy, Peter Quint in Benjamin Britten’s Turn of the Screw and evangelist in a stage performance of J.S. Bach’s Matthäus-Passion (BWV 244). |
