The German bass-baritone, Thomas Quasthoff, started his private voice studies at the age of 16 with Charlotte Lehmann and Carol Richardson in Hannover. After finishing his law studies at Hannover University, he became speaker at the Norddeutscher Rundfunk at the Landesfunkhaus Niederschen.
Thomas Quasthoff’s consequent artistic development is emphasized by his public awards: In 1984 he won the Kaminsky-Sonderpreis at the VDMK Rundewettbewerb for voice in Berlin, and in 1985 the second prize. In 1987 he received the first prize at the Mozart competition in Würzburg and has been awarded the only first prize for the best European radio production for voice at the Tribune Internationale de Jeunesse des Artistes in Bratislava. In June 1991 by Nidersächsisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur.
Thomas Quasthoff performed in concerts and Lied recitals i.a. in Amsterdam, Berlin, Bordeaux, Brussels, Budapest, Dresden, Leipzig, Munich, Paris, Rome, Vienna and Zürich. In September 1992 he has a recital for Michail Gorbatschow during his stay in Germany. The past years his Lied recitals took him to Paris, Sevilla, Berlin, as well as the Edinburgh festival. Further highlights include a tour; as well as the ARD TV recording of J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) with Windsbacher Knabenchor; his participation at the Mozart-Wochen in Salzburg, as well as the highly successful co-operation with Pepe Romero. Future projects include a Japan tour with Helmuth Rilling and a tour with Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields.
In addition, Thomas Quasthoff has engagements for television productions and CD recordings. Already published are recordings of Carl Loewe ballads and Bach cantatas (with Edith Mathis and Hans Peter Blochwitz). In the beginning of 1992, he featured as a soloist in recording of the Johannes-Passion (BWV 245), with Enoch zu Guttenberg. Another CD with Lieder of Robert Schumann was published recently (1994).
In fall 1993 Thomas Quasthoff has been appointed lecturer at the Musikhochschule Hannover and is an acclaimed voice teacher. Among the many singers who have studied with him and/or attended his master classes: Yosemeh Adjei (Counter-tenor), Manfred Bittner (Bass-Baritone), Adèle Charvet (Mezzo-soprano), Jan Douwes (Bass), Susanne Duwe (Soprano), Dominique Engler (Mezzo-soprano), María Espada (Soprano), Georg Gädker (Baritone), Roman Grübner (Baritone), Samuel Hasselhorn (Baritone), Mathias Hausmann (Baritone), Fabian Hemmelmann (Baritone), Jörg Hempel (Baritone), Anna Hofmann (Soprano), Timo Janzen (Bass-Baritone), Seil Kim (Tenor), Henning-Arfst Klocke (Tenor), Sophie Klussmann (Soprano), Benedikt Kristjánsson (Tenor), Kaspar Kröner (Counter-tenor), Steffen Kubach (Baritone), Enrico Lagasca (Bass-Baritone), Markus Lemke (Bass-Baritone), Ewa Leszczyńska (Soprano), Alejandro Meerapfel (Baritone), Julián Millán (Baritone), Anna Molnár (Mezzo-soprano), Bartolo Musil (Baritone), Sebastian Noack (Baritone), Anna-Maria Palii (Soprano), Daniel Pérez (Baritone, Choral Conductor), Nicole Pieper (Mezzo-soprano, Contralto), Pablo Pollitzer (Tenor), Burkhard von Puttkamer (Baritone), Alexandra Rawohl (Mezzo-soprano), Isabelle Rejall (Mezzo-soprano), Felix Rohleder (Bass-Baritone), Marek Rzepka (Bass), Cornelia Samuelis (Soprano), Immo Schröder (Tenor), Meik Schwalm (Baritone), Johannes Schwarz (Baritone), Jonathan Sells (Baritone), Britta Süberkrüb (Mezzo-soprano), Michael Terada (Baritone), Olivia Vermeulen (Mezzo-soprano), Thomas Volle (Tenor), Markus Volpert (Baritone), Manuel Walser (Baritone), Titus Witt (Bass-Baritone), Andreas Wolf (Bass-Baritone), Benedikt Zeitner (Baritone)***. |