Christoph Genz (born 1 March 1971 in Erfurt) is a German classical tenor in opera and concert.
Early Life and Education
Genz began his musical training as a member of the renowned St. Thomas Boys Choir (Thomanerchor) in Leipzig. He subsequently studied music at King's College, Cambridge, where he was also a member of the King's College Choir. He continued his vocal studies with Hans-Joachim Beyer at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" in Leipzig and with soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. In 1996, he won first prize at the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition.
Career
In 1997, Genz became a member of the Theater Basel. He appeared as a guest at major venues including the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Semperoper in Dresden, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, and opera houses in Lausanne, Cologne, Nancy, Leipzig, Wiesbaden, and La Coruña. In 2000, he sang for the first time at the Hamburg State Opera, where he was a member from 2001 to 2004. His roles included Tamino in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Ferrando in Così fan tutte, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, and the Chevalier in Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites.
Genz has performed under leading conductors such as Herbert Blomstedt, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Riccardo Chailly, Kurt Masur, Sir Simon Rattle, Nicolaus Harnoncourt, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Sir Roger Norrington, Ton Koopman, Ingo Metzmacher, Kent Nagano, Ivor Bolton, Markus Stenz, Daniel Harding, Helmuth Rilling, Michail Jurowski, and Masaaki Suzuki.
Discography
His discography comprises more than 60 CDs and DVDs, including operas, concerts, songs, and arias. He recorded Bach cantatas with Sir John Eliot Gardiner and sang the tenor roles in La Petite Bande's complete Bach cantatas cycle conducted by Sigiswald Kuijken (recorded between 2006 and 2011). He also performed in recordings of the St. John Passion (conducted by Ludwig Güttler), the St. Matthew Passion, and the Mass in B minor with La Petite Bande. Other notable recordings include Mendelssohn's Lobgesang under Helmuth Rilling, the role of Brighella in Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos with the Staatskapelle Dresden and Giuseppe Sinopoli, and the role of Tamino in a recording with Sigiswald Kuijken.
Later Career and Education
From 2017 to 2022, Genz worked as Head of the Arts Department, Music teacher, and Dean of Faculty at UWC Changshu in China, part of the United World Colleges group. He currently serves as Director of Performing Arts at the United World College of the Adriatic in Duino, Italy, where he teaches music and organizes a concert series, masterclasses, and peripatetic music lessons. In July 2024, he was invited to serve as a member of the jury for the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition in Leipzig.
