Born: Bocholt (Westphalia), Germany

The German tenor, Karl Markus, studied at the Musikhochschule Köln with Professor Heinz Marten and later with KS Hilde Zadeck and KS Jean Cox. He is prize-winner at Concorso International de Canto in Rio de Janeiro and the Singing Competition in s’Hertogenbosch.

With an extensive repertoire from the Baroque to the new music, Karl Markus ranks among the most well-known concert tenors of Europe. His interpretation of the Evangelist roles in the Bach's Passions became especially estimated everywhere. He made his debut in 1974 as Belmonte in the Mozart's' Entführung in Aachen. He had also sung for several years at the Berner Stadttheater (Flamand in Capriccio by R. Strauss), before he was appointed in 1990 as Professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Frankfurt am Main, where he is responsible for the solo singing class.

Concert engagements have led Karl Markus to the most important music centres and festival in Europe and the USA. For example, he made guest performances and gave master-classes at the Carmel Bach Festival for several years. Noted performances in recent years have included: Franz Schmid's Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln in Pforzheim, Beethoven's 9^th Symphony in Abu Dhabi, Berlioz' Missa in Winterthur, Evangelist in J.S. Bach's Johannes-Passion (BWV 245) at the Barock-Festival in Varazdin under Milan Horvat, and the tenor cantata Rinaldo by J. Brahms in Bern. In 2002 he retired from the public concert life and dedicates himself now exclusively to training of his students. Since 2004-2005 season he is director of the department of the special area of "singing/theatre music" at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main.

Source: Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main Website, English translation by Aryeh Oron (October 2006)
Contributed by Teddy Kaufman (October 2006)

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Collegium Aureum

Tenor

BWV 137, BWV 190

Hans Grischkat

Tenor

BWV 28, BWV 153, BWV 154

Helmut Kahlhöfer

Tenor

BWV 232

Gerhard Wilhelm

Tenor

BWV 248

Links to other Sites

Karl Markus (Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main) [German]

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