Johannes Dunz

His great grandfather was a violinist, his great-grandmother played the zither, and his mother the piano. And it was his mother who encouraged Johannes to take up piano lessons. His teacher, Michael Goldhammer, sowed the seeds for his student’s love of music. But to begin with, he didn’t have the patience: “I became a singer because I was too lazy to practice the piano”, Johannes Dunz remarks about his journey with a note of self-deprecation. Although there was a phase of serious doubts, by the time he finished school, he already knew that he “couldn’t live without music”. But that was precisely the moment when he was told that he was a perfect fit for the military. So perfect, in fact, that all doors seemed to suddenly be opening up before him, and he had the chance to become a fighter pilot! It was real possibility. But to begin with, he had to get to know his new employer – in the Deutsche Garde, the German Guard Battalion. Which meant hours and hours of escort and parade duty, foot drills, official honour services, escort and parade duty, foot drills, escort and parade duty, official honour services … Only a third of the recruits he started with stuck at it – and Johannes Dunz: “you have a lot of time to think, and it teaches you discipline.”

Which is certainly an advantage if you land on the stage at the Salzburger Festspiele as a young singer, straight from your studies in Leipzig, and you find yourself standing next to greats such as Plácido Domingo, Juliane Banse and Anna Netrebko. “You have to practise, practise, practise, and for that you need patience”, Johannes Dunz remarks today, after productions in Gera, Leipzig, Dresden, Zurich, and two successful seasons in the Opera Studio of the Komische Oper Berlin.

“When I was offered Tony in West Side Story, I couldn’t believe it”. He had already marvelled at the production with his colleague Tansel Akzeybek. Back then, Johannes Dunz was sitting in the audience, and couldn’t imagine what was in store for him. But with effort and discipline, this tenor’s dreams are coming true. And for the 2016/17 season, Johannes Dunz is a member of the Ensemble of the Komische Oper Berlin. And he’s taking off.

CD
Verdi: Giovanna d’Arco

MASTERCLASSES WITH
Christa Ludwig, Thomas Hampson, Helmut Deutsch

COMPETITIONS
Jugend musiziert, Young Singers Project bei den Salzburger Festspielen 2013

IMPORTANT CONDUCTORS
Manfred Honeck, Paolo Carignani, Sebastian Weigle

IMPORTANT PARTS AT THE KOMISCHE OPER BERLIN
Schneider Halskrause (Des Kaisers neue Kleider), Borsa (Rigoletto), Schnauz (Ein Sommernachtstraum), Dancairo (Carmen), David (Das Gespenst von Canterville), Erster Gaucho (Clivia), Crown Prince Rudolph (Marinka), Arzt (Der feurige Engel), Paul, Der Provinzler (Heute Nacht oder nie), Garderobier (Kiss me, Kate), Basilio (Die Hochzeit des Figaro), Titelpartie in Candide, Der Prinz (Die Liebe zu drei Orangen), Rittmeister Stefan Koltay (Viktoria und ihr Husar), Bobby Wilkins (Roxy und ihr Wunderteam), Tony (West Side Story), Beladonis (Die Perlen der Cleopatra), Prinz Zaphir (Blaubart), Monostatos/Erster geharnischter Mann (Die Zauberflöte), Mottel Kamzoil (Anatevka), Freddy Eynsford-Hill (My Fair Lady), Dr. Cajus (Falstaff), Tamino (Die Zaubermelodika), Kapitän Reginald Harold Stone (Die Blume von Hawaii)

IMPORTANT PARTS ELSEWHERE
Operntenor (Das Opernschiff oder am Südpol denkt man ist es heiß) und Schreiber/1. Fischer (Ulenspiegel) am Landestheater Altenburg/Gera; Eisenstein (Die Fledermaus) und Leopold (Im Weißen Rössl) an der HMT Leipzig und an den Landesbühnen Sachsen; Belmonte (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Herzog von Alencon (Jeanne d’Arc) und Delil (Giovanna d’Arco) bei den Salzburger Festspielen; Augustin Moser (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg) am Opernhaus Zürich