Michael Schade

Hailed as one of the world’s leading tenors, German-Canadian tenor Michael Schade performs on every major opera stage and in the most prestigious concert halls of the world. His art form embraces a wide repertoire of performances in opera, recital, concert, and recording.

 

He continues his close collaboration with the Vienna State Opera in the 2014/15 season returning for a new production of IDOMENEO under Christoph Eschenbach and Kasper Holten. At the Vienna State Opera, Michael Schade has performed all of the leading Mozart and Strauss roles. His subtle, yet powerful interpretation of Dvořák’s RUSALKA, Mozart's LA CLEMENZA DI TITO and in Strauss' CAPRICCIO with Renée Fleming won him critical acclaim and high praise from audiences.

 

He frequently performs at the Metropolitan Opera, the Munich Opera and the Canadian Opera Company, where he debuted his highly acclaimed Eisenstein in DIE FLEDERMAUS last season, at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Liceu Barcelona, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and the Opéra Bastille in Paris. In November 2013 Michael Schade has been invited back by Simone Young to debut PETER GRIMES at the Hamburg State Opera where his award winning Aschenbach in DEATH IN VENICE was their most recent collaboration. The unanimous critical acclaim for these role debuts, which includes his first Florestan in Beethoven’s FIDELIO at the Theater an der Wien under Nikolaus Harnoncourt, have paved the way for more dramatic parts to be added to his already impressive repertoire. Further highlights include Berg’s LULU with Fabio Luisi at the Metropolitan Opera, and IDOMENEO with the Nederlandse Opera in Amsterdam and a new production of DON GIOVANNI for which he will return to the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto.

 

As one of the favorite artists of the Salzburg Festival for almost two decades, Michael Schade has appeared in new stagings of Mozart’s LA CLEMENZA DI TITO, Purcell’s KING ARTHUR, Mozart’s ZAUBERFLÖTE, Haydn’s ARMIDA, Cherubini’s MEDÉE and von Winter’s DAS LABYRINTH. Recent highlights in Salzburg include Haydn’s CREATION and SEASONS under the baton of Harnoncourt and Schubert’s DIE SCHÖNE MÜLLERIN with Rudolf Buchbinder. In 2008 he initiated and was appointed the Creative Director of the Salzburg Festival’s Young Singers Project, where his public master classes are an audience favorite. In summer 2014, he will present himself in the title role of Schubert's FIERRABRAS with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Ingo Metzmacher, directed by Peter Stein.

 

In addition to his opera career, Michael Schade has earned a reputation as a stellar concert and recital soloist, his immense repertoire ranges from Bach’s Cantatas and Passions to Mahler’s LIED VON DER ERDE.  He is frequently invited to perform with the leading orchestras and their renowned conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Ivor Bolton, Pierre Boulez, Semyon Bychkov, Riccardo Chailly, Christoph von Dohnányi, Valery Gergiev, Daniel Harding, Mariss Jansons, Philippe Jordan, James Levine, Fabio Luisi, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Kent Nagano, Peter Oundjan, Sir Simon Rattle, Helmuth Rilling, Christian Thielemann, Robin Ticciati, Franz Welser-Möst, and Simone Young. Furthermore, his musical activities are strongly influenced by his frequent collaboration with Nikolaus Harnoncourt.

 

His 2013/14 season includes Berlioz’ DAMNATION DE FAUST with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra under Kent Nagano, Mahler’s DAS LIED VON DER ERDE with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Daniel Harding, Mendelssohn’s WALPURGISNACHT with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra under Pablo Heras-Casado, Beethoven’s MISSA SOLEMNIS with Sir Roger Norrington at New York’s Carnegie Hall and Bach’s ST. MATTHEW PASSION and Haydn’s SEASONS under Nikolaus Harnoncourt at Vienna’s Musikverein and in Melk. The upcoming season will lead Mr. Schade to Vienna’s Musikverein for Haydn’s CREATION with Nicolaus Harnoncourt, to the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam for Bach’s ST. JOHN PASSION, to Luxembourg and Seoul for Beethoven’s NINTH SYMPHONY with Iván Fischer and for the same work under Paavo Järvi in Paris and finally to the Gewandhaus in Leipzig where he will perform Mendelssohn’s LOBGESANG and Rossini’s STABAT MATER under the baton of Riccardo Chailly.

 

Michael Schade’s undisputed accomplishments and charm as a recitalist have inspired audiences at every major venue, including the Musikverein, Konzerthaus and State Opera in Vienna, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, New York’s Alice Tully and Carnegie Halls, London’s Wigmore Hall, Verbier Festival, Schubertiade Schwarzenberg, Grafenegg Festival, and La Scala in Milan. His schedule for the current season includes recitals at the Wigmore Hall, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Salzburg’s Mozartwoche and the Konzerthaus in Vienna.

 

A prolific recording artist, Michael Schade has performed in Bach’s ST. MATTHEW’S PASSION with Harnoncourt which was awarded a Grammy for the best choral work. In a close artistic relationship with Maestro Harnoncourt, he has also recorded Handel’s MESSIAH, Verdi’s REQUIEM, Haydn’s ORLANDO PALADINO, Mozart’s ZAIDE and LA CLEMENZA DI TITO. Other notable recordings include Mahler’s LIED VON DER ERDE with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Pierre Boulez, Mozart’s REQUIEM with the Berlin Philharmonic under Claudio Abbado, and Grammy nominated DAPHNE with Renée Fleming under Semyon Bychkov, including live recordings of the Mozart Gala at Salzburg Festival. His list of awards includes three Junos for CBC Records’ DIE SCHÖNE MÜLLERIN with Malcolm Martineau, Soirée Française and Mozart: Arie e Duetti. Recently he was featured in live recordings of DIE SCHÖNE MÜLLERIN with Rudolf Buchbinder at Grafenegg and DVDs of ARABELLA (Vienna State Opera), DAS LABYRINTH (Salzburg Festival) and of the SUMMER NIGHT CONCERT of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Schönbrunn) in 2013 under the baton of Lorin Maazel.

 

In 2007, the Republic of Austria appointed Michael Schade to Kammersänger for his exceptional cultural merits. Mr. Schade was artist-in-residence at the Musikverein in Vienna, featuring his own subscription series in the 2009/10 season. He is the Artistic Director of the Hapag Lloyd Stella Maris International Vocal Competition and, together with Dee McKee, initiator of the Red Ribbon Celebration Concert, a fundraising initiative for the Clinton Health Access Initiative. The Internationale Barocktage Stift Melk has appointed Mr. Schade its Artistic Director through 2016.