Michael Schade
Tenor
Hailed as one of the world’s leading tenors, German-Canadian Michael Schade enjoyes a close collaboration with the Vienna State Opera, where he was last seen in new productions of Mozart’s Idomeneo and La Clemenza di Tito, as Prince in Dvořák’s Rusalka and as Flamand in Strauss’ Capriccio.
He frequently performs at the Metropolitan Opera, the Munich Opera and the Canadian Opera Company and has appeared at the Bavarian State Opera, 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 celebrated his role debut as Peter Grimes at the Hamburg State Opera. His most recent role debuts as Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus in Toronto and Florestan in Beethoven’s Fidelio at the Theater an der Wien under Nikolaus Harnoncourt were celebrated by audience and reviewers alike. Further highlights of the recent past included Aschenbach/Death in Venice in Hamburg, Max in Weber’s Freischütz at the Berlin State Opera and a new production at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, as well as Stolzing in Wagner’s Meistersinger at the 2016 Glyndebourne Festival and his role debut as Eisenstein in the traditional Fledermaus at the Vienna State Opera.
Highlights of the 2018/2019 season included a new production of Elektra/Aegisth at the Canadian Opera Company as well as Strauss’ Daphne/Leukippos and Erik in Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer at the Hamburg State Opera. Michael Schade was heard as Florestan in a concert version of Beethoven’s Fidelio under the baton of Yannick Nezet-Séguin in Montréal. In the 2022/2023 season Michael Schade can be heard as Herod in a new production of Strauss’ Salome at the Canadian Opera Company, as well as in a concert performance of Beethoven’s Fidelio under Paavo Järvi at the Tonhalle Zurich.
As one of the favorite artists of the Salzburg Festival for almost two decades, Michael Schade has appeared in new productions of Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito, Purcell’s King Arthur, Mozart’s Zauberflöte, Haydn’s Armida, Cherubini’s Médée, von Winter’s Das Labyrinth and in the title role of Schubert’s Fierrabras, as well as giving concerts and song recitals. From 2008 to 2010 he initiated and was active as Creative Director of the Salzburg Festival’s Young Singers Project.
Given his immense concert repertoire, ranging from Bach’s Cantatas and Passions to Mahler’s Lied von der Erde, he works regularly with conductors such as Ivor Bolton, Semyon Bychkov, Riccardo Chailly, Christoph von Dohnányi, Valery Gergiev, Fabien Gabel, Daniel Harding, Pablo Heras-Casado, Fabio Luisi, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Kent Nagano, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Peter Oundjan, Sir Simon Rattle, Helmuth Rilling, Christian Thielemann, Robin Ticciati, Franz Welser-Möst, and Simone Young. Furthermore, his musical activities were strongly influenced by his frequent collaboration with Nikolaus Harnoncourt.
At the beginning of the 2022/2023 season, Michael Schade made his debut at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires in a duo recital with Veronica Cangemi. Other highlights include Schoenberg’s Gurre-Lieder with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Fabio Luisi, Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with Sascha Götzl in France, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with Ton Koopmann and Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius under Nicholas Collon at the Vienna Konzerthaus, Bach’s St. John Passion with the Concentus Musicus and Stefan Gottfried at the Vienna Musikverein, as well as recitals in Montreux, Augsburg, at the Vienna Musikverein and at the Liszt Festival in Raiding.
As a recitalist, the artist has been celebrated for his appearances at major halls such as the Musikverein, Konzerthaus and State Opera in Vienna, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, New York’s Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall, London’s Wigmore Hall, and with presenters such as the Verbier Festival, the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg and at the Grafenegg Festival. His most recent song recitals took place at the Vienna State Opera, at La Scala Milan and at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
A prolific recording artist, Michael Schade has performed in Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion with Harnoncourt (Grammy Award), Verdi’s Messa da Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, 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 under Semyon Bychkov in 2005, as well as a live recording of a 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”. Recent releases include 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 Nights Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in 2013.
In 2007, the Republic of Austria appointed Michael Schade as Kammersänger. Mr. Schade was artist-in-residence at the Musikverein in Vienna in the 2009-2010 season, as well as at the Konzerthaus in Vienna featuring his own subscription series in the 2018-2019 season. He is the Artistic Director of the Hapag Lloyd Stella Maris International Vocal Competition. In 2014 the Internationale Barocktage Stift Melk has appointed Mr. Schade its Artistic Director through 2027. In 2017 Michael Schade was granted the title Officer to the Order of Canada (O.C.). Since 2019 Michael Schade has been a professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, where he devotes himself intensively to the next generation of singers in addition to numerous master classes.
