Christof Fischesser grew up in a musical family, received instrumental training at an early age, and was active in various choirs and ensembles. He studied voice with Prof. Martin Gründler at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Frankfurt and won First Prize at the Bundeswettbewerb Gesang (German National Singing Competition) in Berlin in 2000.
He began his professional career as a member of the ensemble at the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, where he quickly took on major roles such as Mephistopheles (Mefistofele by Boito) and Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro). In 2004, he joined the ensemble of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, and from 2012 to 2015 he was a member of Zurich Opera, where he continues to appear regularly in leading roles.
In the 2024/25 season, he returned to Zurich Opera as Fiesco (Simon Boccanegra), King Heinrich (Lohengrin), and Rocco (Fidelio). He also sang Pogner (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg) at the Berlin State Opera, King Marke (Tristan und Isolde) in Stockholm, and appeared at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich as the Water Goblin (Rusalka) and the Commendatore (Don Giovanni).
In the 2025/26 season, Christof Fischesser will return to the Bayerische Staatsoper as Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte and reprise this role at the Vienna State Opera. He will also sing Rocco (Fidelio) and the Landgrave (Tannhäuser) in Zurich, and the Landgrave again at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. He appears in Madrid at Teatro Real in Bluebeard’s Castle and performs The Book with Seven Seals by Franz Schmidt in concert with the Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España (OCNE) under Fabio Luisi.
Highlights of recent seasons include Simon Boccanegra in Zurich directed by Andreas Homoki, and Der Rosenkavalier at the Bavarian State Opera, where he is a celebrated Baron Ochs. He has performed leading roles such as Orest, King Marke, Hunding, La Roche, Bluebeard, and Rocco at major houses including the Vienna State Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Opéra National de Paris, Teatro Real Madrid, Bavarian State Opera, Semperoper Dresden, Opéra National de Lyon, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the opera houses of Amsterdam, Antwerp, Basel, Copenhagen, and Stockholm.
He has appeared at the Salzburg Festival, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, and Bregenz Festival, where he sang Kaspar in Philipp Stölzl’s production of Der Freischütz on the Seebühne.
His broad repertoire includes roles such as Gurnemanz (Parsifal), Sir Giorgio (I Puritani), Banco (Macbeth), Count Walter (Luisa Miller), Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), and Mephistopheles (Faust by Gounod).
A sought-after concert soloist, Fischesser has sung Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass in Paris under Jukka-Pekka Saraste, appeared with the Vienna Symphony under Fabio Luisi in Zurich, the Musikverein and Konzerthaus in Vienna, and with Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in Madrid, Seville, and Valencia. He has also performed at the Lucerne Festival with Claudio Abbado and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra.
His concert repertoire includes Beethoven’s Missa solemnis, Verdi’s Messa da Requiem, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and Brahms’ Four Serious Songs. He has worked with leading conductors including Bernard Haitink, Kent Nagano, Antonio Pappano, Philippe Jordan, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Kirill Petrenko, and Fabio Luisi.
Christof Fischesser’s artistry is documented in numerous CD and DVD recordings, including Fidelio with Claudio Abbado, Manon with Daniel Barenboim, and Lohengrin with Kent Nagano.