The journey of baritone Andrè Schuen into the world of singing began in the picturesque village of La Val in South Tyrol, Italy. Growing up trilingual in Ladin, Italian, and German, this versatility continues to be reflected in his richly varied repertoire. Originally a passionate cellist, Andrè Schuen later chose to pursue vocal studies at the prestigious Mozarteum Salzburg under the guidance of Professors Horiana Brănișteanu and Wolfgang Holzmair. Following his studies, he spent the first years of his career as an ensemble member at the Graz Opera. Today, he graces the stages of major opera houses, concert halls, and lieder venues around the world.
In the operatic sphere, Andrè Schuen is in high demand at leading houses such as the Bavarian State Opera, the Vienna State Opera, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, and Teatro Real Madrid, as well as at significant festivals like Aix-en-Provence, Lucerne, and Salzburg. In the current season, he returns to the role of Count Almaviva in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro at both the Vienna State Opera (conducted by Ivor Bolton, directed by Barrie Kosky) and the Zurich Opera House (conducted by Antonello Manacorda, directed by Jan Philipp Gloger). At Milan's La Scala, he performs the role of Donner in a new production of Wagner’s Das Rheingold (conducted by Christian Thielemann, directed by David McVicar).
At the Salzburg Easter Festival in spring 2025, he will appear in two productions: in a new staging of Mussorgsky’s Khovanshchina (a co-production with the Metropolitan Opera New York), he takes on the role of Shaklovity (conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, directed by Simon McBurney). Additionally, he will be a soloist in Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Maxim Emelyanychev.
Andrè Schuen is equally at home in the concert hall. At the season opening of the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern, conducted by Chief Conductor Pietari Inkinen, he will perform Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer. With a program of purely Mozart arias, he will appear with the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg under Roberto González-Monjas. He will also perform the French song cycle Poème de l'amour et de la mer by Ernest Chausson with both the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Roberto González-Monjas) and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Antonello Manacorda). In the United States, he will sing Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Andris Nelsons and will again be among the soloists in this magnificent work under Simon Rattle with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Munich.
Past highlights on both the concert and opera stages include his debut at New York's Carnegie Hall with Brahms' German Requiem alongside the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and Bernard Labadie, performances at the Munich Opera Festival as Wolfram in Castellucci’s production of Tannhäuser, and at the Royal Opera House in London as Sharpless in Puccini’s Madame Butterfly. He also performed at the Konzerthaus Berlin during the 125th-anniversary celebration of Deutsche Grammophon.
Lieder singing holds a special place in Andrè Schuen’s heart. This season, he and his piano partner Daniel Heide will perform Schubert’s Winterreise at the New Year Music Festival in Gstaad, and they will also present recitals in Madrid, Caceres, and Barcelona. The duo regularly captivates audiences at major lieder venues such as the Schubertiada Vilabertran, the Heidelberg Spring Festival, and the Rheingau Music Festival. Andrè Schuen has also given lieder recitals in the United States, including at Tanglewood and the Aspen Music Festival.
Andrè Schuen receives international acclaim for his recordings. Since 2021, the Ladin baritone has been an exclusive recording artist with Deutsche Grammophon. Following his recordings of Schubert's Die Schöne Müllerin and Schwanengesang, which earned him the coveted Opus Klassik award, he completed the trilogy of Schubert’s late song cycles in May 2024 with Winterreise.
Season 2024/25 (August 2024) – Please use only this biography and no older versions!
15. December 2024 - 13:00 Zürich, Opernhaus Zürich Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro, Opera buffa in 4 Akten KV 492 |
HIGHLIGHTS 2023/2024