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The German tenor, Johannes Kalpers, grew up in Ransbach-Baumbach in the Westerwald, he still lives in the Westerwald (Heiligenroth ) today. At the age of 8 he played the piano, harmonica and flute; from the age of 10 he was a member of the choir of the Limburger Domsingknaben (1976-1985) in the boarding school in Hadamar. He later learned the trombone and completed a choir leader's training in the church music department in the Limburg diocese. After graduating from the Fürst-Johann-Ludwig-Schule in Hadamar in 1985, he joined the armed forces and played the trombone with the Army Music Corps 300 in Koblenz. From 1987, he studied at the Staatl. Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe, where he also directed choirs and gave piano lessons. He completed his studies in 1992 with the state examination in school music. In 1993 he made his diploma as a singing teacher and in 1994 his artistic maturity examination in singing with Klaus Dieter Kern. He attended master-classes with Nicolai Gedda, Hermann Prey, Werner Hollweg, Ernst Haefliger, Bernhard Adler and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. As a winner of various singing competitions, he also received the Richard-Strauss-Plakette, the Franz-Völker-Preis and was a scholarship holder of the Richard Wagner Stiftung.
After his first engagements at the opera houses in Eisenach and Chemnitz, Johannes Kalpers became a member of the ensemble at the Niedersächsische Staatsoper Hannover for roles in the German, lyric tenor genre. In the 2000-2001 season he was a member of the ensemble of the Wiener Volksoper. Guest engagements have taken him to the Nationaltheater Mannheim, Staatstheater Wiesbaden, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Theater Kassel, Theater Erfurt and Staatsoperette Dresden.
In the summer of 1999, Johannes Kalpers made his debut at the Salzburg Festival. Oratorio performances and recitals (e.g. in the Brahms Saal des Wiener Musikvereins, Alten Oper Frankfurt, Berliner Philharmonie, Konzerthaus Berlin, Herkulessaal München, Münchner Philharmonie, Kölner Philharmonie), as well as recordings, radio and television productions another focus of his work. Here he worked with Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Christoph von Dohnányi, Achim Zimmermann, Georges Prêtre, Professor Hanns-Martin Schneidt, Professor Uwe Gronostay, Professor Wolfgang Schäfer and Enoch zu Guttenberg.
From 2001-2006 Johannes Kalpers taught singing at the State University of Music in Frankfurt/Main. From 2002 to 2012 he had an exclusive record deal with the label Sony/ Ariola Munich. Since autumn 2013 he has been under contract as an exclusive artist with the record company Telamo.
Johannes Kalpers not only sings classical works such as operas, oratorios and songs, but also works that are assigned to so-called popular music. The extraordinarily versatile singer gained great popularity through his television presence in all major entertainment formats of German television. In 2001 he took part in the 2001 Grand Prix of Folk Music and achieved 10th place with the song A Smile for the Whole World. In 2002 he received a record deal, and in the spring his first solo album “Music is my world” was released. In the fall of 2002, his title Das Lied zum Glück was chosen as the song of the ARD television lottery. His longstanding piano partner is the pianist Andreas Frese. Since 2007 he has also worked as a Moderator and presenter of the the program Sunday Tour on SWR, alternating with Hansy Vogt and has become known to a wide audience.
Johannes Kalpers is involved in a variety of social areas: For his 40th birthday in 2006, he founded the association "Musik für meine Welt" e.V., which promotes singing and music-making, especially by children and young people, but also by older people, and above all regional musical projects in his Westerwald home supported. A special concern of his is the patronage of the hospice Stella Maris in Mechernich/Eifel. He says: "I have decided to take over the patronage because I am more than convinced of what the "Communio in Christo" and its employees do for people." With his concerts, Johannes Kalpers has also financially supported the children's aid campaign "SWR-Herzenssache", the "Leberecht-Stiftung für Kinder in Not" and the "Jose Carreras Leukämie-Stiftung". As a native and with close ties to his homeland, he is particularly pleased that the late District Administrator of the Westerwald district, Mr. Peter Paul Weinert, appointed him "Ambassador of the Westerwald" in 2006.
Johannes Kalpers has been married since 2002, but separated, and has a daughter. |
