Karl Markus (Tenor)

Born: Bocholt (Westphalia), Germany

The German tenor, Karl Markus, studied at the Musikhochschule Köln with Professor Heinz Marten and later with KS Hilde Zadeck and KS Jean Cox. He is prize-winner at Concorso International de Canto in Rio de Janeiro and the Singing Competition in s’Hertogenbosch.

With an extensive repertoire from the Baroque to the new music, Karl Markus ranks among the most well-known concert tenors of Europe. His interpretation of the Evangelist roles in the Bach's Passions became especially estimated everywhere. He made his debut in 1974 as Belmonte in the W.A. Mozart's' Entführung in Aachen. He had also sung for several years at the Berner Stadttheater (Flamand in Capriccio by R. Strauss), before he was appointed in 1990 as Professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Frankfurt am Main, where he is responsible for the solo singing class.

Concert engagements have led Karl Markus to the most important music centres and festival in Europe and the USA. For example, he made guest performances and gave master-classes at the Carmel Bach Festival for several years. Noted performances in recent years have included: Franz Schmid's Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln in Pforzheim, L.v. Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in Abu Dhabi, Berlioz' Missa in Winterthur, Evangelist in J.S. Bach's Johannes-Passion (BWV 245) at the Barock-Festival in Varazdin under Milan Horvat, and the tenor cantata Rinaldo by J. Brahms in Bern. He also performed several times at the Baldwin-Wallace College Bach Festival in Ohio (1982, 1985, 1986, 1992).

In 2002 Karl Markus retired from the public concert life and dedicates himself now exclusively to training of his students. Since 2004-2005 season he is director of the department of the special area of "singing/theatre music" at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main. Among the singers who have studied with him and/or attended his master-classes: Patrick Siegrist (Tenor).

Sources:
Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main Website, English translation by Aryeh Oron (October 2006)
Contributed by Teddy Kaufman (October 2006); Matthias Hansen (Photo 02, January 2010)

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Collegium Aureum

Tenor

BWV 137, BWV 190

Udo R. Follert

Tenor

BWV 232, BWV 248

Walter Forchert

Tenor

[CR-21] (1974?, Radio recording): BWV 21

Michael Graf Münster

Tenor

BWV 172

Hans Grischkat

Tenor

BWV 28, BWV 153, BWV 154

Albrecht Haupt

Tenor

F.N. Brauns: Markus-Passion

Diethard Hellmann

Tenor

BWV 137
[CR-21] (1973, Radio recording): BWV 21
[CR-186a] (Late 1960's?, Radio recording): BWV 186a

Helmut Kahlhöfer

Tenor

BWV 232

Günter Kehr

Tenor

[CR-135] (Early 1980's?, Radio recording): BWV 135

Paul Kuentz

Tenor

BWV 244 [Evangelist]

Dwight Oltman

Tenor

Baldwin-Wallace College Bach Festival (1985): BWV 174
BWV 213, BWV 232 [3^rd], BWV 244 [Evangelist - 2^nd], BWV 244 [Evangelist - 4^th]

Hanswolf Scriba

Tenor

[CR-38] (Mid 1970's?, Radio Recording): BWV 38

Hans Thamm

Tenor

[CR-95] (1970, Radio recording): BWV 95

Gerhard Wilhelm

Tenor

BWV 248

Links to other Sites

Karl Markus (Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main) [German]