Christopher Ventris

Christopher Ventris is one of the world’s leading Heldentenors, enjoying an unparalleled reputation as the pre-eminent Siegmund and Parsifal of his generation. From his acclaimed Bayreuth Festival debut as Parsifal with Daniele Gatti conducting, he went on to appearances in the role with such companies as Vienna State Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Opéra national de Paris, Zurich Opera House, and San Francisco Opera. As Siegmund in Wagner’s Die Walküre, he has appeared at Vienna State Opera, the Bayreuth Festival, Semperoper Dresden, Washington National Opera, and Dutch National Opera. He has worked with such conductors as Marc Albrecht, Philippe Auguin, Semyon Bychkov, Bernard Haitink, Hartmut Haenchen, Marek Janowski, Kent Nagano, Sir Simon Rattle, Donald Runnicles, Christian Thielemann, and Franz Welser-Möst. Other Wagner roles have included Rienzi, Tannhäuser, Lohengrin, and his acclaimed role debut as Tristan at Théâtre de la Monnaie under Alain Altinoglu in 2019. Mr. Ventris has sung Britten’s Peter Grimes at Zurich Opera House and Deutsche Oper Berlin, Florestan in Beethoven’s Fidelio at Washington National Opera, Sergei in Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District in Geneva, Madrid, London, and Brussels, and Jimmy Mahoney in Weill’s Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny at Berlin State Opera, Zurich Opera House, and Vienna State Opera. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Števa in Janáček’s Jenůfa, Max in Weber’s Der Freischütz in his Teatro alla Scala debut, and Manolios in Martinů’s The Greek Passion. He returned to the Metropolitan Opera in the 2019-20 season for his role debut as Drum Major in William Kentridge’s production of Wozzeck under Yannick Nézet-Séguin.